inside: Issue 14 | Winter 2012 NOW is the time. Turn to page 3 for an update on our appeal. Turn to page 2 for full contents A family story Page 4 Christmas fundraising ideas Page 8 Alex's adventures Page 10 A day in the life Page 11 NOW is the time to get involved. Turn to pages 5 & 14 to find out how you can help make every day as special as Christmas.
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Acorns Children's Hospice Together Newsletter - Winter 2012
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Issue 14 | Winter 2012
NOW is the time. Turn to page 3 for an update on our appeal.
Turn to page 2 for full contents
A family storyPage 4
Christmas
fundraising ideasPage 8
Alex's adventures Page 10
A day in the lifePage 11
NOWis the time to get involved. Turn to pages 5 & 14 to find out how you can help make every dayas special as
Any good at wrapping presents? Offer a gift wrapping
service to friends and family in exchange for a donation
to the NOW is the time appeal!
Halloween fancy dress
Make things a bit spooky at work or
school this Halloween by organising
a Halloween fancy dress day!
Everyone makes a donation to
Acorns in return for looking as scary
as they can! Add an apple bobbing
competition for extra laughs!
Christmas present wrapping
New Year’s resolutions
Get sponsored to stick to one of your New Year’s
resolutions next year and donate the money to Acorns.
You can give yourself a time limit of a month, or even the
whole year! Why not get friends and family involved as
well to raise even more money!
Christmas carols
Warm up your vocal chords and hold a mini Christmascarol concert at home! Invite people to pay a smalldonation to listen and don’t worry if you can’t hold anote… it’s the taking part that counts.
Christmas bake sale
Test your baking skills by organising a
Christmas themed bake sale. Be as
creative as you like and donate the
proceeds to Acorns. A treat for everyone!
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NOW is the timeto get fundraising!
Christmas quiz
Get in the festive spirit and organise a Christmas
themed quiz night with friends and family. Everyone has
to pay to take part and the winning team gets a prize!
Gifts that make morethan one person smileA festive gift idea with a difference! With our giveagiftrange you can purchase a truly meaningful gift for afriend or loved one this Christmas. Gifts range from£3 to £90, and include festive options like aChristmas feast at a hospice (£14), a Christmas cardarts and crafts group workshop (£25) or theopportunity for a child to settle down with one ofAcorns specialist carers to have a wonderfulChristmas story read to them (£7). Emma Aspinall atAcorns explains:
“We appreciate people may be feeling the pinch atthis time of year but our gift options range from thevery affordable, and even a small donation has awonderful impact at the hospice. The range hassomething for everyone, whether it’s just an extra littlegift to slip under the tree to add a bit of meaning,something for that person who seems to haveeverything or an alternative gift to chocolates for aschoolteacher.”
When you buy a gift, you will be provided with a giftcard (with space to write a personal message), atoken with details of the gift and an envelope in whichto forward the gift on to your recipient. The range isavailable online at www.acorns.org.uk/giveagift andis already proving a popular gift idea!
"I bought the giveagift 'Storytime' for my kids teachersat the end of the summer term. Not only could Idonate to my favourite charity, but also give a giftwith true meaning and value; something I know theteachers also appreciated. Giveagift isdefinitely going to be the number onepurchase for family and friends on myChristmas present list this year!"Jo Mathers
For every pound you give, 88p is spent on providing vital care and support services. We use the remaining 12p to raise the next pound.
At Acorns I am cared for
£14 pays for
one day's
food for a child during
their respite break
with Acorns
£4 pays for
medical
disposables and
drugs for a child
for one day
per month for 12months, pays for 4family splash sessions
£7 £16.08 a month, for 12months, pays for a childto receive a sessionfrom a dedicated SiblingSupport Worker
Four year old Ekam has congenital nephrotic syndrome – a rare inherited condition caused by a protein defect in the kidney. This life limiting condition commonly results in infection, malnutrition, and kidney failure. Ekam’s dad, Harpal, explains:
“Acorns has the experience and skills to look after the special needs of your child in the same way we can – allowing us to have a rest. They provide the best possible care for life limited children.”
Signing up to give a regular donation is the most powerful way you can support local children and their families. Regular gifts help us to plan wisely for our children. It is this foresight of planning that helps us maintain our numerous services such as; emergency care, complementary therapy and family support, as well as providing experiences that are educational, therapeutic and fun.
Alex's adventures!Alex has been out and about across the region during the
summer! He’s been meeting lots of supporters to spread the
word about our NOW is the time appeal. Read on to hear
what he’s been up to!
“I went to Malvern for the
Acorns Triple Run - what
an exciting atmosphere!
Lots of my friends were
there and we had a great
time. My pal Tony Williams
was one of the runners. He
was wearing a magical
coat decorated with
hundreds of ‘good wish’
ribbon messages on it. We
were doing our good luck
dance to Mike’s music. Mike
Skilbeck’s a singer and song
writer from Worcester. I have
very talented friends! There were other important people there
too - the Mayor of Malvern was there and Karmen Ledgister,
who’s the Miss Worcestershire charity queen, and over 1,000
other fantastic friends. They raised an amazing £30k!
In July I had a special invite to
the New Alexandra Theatre
in Birmingham. I helped my
friends to meet and greet people
as they came in. The actors and
actresses who star in the
productions often pop in to visit
us at the hospice, so it was really
nice to visit them.
They were having a heritage day
and telling people all about the
history of the building. We got to
see backstage and some of the technical stuff that makes the
theatre work; it’s very different from the front. The face
painting was especially good! I made lots of new friends and
we collected over £25 to add to the theatre's fundraising total
of over £35k!
On Saturday I went to Bromsgrove High Street with my friend
Emma O’Neil who looks after some of the Acorns shops. She
said I could help Miss Birmingham to open the very newest
Acorns store! I love our charity stores; they’ve always got
brilliant bargains. Kris’ina Jagpal, she’s Miss Birmingham, cut
the ribbon and then we got to see inside. There was lots of
brilliant stuff in
there. I headed
straight for the
toys. There were
loads of great
games, brilliant
books and
DVDs. Everyone
just loved our
new store.
I’ve been to a brilliant bonanza too! Ian Hopwood, who’s the
Mayor of Malvern, held the event especially for Acorns! It was a
fantastic fun day. There were lots of people there in the
beautiful Priory Park!
There were fete stalls with loads to do. The ‘crafty kids’
workshop was great and I had a go on the inflatable and the
Victorian children’s ride. Then we headed to the drumming
workshop where I danced with all the children. There were lots
of different musicians there playing all sorts of music and
people were dancing enthusiastically waving Union Jack flags
to the brass band having a wonderful time! It was all very
exciting. The most exciting thing was they managed to raise
over £1,000 for Acorns!”
Alex Acorn
A special way to remember a loved oneIf you have lost a loved one, be it a family memberor friend, you may think about doing somethingspecial in their memory. Christmas time is when a lotof us think about and miss our loved ones the most.
Donations made in memory help Acorns to continue tosupport over 630 local children and young people withlife limiting or life threatening conditions and theirfamilies.
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Artwork created by children at Acorns.
Did you know? If you have already donated in memory of a loved one, you could allow your gift to grow by opening a specialGolden Oak Tribute Fund in their name. If you choose to donate in your loved one’s memory on special occasions, we can add it totheir Golden Oak Tribute Fund. Find out more at www.acorns.org.uk/tributefunds
To make a donation in memoryplease visitwww.acorns.org.uk/inmemoryor contact Donna Tolladayon 01564 825017 [email protected]
Support from our major partnersand local companies
Golf day successes Patrick Doocey, of M & A Doocey Civil Engineering Ltd,
organised a golf day at Great Barr Golf Club in May which raised
more than £13,500 for the NOW is the time appeal. The
event was inspired by the family’s experience of care from
Acorns for their daughter Laila. 84 players, including clients and
suppliers of the company, as well as friends of the family, made
donations after the competition. All holes were sponsored and
the fee to enter included a donation to Acorns. M & A Doocey
Civil Engineering Ltd was also a generous sponsor of the day.
Patrick said:
“Acorns care is vital to a family like ours, and we wanted to
help Acorns to support other families. It was a very good day,
which was unexpectedly hot. It was a success for the hospice,
which has always gone the extra mile for my family.”
Despite the wet summer months, other companies joined M &
A Doocey Civil Engineering Ltd in hosting their own Golf days.
MITIE Group Plc, Lyness Accountancy Practise, Midland Marble
Ltd and Cognitor collectively raised over £15,000!
Tyre-less efforts! Having chosen Acorns as their charity of the year for 2012,
Bridgestone UK have been working hard to raise much needed
funds for Acorns. From running, completing the Walk of
Worcestershire and a creme egg eating competition, to
monthly raffles and an Olympics Day, the whole office got
involved! Teams took part in sports on the Wii & Xbox, archery,
crazy golf, rowing, cycling and hoops. Staff dressed in sports
gear to raise £350, which Bridgestone then matched, to add
£700 to their already increasing total! Nichola Randall said:
“It was great to see so many people stray from their desks to
be involved with the fun activities for our Olympics day, even
the Directors couldn’t stay away! But there was nothing more
satisfying than helping to raise a fantastic amount of money
for a worthwhile cause such as Acorns! The fact that the
company then doubled the amount raised at the end of the
day was an added bonus!”
Taking the plunge for AcornsEmployees from the Kraft Foods site in Bournville took to their latest fundraising effort like ducks to water! 36 volunteers took part
in the ‘belly flop splash’ challenge at Harborne Pool and Fitness Centre, swimming a combined distance of 28,800 metres to raise
£8,000 for the NOW is the time appeal. Michael Huggins, Community Champion for Bournville Manufacturing, said:
”In this Olympic year, we wanted to organise an activity to show our support for Team GB, and raise money for a fantastic cause
in the process. We all put in a lot of hard work and effort to train for the challenge, and knowing how well we are being supported
and remembering what we’re doing it for, makes it all worthwhile.”
2012 has been a great year for events at Acorns! Since the last
newsletter we have seen 115 cyclists challenge themselves to
ride through the Severn Valley Country Park with fundraising
pledges totalling £15,000. Thank you to everyone who took
part and to all the supporters who sponsored and cheered
them on along the way!
A sea of pink t-shirts
filled Victoria Square
in September!
Hundreds of ladies,
lots of volunteers,
3 photographers,
1 warm up instructor
and Free Radio all
turned out to support
Acorns at the
Midnight Walk. The
10km ladies only walk took in some of Birmingham’s most
iconic venues at Midnight and pledges on the night reached a
fantastic £45,000!
8 intrepid cyclists each rode 300 miles from London to Paris
raising nearly £10,000 between them! The challenge took the
group from London through the Kent countryside, across the
channel and into France. Then on through towns and
battlefields before finishing at the Eiffel Tower. From 10-14th
July 2013 we will once again be offering you the chance to get
on your bike or cycle. For more information and to register visit
www.acorns.org.uk/l2p
This year, more than 50 brave supporters have taken a
tandem skydive from 10,000ft over the picturesque
Northampton landscape pledging a breathtaking £22,500 for
Acorns! We have even had our first ever Acorns proposal in the
summer when skydiver Phil Heath proposed to his girlfriend on
reaching the landing zone! Our next group skydive will take
place on Saturday 15th June 2013 - visit
www.acorns.org.uk/skydive for more information.
As we go to print, our second abseil of the year is due to take
place! We’ll report more on our challenge to the local business
community to give something back on pay day in the next
issue! The event is hoped to raise £10,000.
Thank you to everyone who has taken part in our events so far
this year. The money you raise through your sponsorship is
vital to ensure Acorns is able to continue to provide care
services for local life limited children and their families.
www santasontherun org uk
Saturday 8th December 2012 Brindleyplace, BirminghamSunday 9th December 2012 Walsall ArboretumPut on your Santa suit with colleagues,friends and family to raise vital funds thisChristmas! There’s something for everyone! –a 2km Santa Stroll or 4km Santa Run –in both Birmingham and Walsall. All routesare wheelchair and pushchair friendly.
To register visit www.acorns.org.uk/santa call 0844 984 0405 or email [email protected]
Run or stroll for a good claus!
Run or stroll for a good claus!
Run or stroll for a good claus!
New routes for 2012!New routes for 2012!
If you have sponsorship money to send in, you can
do this by post, online or over the phone.
By post: Cheques should be made payable to Acorns
Children’s Hospice and sent with your sponsor form to:
Email: .................................................................................................................................... Home/work (please delete as appropriate)
If you'd like to hear more about Acorns by email please tick here I hereby certify I am over 18 years old (please tick)
I would like to pay £ .........................per month/quarter/year (please specify)
I would like my direct debit to start in ........................................ (specify month) On the 2nd or 17th (please specify)
Direct Debit Details
Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay by Direct Debit: Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust, Drakes Court, Alcester Road, Wythall, Birmingham B47 6JR.
Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit instructions from some types of account
Signature (s) ...................................................................................................................................................
Signature (s) ................................................................................................................................................... Date ..............................................................................................
TAXPAYERS! Use Gift Aid and you can make your donation worth more. For every pound you give to us, we can currently claim at least 25% back from theGovernment, without it costing you a penny extra. So just tick below. It’s that simple!
I want Acorns Children’s Hospice to reclaim tax on all of my donations made in the past four years and on all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise*
If you are unable to make a donation at this time, but have donated to Acorns Children’s Hospice in the past, please still tick this box so we can claim Gift Aid on your previous donations*
Acorns Children’s Hospice, Drakes Court,Alcester Road, Wythall, Birmingham B47 6JR. www.acorns.org.ukA company limited by guarantee. Company no: 2036103 Registered charity no. 700859
This guarantee should be detached and retained by the Payer
THE DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEE• This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits.• If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Acorns Children’s Hospice will notify you 10 working
days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Acorns Children’s Hospice to collect a payment,
• If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by Acorns Children’s Hospice or your bank or building society you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.- If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Acorns Children’s Hospice asks you to.
• Please also notify us.
To the Manager of ..............................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................... Bank/Building Society
Name(s) of Account Holder(s) ....................................................................................................................
Bank/Building Society account number Branch Sort Code
Reference number
9 7 3 0 0 9
Thankyou !
Date of birth: ..................................................................................................................
INSTRUCTION TO YOUR BANK OR BUILDING SOCIETY - Please pay Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject tothe safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust and, if so, details will be passedelectronically to my Bank/Building Society.
of every month / quarter / year (please delete as applicable)
Do you have a special reason for becoming a regular giver or a personal story which might help encourage other supporters to sign up too?
If so, please give brief details here
* NOTE: To qualify for Gift Aid, you must pay an amount of income tax and / or capital gains tax at least equal to the amount Acorns will reclaim in the tax year. Please let us know if your circumstanceschange so that we can amend our records. Please make sure that your name and address is filled clearly and in full so that we are able to make a claim to the HMRC.
Give a regular gift
INSTRUCTION TO YOUR BANK OR BUILDING SOCIETY
Setting up a regular donation couldn’t be easier - simply complete the form below and return it to
There are lots of ways to make a donation tosupport local life limited or life threatened children.If you would like to show your support by making a donation please use the donation form below or choose one
of the following options.
Your donation will make a real difference and help Acorns continue to provide specialist care to local children and young people
with life limiting or life threatening conditions and support for their families.
By postReturn your completed donation
form (below) with your credit/debit
card details or a cheque made payable
to Acorns Children’s Hospice
By phoneCall 01564 825000 to make
a donation over the phone
OnlineVisit www.acorns.org.uk/donate
to make a donation online
Text to donateText NEWS 12 followed by £3,,£5
or £10 to 70070 (e.g. NEWS12 £10).
Acorns will receive 100% of the
donation. No network charges apply.
If you are a UK taxpayer you can make your donation work
even harder by ticking the Gift Aid box below. This means
that for every £1 you give us, we get at least 25% back from the Government. Thank you for your support
Registered office: Drakes Court, Alcester Road, Wythall, Birmingham B47 6JR.Registered charity no: 700859Registered in England Company No. 2036103www.acorns.org.uk
Please complete this form and return to:Together Newsletter, Acorns Children’s Hospice, Drakes Court,Alcester Road, Wythall, Birmingham, B47 6JR.
Donation form
Yes I would like to make a donation to Acorns Children’s Hospice
Total donation amount £
I enclose a cheque/P.0./CAF* voucher made payable to Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust. (*Please delete as appropriate)
If you do not require acknowledgement or receipt for your donation please tick here
Please send me information about making a donation in my Will
TAXPAYERS! Use Gift Aid and you can make your donation worth more. For every pound you give to us, we can currently claim at least 25% back from
the Government, without it costing you a penny extra. So just tick below. It’s that simple!
I want Acorns Children’s Hospice to reclaim tax on all of my donations made in the past four years and on all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise *
If you are unable to make a donation at this time, but have donated to Acorns Children’s Hospicein the past, please still tick the above box so we can claim Gift Aid on your previous donation/s *
* NOTE: To qualify for Gift Aid, you must pay an amount of income tax and / or capital gains tax at least equal to the amount Acorns will reclaim in the tax year. Please let us know if your circumstances change so that we can amend our records. Please make sure that your name and address is filled in clearly and in full so that we are able to make a claim to the Government.
Acorns may contact you in the future using the details provided on this formabout our work and how you can support us. If you prefer not to be contactedplease tick this box
Your Details
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lephone:Te
Occasionally, we agree with carefully selected charities to contact eachother’s supporters for our mutual benefit. If you do not wish to hear from themplease tick this box
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(Please supply an email address as this is the mostcost-effective way for us to contact you).
Please tick here if you would like to receive future newsletters by email rather than post