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PANTONE 45% Process Black C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:45 NewsletterAutumn 2013 FONTS Q & A with Get A-Head’s new Trustee, Wendy Davies Avant GardeITC - Demi

1. How did you first get I was approached by John Watkinson, Hopefully, given my profession some involved with Get A-Head? my consultant and fellow trustee, to get financial sense!!! My first involvement was as involved. Having made a full recovery from 4. How would you describe yourself in A message from Tom Bromwich, Chairman five words? a patient making use of the throat cancer in 2009 and being helped Welcome to the Get A-Head Newsletter for I would also like to pay tribute to the Board of Trustees and in Sociable, friendly, hardworking, reliable and complimentary therapy that by the charity I felt it was my way of giving Autumn 2013, by the time you read this we particular the more recent members, Huw Griffiths, Shahz Ahmed, committed. the Charity offers. something back. will be in full swing with the organisation of Kristien Boelaert and Wendy Davies, all of whom bring invaluable 5. If you weren’t an Accountant, what this year’s Annual Ball, which promises to be help, support and knowledge, to ensure Get A-Head is progressing 2. Why did you decide that you wanted to 3. What do you think you will bring to would you be? a superb evening. We will also have had our in increasingly challenging times. commit yourself to the Charity as a Trustee? the Charity as a Trustee? A kept woman!! inaugural Garden Party/Family Fun Day, very Money raised for Get A-Head by the help of our loyal supporters kindly hosted by Mr and Mrs Richard Hardy at and many friends, old and new, continues to be spent on their wonderful house in Stratford-upon-Avon, education, research and equipment and is genuinely making a Grants Awarded Roll of Honour So, it’s Hello and have plans in place for patients’ parties, difference to the lives of many patients. We are helping to fund A grant to the Head and Neck Clinical rugby club lunches and other exciting events. A big thank you to the from Me! several major research projects and I hope these will produce Nurse Specialist Team at the Queen following for their kind As you know we are always looking for people to support Get exciting results. Elizabeth Hospital to produce oral I am Louise John and have A-Head in whatever way they can, whether by donating precious care packs for patients going through donations and fundraising: been in post as Get A-Head’s Thank you again for your continued support and I hope you enjoy time to assist Louise and Anne-Marie in the office, at events or to join chemotherapy, radiotherapy or both for Charity Manager since June. reading the articles within this Newsletter. Danny Ryan MBE and friends for our successful 500 Club in raising much needed funds or organising treatment for head and neck cancers. The raising £2,885. Having been involved with Charity work on and hosting events on our behalf. To m patients will benefit as it will help them be a voluntary basis over many years, I have involved in their own care. Adrian Drake-Lee who donated £4,047. achieved my goal of making it a full time A grant for the Speech and Language All staff and students of King Edward VI career. I am very lucky and intend to use Department of City Hospital, College Stourbridge for raising £1,330. my knowledge and experience to take Get Get A-Head Garden Party Birmingham to purchase 5 electro-larynxes Devonshire Junior School staff and A-Head forward. I am a volunteer of the Get A-Head Charity and a patient of Mr for use by patients who have had their voice students for £5,792.69. My hopes and ambitions for Get A-Head John Watkinson. My daughter Amanda and I help at many fund box removed during surgery. This will greatly are to raise our profile, to grow our support raising charity events. We were looking forward to volunteering improve the quality of life for patients. G D Monaghan for donating £1,000. network, and nurture the relationships at Get A-Head’s first Garden Party & Family BBQ and were not Pearl Moore and The Holy Trinity Set A grant for the Hearing Centre at the we have. To build our presence in the disappointed by the effort, enthusiasm and generosity by all who Dancers for raising a further £1,600 for Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic at Heartlands community and corporate sector allowing attended. There was a variety of activities to cater for all the family, our CyberKnife Appeal. Hospital to purchase a OAE/Tympanometer us to continue with the work we are so such as tombola, face-painting and a bouncy castle. We are very much looking forward to helping at future Get A-Head events. test suite. This allows a quick patient Hendrike Scholz for raising £121.20 for passionate about, supporting research and friendly assessment of children’s hearing ACC Research, by taking part in the education and providing much needed By Fran Gurney and is particularly useful for young children River Rat Race in Glasgow. equipment, to improve the quality of lives. and those with special needs for who a To these, and all our other donors subjective assessment is very difficult. Get A-Head are a fantastic charity with a loyal and fundraisers, too numerous to following of supporters, a committed and A grant for the University of Birmingham mention individually, the Trustees dedicated board of Trustees and a fabulous to continue funding for an ongoing research thank you for your support. and enthusiastic events committee. It really project on Medullary Thyroid Cancer. is a privilege to be working with them all. Get Involved with Get A-Head Trustees Fundraising There are lots of opportunities for you to be involved with Get Tom Bromwich (Chairman) Committee A-Head, perhaps you would like to be involved with the patient Wendy Davies group, or interested in volunteering for us, we have lots of events Paul Mourton Robert Spittle taking place, and welcome new interest, We also need people John Watkinson Paul Hales who may have skills or knowledge that could help us as a Huw Griffiths Mark Esom charity in some way. Shahzada Ahmed John Watkinson Kristien Boelaert Tom Bromwich The patient group will soon be up and running and we have had Richard Underwood some wonderful input from patients and their relatives so far. Paul Mourton Patrons If you would like to be involved in the group or have an interest Room 23F Louise Connor Digby Lord Jones of Birmingham KBE in volunteering for Get A-Head, please contact the office on 4th Floor Nuffield House Dr Hilary Jones Justine Davy 0121 371 5046. Saturday 30th November 2013 Queen Elizabeth Hospital Peter Scudamore MBE Birmingham, B15 2TH Nigel Wray www.getahead.org.uk Cher Search for Tel 0121 371 5046 Trevor Francis Follow us at ‘The Get A-Head Donate by text! Send the code GAHC11 followed by the amount you want to give (£1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10) @Get_AHead_Trust Charitable Trust’ Registered Charity number 1118326 Hoss Mehjoo to 70070. There is no message charge and 100% of your donation goes to Get A-Head!

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FONTS Avant GardeITC - Demi

Keep on running… 500 Club Update Get-A-Head Charity Walk At our Ball last year we launched our 500 Club and we were thrilled that so many of our guests Over the weekend of Friday 7th June Participating in a running event is a popular signed up to raise £500 in twelve months for Get A-Head. There have been some fantastic 2013, Janet Wiggins and I (husband Ken), way for people to get fit, have fun and amounts raised so far and lots of different activities taking place up and down the country. embarked on our annual Get A-Head charity walk, along with our former Dunlop raise money for their favourite charity. Get From cake sales and beauty treatments, to bike rides and dances, we have had the pleasure Tyres colleagues. A-Head is lucky to have supporters who of hearing many fun stories about how some of our 500 club members have raised their are willing to push themselves in order to funds. To those of you who have successfully completed the challenge – Thank You! The walk this year was to be on Portland in raise much needed funds for our ongoing , 5 miles South of Weymouth. There fight against head and neck cancer. Below are a couple of stories from our fundraisers: Date: 26th January 2014 were 14 of us participating this year, all of Tough Guy is an extreme endurance event, Birmingham Great Run 2013 The Story: Simply put, Dave Brown Get A-Head at Home: As good friends, whom have been participating in this annual taking place in Perton, 20 minutes West of committed to raising £500 for Get A-head. Helen Lukies and I devised our 500 club event walk for some 12 years or more now, all ex- Wolverhampton. Fighting your way to the On Sunday 20th October Get A-Head The easy thing to do would be to send a together. We named it Get A-Head at Home, colleagues of Dunlop Tyres Ltd, Birmingham. have a team of 8 runners taking on cheque for £500 to the charity… but… firstly as it was held at my house and secondly finish line of this 15km obstacle course will the streets of Birmingham in this year’s never one to miss an opportunity to get his as we wanted to fundraise offering guests a require every ounce of mental and physical The walk commenced at the foot of BUPA Great Birmingham Run. Richard friends to put their hands in their pockets relaxing way to donate, the chance to eat and strength! It is the ONLY event in the world downtown Portland, and we quickly made Underwood and a team of colleagues (to raise more money), or to do something buy cakes, chat, catch up, shop and have to boast over 200 man-made obstacles for our way up to The , via the made our way to the local Inn there, for from Legal Clarity Solicitors, together with slightly silly, Dave put out a challenge… beauty treatments in the comfort of a home. an individual challenge. The event obstacle area of what was the Olympic Village in well-deserved drinks, after what was a very Louise Connor from LemonZest Events course will throw everything at you including 2012. From there, we made our way on the demanding walk mainly because of the very thankfully a few accepted. Get A-Head and win a prize: Several Management and her friend Melissa mud, water, barbed wire, heights, tight coastal path, heading towards the Portland hot weather, and steep climbs. The day was local companies donated raffle prizes for Wills will be raising much needed funds The challenge: Cycle 200 miles in one spaces, electric shocks and flames! East Coast. completed with a nice meal and drinks on our fundraising. to support our research, education and day… taking in the Midlands key rugby the night. Along the East Coast, there are very equipment aims. playing towns of Worcester, Bromsgrove, Get A-Head and pamper: We converted picturesque views across Balaclava Bay, Janet and I would like to thank again, our Leamington Spa, Warwick, Rugby, Market two of the bedrooms into treatment rooms East Wares and Freshwater Bay. friends who once again gave up a weekend Virgin London Marathon 2014 Harborough (sorry Leicester), Northampton and local beauticians were offering mini pedi and Daventry on June 15th this year. to participate in the charity walk, and raise or mini mani, mini facial, mini back massage, We made our way towards , Next year we will have a team of 5 runners some money for a great cause. We raised reiki or indian head massage. the southernmost tip of Dorset, where we in Get A-Head colours taking on one of In the end there were seven 200-mile £609, which was a great effort considering stayed for refreshments, and to admire the the most iconic Marathon courses in the finishers, one 130-mile finisher, five 100-mile Get A-Head and eat cake: Helen and that over 70% who participated do not work coastal views out to the English Channel World. Our first three intrepid runners are: finishers and one 75-mile finisher. I made the bulk of the cupcakes for the anymore. So a massive thanks to you from & West Bay. was So a total of just over 2100 miles travelled in event, but kindly four other close friends Janet and I. Imogen Yeomans the main feature at this point, where many 16 hours of daylight, covering 5 counties and made some too. We had around 150 people had gathered on this hot sunny day. In the 11 or so years we have been Jamie Street countless sugary drinks and snacks… and a cupcakes to sell and every single one went. participating in the Get A-Head charity fantastic £1,850 was raised for Get A-Head. From Portland Bill, we then started to make Julian Meredith Get A-Head and shop: Two local traders walk with our colleagues, we have raised also had stands on the day and gave Get our way around to the West Coast, where One place will be auctioned to the highest If you think you are tough enough to take part approximately between £11 – £12,000, A-Head 10% of all sales on the day. we would take in Wallsend Cove, Mutton in this challenge then please call the office to which we have been very proud to have bidder at this year’s Get A-Head Ball on Cove, Hallelujah Bay, West Weares and We were delighted with the way the event register today! been able to achieve. Here’s to next 30th November – are you fit enough to . Here we descended very turned out raising £445 and we had many year’s walk!! take on the challenge? Call Anne-Marie on 0121 371 5046 for steeply down towards Chesil Cove and the compliments about our cakes and how much more information area of . On arrival at Chiswell, we Ken & Janet Wiggins Get A-Head would like to wish all our fun people had so donating was a pleasure! runners the best of luck in their events and if you would like to sponsor any of Thanks, Louise Pearson the teams or you have a place on an upcoming running event and would like to Corporate Sponsorship raise money for Get A-Head, please call CEF Fundraiser Corporate Relationships are something that I have been working on over the past three the office and we will happily support you In January 2013 City Electrical Factors months and I am pleased to report that we now have corporate relationships with in doing this. Ltd held their Trade Show 2013 at the Monitise and Barclays Trade, and also have secured support from Rybrook, CBRE, We also have a number of places in the Birmingham Hilton Metropole and they Kenilworth Rugby club and Legion Events. chose to support Get A-Head by holding a adidas Silverstone Half Marathon, taking So we are building a great network of local and well respected business’s and in light of Grand Prize Draw amongst the attendees. place on Sunday 2nd March 2014 and this raising the profile of this small yet ambitious charity. the BUPA London 10k, taking place on Through the generous support of the staff Monday 26th May 2014. If you’d like to There are many reasons for Charities and the corporate sector to work together and lots on the night and a pledge by Thomas be part of Team Get A-Head on either of opportunity to help one and other succeed. Mackie (Managing Director) to match the day, please call the office on 0121 371 amount raised, a cheque for a fantastic If you work for or know of a company that may be interested in working with Get A-Head 5046 to register your interest. £11,110 was presented to Get A-Head. please contact me on Email: [email protected] or Tel 0121 371 5046.

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