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.
Mark and Sue Da Silva, a husband and wife team who have been performing and writing songs for nearly 25 years, have started a new project, D*Silva, after the death of their adopted son, William.
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.
Portakabin Limited operates a number of schemes to ensure that its employees remained focused on safety at all times. One such scheme was the annual safety competition held at their York factory whereby the winning team could donate an amount of money to a chosen charity.
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.