SDBTT has recently welcomed Seamus Cullen to our list of patrons.  Seamus is probably best known for being in the final 10 contestants in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s search for a Joseph, ‘Any Dream Will Do’.

Seamus’s first appearance as patron will be at a tea party in Battersea.  Details of the party can be found here.

You can read more about Seamus here.

As Sue says, “William was an amazing little boy, full of life, loving and funny, with an amazing ability to attract people wherever he went. When he was 6 years old he was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, a Diffuse Pontine Glioma. This incurable disease, that only affects children, took our beautiful William’s life just four and a half months later, aged only 7; he died in our arms.

We were absolutely destroyed and couldn’t understand the purpose of our lives, but over time, we realised we had a compelling need to go beyond ourselves, and to help those children who are suffering just as William did. The D*Silva project has been started to make a difference for those children and to shine a light for William, to make a mark on the world for him, as he will never get the chance to do it for himself.

As music is a big part of our lives we decided to write an album as a tribute to William, using the funds generated from sales to support the charities that helped William and us through our most difficult times. This album will be Williams’s legacy. 80% of all download sales will be donated through TigerTot Records with the aim of supporting the work of the Round Table Children’s Wish, the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust, and the Make A Wish Foundation, all of whom so readily provide amazing help and opportunity to children and families everywhere.

The album is entitled “Hope” as this is something we believe everyone deserves, but sadly not all have. William should be here, but he isn’t – and other children will lose their fight against this terrible illness so please help us to help these children and their families. Through this project should one family be spared the ordeal that William suffered, or should one child experience their most desired wish, then it will have all been worthwhile. William is our shining light; our whole life, and we will miss him forever.

We have received amazing support and fantastic feedback from all over the world, and if there is anyone out there who has any contacts or services they can offer which could help this project, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

The album is now available for download on iTunes and all other major download sites, we hope you enjoy it and spread the word so we can raise a fortune for our amazing charities. Please help a great cause!”

For additional information about D*Silva please go to www.myspace.com/dsilvahq

To purchase a CD at a cost of £10.00 (plus postage & packaging of £1.00) please contact the SDBTT office on 0845 130 9733 or email enquiries@sdbtt.co.uk

*** UPDATE: By clicking on the image below, you can listen to ”Hope”, one of the songs from the album***

Four former schoolfriends have joined forces to embark on a grueling 300-mile cycle ride from London to Paris in memory of Alan Pooley, husband and father of two who lived in Wokingham for over 20 years.

Shortly after Alan’s death from a brain tumour in September last year at the age of 57, his son Richard (30) and long-time friends James Mead (31), Ed Titheridge (32) and John Eckert (29), decided they wanted to raise funds for SDBTT to help continue research and care for those with brain tumours.

Richard said, “After seeing what Dad went through during his five-month battle against such an awful disease, the four of us wanted to do something to help relieve the suffering of others and hopefully help get a step closer to finding a cure.

“In Britain, despite the fact that more than 40,000 people die from primary or secondary brain tumours each year, research into the disease lacks financial support and little is known about this form of cancer or how to treat it effectively. We hope we can make a small difference.”

The team has already started a rigorous training schedule ahead of the June ride which starts at Blackheath in London and finishes in Paris four days later.

Ed said, “With busy working lives and the fact that three of us have young children, the training has meant a lot of discipline and commitment, but the cause has given us the motivation to succeed in June.”

The team is looking to raise more than £10,000 for SDBTT.  

Neil and Angela Dickson congratulated the boys on supporting the Trust and wished them the best of luck in June.  

“The work of the Trust would not be possible if it was not for the dedication, commitment and generosity of people like Richard, Ed, James and John. We wish them the best of luck for the ride in June.”

To help them achieve their goal, the team is looking for corporate and individual sponsorship and welcomes any donations. They need to raise 60 per cent of the money before 15th March in order to confirm their place on the ride. Anyone wishing to sponsor them can donate now by visiting www.justgiving.com/MemorialCycletoParis

Best of luck, gentlemen, and thank you very much for your support!

Nimisha Raja will be hosting a Tea Party for parents at Thomas’s Battersea school at The Square Sandwich (20 Battersea High Street) on Friday 12 March 2010 at 8:30am.

Tea, coffee, delicious cakes and biscuits will be served in return for a small donation. There will be a small raffle and the opportunity to buy a pack of SDBTT’s latest stationery designs.

The event is called ‘Any Tea Will Do’ in celebration of SDBTT’s recent acquisition of their new patron, Seamus Cullen, from Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s television show ‘Any Dream Will Do’.  You can read more about Seamus here.

Please note that although this event is in aid of the Upper School charity, all Thomas’s parents are invited and very welcome.  Click here for a poster advertising the event.

The winners of the competition were team members from the Stores Department who chose to support SDBTT in memory of Kirsten Merrick who died just before Christmas 2009 and was the wife of one of their colleagues.

In total £750.00 was donated to SDBTT – the winning team being presented with a cheque by their Chairman, Stephen Price.

The winning team!

Many thanks to everyone at Portakabin Limited for their ongoing support – it is very much appreciated.

The one that didn't get away! Phil and Paul and their fishing guide, Ashley, with a Wels Catfish weighing 115lbs

Avid fisherman, Phil Hilton and his friend, Paul, set themselves the incredible goal of catching over 1000lbs in weight of Wels Catfish during a fishing trip to Spain. Despite the magnitude of their target, the two fishing fanatics were determined to achieve their target … and, indeed, ended up smashing their own expectations by catching a total of 1500lbs of fish in one week!

That’s a whole lot of catfish …  Spanish or otherwise!

Many thanks to both Phil and Paul for raising over £500 for SDBTT.

 Barts Choir and Barts Chamber Choir will be performing a series of choral concerts over the spring and summer seasons that promise to delight audiences at various London venues.

If you can, please do support the choral concerts as not only will you have a superb evening but you will be making a difference to SDBTT. As we are Barts Choir’s Charity of the Year, proceeds from all their concerts until November 2010 will benefit us!

The concert dates and venues appear below, and for more information, please contact the venues directly.

We hope that you have a wonderful evening … or two!

Barts Chamber Choir Concerts

Handel Messiah, Saturday 27th February, 7.30pm

Brahms Requiem (London version), Thursday 3rd June, 7.30pm

Both concerts will take place at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square www.smitf.org or 0207 766 1100

Barts Choir Concerts

Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem & Karl Jenkins The Armed Man, Monday 23rd March, 7.30pm

Royal Festival Hall customer@southbankcentre.co.uk 0844 875 0073

Handel Israel in Egypt, Tuesday 29th & Wednesday 30th June, 7.30pm

Cadogen Hall www.cadogenhall.com 0207 730 4500

Come along to an evening of entertainment at the Holiday Inn, Bolton on Friday 9 April 2010 in the beautiful Cloisters Suite from 19:00 until 01:00.

Enjoy live music from ‘Creme Brulee’ and also Anna Slater, a female solo artist.

There will be raffles and an auction as well as the obligatory dancing, all topped off with a fabulous buffet!

Tickets cost £30 for adults (16 yrs and above) and £15 for children. Children 0-5yrs go for free (NB: no seat allocated).

A full table for 10 people costs £275 – save £25!

For more information or to order tickets please email Lisa at l.lawton4@ntlworld.com or call her on 07974 015 423.

Read all about Lisa and Mark’s story here.

Following the success of last year’s Live Music Fundraiser, Kris Oxland, his father, Nigel, and their team of music fanatics are hoping to raise even more funds for SDBTT by organising another live music event at The Cherry Tree Pub in Plymouth on Friday 2nd April 2010.

If you fancy a really good Friday night out listening to the talents of local bands then please give Kris or Nigel a call on 01752 242677 for more information.  A poster advertising the event can be found here.

Please support what promises to be a fantastic event!

Application packs are available to download from the NCRN website or alternatively by contacting the NCRN Coordinating Centre on 0113 343 2254.

Please note the deadline for return of application forms is 27 January 2010.

Please click here for  a downloadable poster or keep reading for the information contained within:

We are looking to recruit patients and members of the public to join our NCRI Clinical Studies Groups where new ideas for cancer research are developed.

The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) is a UK partnership between Government, charity and industry promoting cooperation in cancer research among its 21 member organisations for the benefit of patients, the public and the scientific community.

The National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) was established in April 2001 by the Department of Health in England to improve the quality, speed and integration of cancer clinical trials to improve patient care. The NCRN consists of 32 research networks providing the NHS infrastructure in England to support cancer clinical research and a Coordinating Centre (CC). The NCRN CC is a consortium of the University of Leeds, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit. The NCRN is funded by the Department of Health in England and forms part of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the UK Clinical Research Network. The NCRN CC receives additional support from and collaborates with the NCRI and Cancer Research UK. For more information about the NCRN and NCRI, visit our websites at: www.ncrn.org.uk and www.ncri.org.uk

Through its offices in Leeds and London, the NCRN CC manages, administers and supports a variety of initiatives on behalf of the NCRI including the NCRI Clinical Studies Groups (CSGs) whose role is to oversee the development of the portfolio of cancer clinical research in the UK. There are currently 22 NCRI CSGs, including 15 cancer site specific Groups, 6 generic Groups and one *Consumer Liaison Group (CLG).

*NCRI and NCRN define consumers as patients, relatives, carers and other members of the public affected by cancer. Patient and public involvement in the NCRN and NCRI has, to date, been driven by the CLG some of whose members participate at a strategic board level for the NCRN and NCRI, on various committees and on each of the NCRI CSGs.

Help us understand the views and interests of patients and the public on a range of cancer research issues.

• Are you interested in cancer research?

• Do you have excellent communication skills?

• Do you have experience of working in groups/committees?

• Would you enjoy the challenge of applying your skills & knowledge to new areas?

• Do you have time to participate in five – six meetings a year?

We offer an attendance fee for meetings, expenses and training and support to get you up to speed with the issues being discussed.

NCRI and NCRN would like to increase the diversity of their consumer representation and applications are welcomed from consumers based throughout the UK, from all ethnic groups, all age groups, and from people with experience of all kinds of cancer.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Karen Inns, NCRN Consumer Liaison Lead at: k.inns@ncrn.org.uk +44 (0)113 343 8945

Application packs are available to download at: www.ncrn.org.uk

Alternatively please contact the NCRN Coordinating Centre on +44 (0)113 343 2254

Deadline for return of applications: 27th January 2010

Interviews will be held in: London during March 2010