News - Northumberland / Tyne and Wear Active Persons' Branch
Read our latest news for the Northumberland / Tyne and Wear Active Persons'
Branch.
Parkinson's Awareness Week – our branch in the news
Well done to 'The Fabulous' Lesley Howett for taking part in an
hour long discussion with Professor D Burns and Dr N Miller on
Radio Newcastle on Monday 16 April 2012.
Lesley spoke openly about her experiences regarding her
diagnosis (or non-diagnosis by the GP) and the symptoms involved.
She expressed her thanks to the team at the RVI and the research
that she is involved with. She certainly made an impression
on the DJ.
Lynne Tearse was in the Sunday Express magazine on Sunday 15
April talking about her symptoms and diagnosis of Parkinsons.
Again, well done!
Spring Fundraiser raises £1,780
Yet another fabulous event organised by Mags and Keith at The
Excelsior Club in Westerhope on 14 April with a room festooned with
white and cyan balloons and the Parkinson's banners greeting people
on the stairway.
The evening kicked off with Sonia Michelle who had everyone up
dancing. She was followed by Junior who maintained the pace and
volume. The branch certainly lived up to their Active Persons name
and were on the dance floor for the majority of the evening – no
group displays this time!
Mags, Dave and Co circulated selling raffle tickets for the
Spirit Draw and the Gift Draw – fortunately a few of us were lucky
winners. The final fundraising event was the auctioning of a fully
signed and framed Newcastle Utd shirt that eventually went for
£180.
Viv Rogerson, our Branch and Support Volunteer Officer, was
persuaded to take the mic and thanked everyone for attending and
for the efforts of the branch committee members and chiefly Mags
and Keith in staging the event.
AGM 2012
This year's AGM was held on Sunday 4 March 2012 at The Marriott
Hotel. The meeting was well attended and well received.
Our current Secretary, Rick Telford, and Treasurer, Dave
Sanderson, will both remain in position for a further year after
successfully standing for re-election.
Frank Thompson, who has been our Chair since the very first
meeting has stepped down from this position but has returned as a
committee member. 2 candidates stood for the vacant position,
Lesley Howett and Keith MacDonald, and after a secret ballot of
members present, Lesley was successfully elected as the Chair.
Keith has continued to be our Fundraiser. Susan, Margaret and
Lynn continue as Committee Members with new face, Harry Lawson, as
a new additional member. The current committee totals 9 people.
Lesley's Leapers
Rebecca Howett and 15 friends took part in a Skydive at Peterlee
(Shotton) airfield on 31 March 2012. The fantastic group held
a number of fundraising activities in the run up to it such as
coffee mornings, bag packing, bake sales, charity night at Café
Lowreys in Darras Hall and raffles.
If you would like to make donation, you can still donate at
www.justgiving.com/Lesleys-Leapers.
For further information you can email Rebecca at rebeccahowett@hotmail.co.uk -
please put Skydive in the subject.
Our very own aspiring Poet Laureate is published
Our very own Mervyn Peake Award
winning poet, Ali Finlayson, has also achieved success with the
first round in a competition entitled 'Poetry Rivals'. Part of the
prize arrangement was to have his poem published in the
competition’s anthology – and it’s there on page 126.
Success in the next round would lead to a public reading of his
poem in Peterborough at a poetry slam where the judges and members
of the public would vote their overall winner. First prize is a
£1,000 publishing contract.
Here is Ali's poem:
Going home
The watcher waits…
The dark eyes reach…
The slate-flat loch,
The shingle beach.
The leaden sky,
The rain-soaked cloud,
The tree-lined shore,
By wind unbowed.
A muffled splash…
A spreading wave…
The woman-fish
Must now be brave.
Her gills are made…
Her fins then grown…
Her feet now webbed…
Her scales soon sown.
She craves the merman's
Cool embrace,
Impatient for
The kelpie's kiss.
Now in her world,
Coop well flown;
She dolphin dreams
Yet shoals alone.
Through lochan depths
She swims her life
Scorning angler
Hook and knife.
Northumberland / Tyne and Wear
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