|
Get Involved |
|
|
Local Services |
|
|
Events |
|
|
Home |
|
|
|
Branch Contacts |
|
|
|
About Us |
|
|
|
News |
|
|
|
Newsletters |
TEXT BIGGER | text only
|
|
| Shrewsbury & District Branch |  |
|
Please use the following links to access our other News and Newsletter pages.
 Branch Christmas Lunch
8 December 200586 members of the branch gathered at the Wroxeter Hotel near Shrewsbury for their annual Christmas Lunch. The Right Worshipful Mayor of Shrewsbury and Atcham Councillor David Farmer and Mayoress Diana Farmer were guests of the branch. Our chaplain Reverend Mark Thomas delivered grace and everyone then enjoyed traditional Christmas Fayre. We all has a wonderful time and a table top sale and raffle raised £300.00. This sum included the auction of 'Enormous Dog', which was sold to the owner of the hotel for £50. We are, as always, grateful to everyone who brought prizes for the raffle and for the donation of 'Enormous Dog'. Our picture shows back from left to right, Hilary Fisher (deputy branch support officer) The Mayoress Diana Farmer, 'Enormous Dog', The Mayor of Shrewsbury and Atcham David Farmer. Front left Jo Jones (membership secretary) with daughter Morgan and Sarah Thomas (young carers representative) Christmas Tombola at Tesco, Shrewsbury
3 December 2005Shrewsbury Branch of Tesco again allowed us to hold a Christmas Tombola in the foyer of the store on Saturday December 3rd. Volunteers arrived early to set up some 180 donated prizes. They sold tickets throughout the day until the last prize was won shortly after 5.00 p.m. We are pleased to say that the day raised £1,062.00 for branch funds. Our thanks go to the super staff at tesco for allowing us the facility, for keeping the volunteers supplied with hot drinks throughout the day and to the wonderful customers who all participated and helped to raise such a marvellous amount. Our picture shows from left to right; Mary Anne Richey (committee member); Mary Partridge and Marion Conlon, both volunteers. Local Golf Club helps boost branch funds15 November 2005The 'Captain's Charity 2005' at Arscott Golf Club, near Shrewsbury was the Shrewsbury and District Branch. During the course of the year various functions had taken place at the club such as raffles, golf matches and a charity ball, proceeds of which were placed in the Captain's Charity. Also, those members unfortunate enough to put their ball in the Captain's Lake had to pay a fine which also went to boost the fund. On Tuesday 15th November, Dave Fisher, chairman of Shrewsbury and District Branch attended the AGM of the Golf Club, where Tom Lee the outgoing Captain presented him with a cheque for £2002.33. A truly splendid effort for which the committee and members of the branch are extremely grateful. Annual Prize Draw11 November 2005This year our Prize Draw was held at Crowmoor Baptist Church Hall in Shrewsbury. 50 wonderful prizes had been donated to the branch. These included a flight in a Tiger Moth biplane; a beautiful hand made oak garden seat crafted by the husband of a member in Bishops Castle; a freestanding garden hammock; a giant teddy bear kindly donated by Clintons Card Shop in Shrewsbury and many, many more. At 11.00 a.m. Branch committee and members who attended the draw also remembered those fallen in defence of freedom. During the course of the year the sale of draw tickets made in excess of £1,000. for branch funds. Tin Collection in Sainsbury's
15 October 2005Sainsbury's store on the Meole Brace Retail Park in Shrewsbury kindly allowed us to hold a tin collection on Saturday and Sunday 15th and 16th October. Volunteers were present throughout the two days and thanks to the generosity of the customers attending the store we collected £833.68. Our thanks go to all our collectors and to the manager and staff at Sainsbury's for their welcome and support and of course to all those customers who gave so generously. Birthday Lunch
14 October 2005We celebrated our 39th Birthday today with a luncheon in the Lakeside Suite of the Albrighton Hall Hotel, Shrewsbury. 74 members and friends attended and enjoyed good company and good food. A table top sale and raffle made £135.00. Our picture shows from left back row Denise Cooper, MS Nurse; Donna Goodfellow, MS Nurse Secretary; Kate Watkiss, MS Nurse. Front row left Dr. Maggie Mitchell and Liz Lymbery, branch members. Meole Brace Bowling Club Support the branch
23 September 2005Meole Brace Bowling Club, Shrewsbury this year decided that our branch would be their "CLUB CHARITY 2005". Functions have been held throughout the year culminating with the Harvest Festival held on the 23rd september 2005. There was a huge raffle and auction of goods and produce which netted on the night over £1,100.00. There have been lots of fundraising events going on during the year, raffles, whist drives, bowling matches etc. The total raised during the year was a massive £4,775.00. Our picture shows John Bishop, branch and bowling club member; Philip Moyse MBE, Honorary Secretary Meole Brace Bowling Club; Dave Fisher, Chairman of Shrewsbury and District Branch; Jill Bishop, principal fundraiser at Meole Brace Bowling Club and Mel Griffiths, Treasurer Meole Brace Bowling Club. Our thanks go to everyone who took part in their "Club Charity 2005" and particularly to Jill Bishop who in the words of Phil Moyse........ "Hurricane Jill hit the ground running when she became involved with the Club's charity last October. Her enthusiasm and motivation was like a breath of fresh air as were her ideas of raising funds. Not only did she run three successful whist drives but she also sold domino cards, raffle tickets, mulled wine and mince pies, and helped in every bowling event which was raising funds. She has worked tirelessly on behalf of MS and I am sure due credit will be given to her and John who supported her throughout." Children's Christmas Card Competition
September 2005Once again, the Branch have held a Children's Christmas Card Competition which, this year, was judged by The Right worshipful the Mayor of Shrewsbury & Atcham, Councillor David Farmer. The winners, who were each presented with a book token by the Branch, and a special scroll from The Mayor are: Imogen (Age 6) who designed "Christmas Wishes"; Emelie (Age 9) who designed "Frosty's Post" and Matthew (Age 12) who designed "Christmas Pudding". The cards are now available for sale in packs of 6, 2 of each design, for £2.00. If anyone would like to order packs directly, please call the Branch Office: 01743 364484. They will also be on sale at the Charity Christmas Card Shop, St Mary's Church, St Mary's Street, Shrewsbury from Friday 28th October. Family generosity helps Shrewsbury and District Branch17 September 200517th September, 1955 saw the marriage of two of the most staunch supporters of our branch. Geoff and Molly Rushworth celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary on Saturday 17th September 2005 and still could not forget us. In lieu of anniversary presents they asked for donations to the branch and on Tuesday 20th handed over £432.50 which had been given by their friends attending the party. Paul, their son also handed over a further £100.00 following a Magic Show he had done for a local Women Institute. Our thanks go to the whole family who continue to support us so well with their commitment to the branch. We particularly wish Geoff and Molly many more wedding anniversaries to come. Thank you. Tin Collection at the Co-op, Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury
17 September 2005Shrewsburys' Bicton Heath Branch of the West Midlands Co-op allowed our volunteers in store on Saturday 17th September 2005 for a tin collection. We are very happy to report that we collected £258.74 and would like to thank the manager and staff for their kindness during our stay. Thanks also to the customers at the Co-op for their generosity and to our volunteers who did so well. Magic Evening
13 September 2005A spellbinding display of magic was held at the Lord Hill Hotel, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury on Tuesday 13th September 2005. The audience were entertained first by local singer Paul Challinor and then by members of the Rushworth family of Magicians. Geoff Rushworth gave superb displays of close-up magic throughout the evening in the foyer of the Regency Suite whilst his son Paul took to the stage with a remarkable magic and comedy act. Following Paul was his son Joe, who at 15 years of age, showed us all what hour upon hour of practice and dedication can achieve. He gave a dazzling display of magic and illusion which left us all gasping for breath. If that wasn't enough Joe had brought along his friend Marcus Taylor, also 15, who practices magic hour after hour with Joe. Both have been in the 'Young Magician of the Year' competition and this year Joe was sadly the losing finalist. We are very lucky in Shrewsbury to have so much talent on hand and for them to give their time and skills free of charge to raise funds for us. This particular night raised in excess of £750.00. Our thanks go also to the management of the Lord Hill Hotel who allowed us the use of their Regency Suite free of charge. Our picture shows from left to right. back row, Geoff Rushworth; The Right Worshipful Mayor of Shrewsbury and Atcham, Councillor David Farmer; Paul Rushworth; Paul Challinor and front row left to right, Marcus Taylor and Joe Rushworth. In Store Collection at Netto, Shrewsbury2 September 2005The Manager and Staff at the Shrewsbury Branch of Netto in Abbey Foregate welcomed our collectors into the store on Friday 2nd September, 2005. From 9.30 am to 5.30 p.m. five volunteers collected a total of £191.55. Our thanks go to the volunteers, the manager and staff of Netto and all their customers who gave so generously. Street Collection in Shrewsbury20 August 200528 Volunteers took to the streets of Shrewsbury on Saturday 20th August 2005 between 9.00 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Fair weather looked down on them and the day proved very successful indeed. A total of £1189.12 was collected for branch funds. Our thanks go to Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council for granting us the permit to collect, to the staff of the Shrewsbury Music Hall who kindly allowed us the free use of a room to count the donations and to the volunteers who stood collecting for hours on end. Last but not least we must not forget to thank those members of the public, residents and visitors alike who gave so generously. Shrewsbury Member enjoys the Flower Show
12 August 2005Leila Benyon was able to enjoy the delights of the Annual Shrewsbury Flower Show this year thanks to branch Support Officer Hilary Fisher. Leila was collected by two carers Emma and David from the Shropshire Branch of Surecare and taken to the Show for the day. The weather was beautiful and Leila was able to visit the various floral displays as well as enjoying the music of various Military Bands and events in the main arena. Leila's favourite was the Brigade of Ghurkas Marching Band and listening to them play was the highlight of her day. Pictured is Leila with Emma and David just after the Ghurkas last performance of the day. Childrens' Christmas Card Competition Launched
25 July 2005Following on from last years' successful children's Christmas Card Competition, we launched this years' competition with a display in the Pride Hill Shopping Centre, Shrewsbury. Volunteers staffed the display during the week of 25th to 30th July when numerous application forms were distributed to local children to enter the competition. Pictured here are Carole Thomas, branch Support Officer and her daughter. Our thanks go to all the volunteers who staffed the stall and to the Pride Hill Centre Management Team who made us so welcome and who provided the facilities free of charge. A collecting tin on the display made some £264.00 for the branch funds and we thank the people of and visitors to Shrewsbury for their generous donations. Street Collection in Bridgnorth23 July 2005Branch volunteers hit the streets of Bridgnorth on Saturday 23rd July 2005 for a tin collection. We fielded 12 volunteers throughout the day and collected a total of £502.14. Our thanks go out to all the volunteers who collected and to the generous people of Bridgnorth who made the day so worthwhile. Sarah (aged 11) joins committee21 July 2005Sarah aged 11 years has been co-opted onto the committee of the Shrewsbury and District Branch. Sarah is the daughter of one of the branch officers and has been an invaluable and willing source of help at many of our functions and fundraisers. Sarah has shown a keen interest in the branch for a short time and will be our Young Carers representative. 'Scotsmansfield' Garden Open at Church Stretton
20 July 2005Mavis and Ian Anderson along with Chris and Barry Peer of 'Scotsmansfiled' Church Stretton are members of the National Garden Scheme. Following on from last years' successful 'open garden' they again invited us to provide the teas for the visitors at this years' event. The garden at their home was open from 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. on Wednesday 20th July, 2005. The weather this time was far kinder to us and we needed the gazebos for shelter from the sun rather than the rain. Some 200 plus visitors attended the garden and after a stroll through a beautiful part of rural Shropshire relaxed under cover with tea, coffee and cakes provided by our volunteers. June Harvey and Eileen Wharton served the teas whilst Jock Elliot Smith and Jo Jones kept a constant stream of used crockery flowing into the 'washers up' in the form of branch Chairman, Dave Fisher and his wife, branch Support Officer Hilary Fisher. Although a tiring day for all concerned we made £163.00 for branch funds. read more » Branch Summer Lunch15 July 2005We held our branch Summer Lunch on Friday 15th July, 2005 at The Lord Hill Hotel, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury. A total of 59 members and carers attended and enjoyed a chicken lunch followed by strawberries and cream, coffee and mints. It is always a delight to see old friends enjoying these meetings and also to welcome newcomers into the fold. After lunch we were entertained with a dazzling display of magic and illusion from Joe Rushworth a 15 year old magician following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both of whom have been involved in the Magic Circle for some years. The Rushworth family have a great affinity with this branch and have for many years supported us in fundraising efforts. Joe, we are sure will go a long way and like his father and grandfather before him developed into a world class magician. Parachute Jump for MS
4th June 2005Rachel Crawford, aged 15 years, daughter of branch committee member Jonathan Crawford, was secretly praying for rain on the morning of Saturday 4th June. Alas, and happily for Shrewsbury and District Branch together with the MS Trust, it did not rain so Rachel took to the skies above Shropshire to carry out a sponsored parachute jump. Rachel had received her training and was waiting for her name to be called before climbing aboard the aircraft and soaring to 10,000 feet, only then to jump out and head for the ground again. Read her account of the day in our next newsletter to be published in September. Rachel raised a fantastic £898.00 which has been divided between this branch and the MS Trust. We all applaud her courage and determination on such a marvellous achievement . Stall in The Square
27 May 2005Shrewsbury volunteers were at it again early on Friday 27th May 2005 organising another 'Stall in The Square' shrewsbury's historic Market Hall in The Square was the backdrop again for another successful fundraising day for the branch. We put up our pavilion bright and early and the weather was kind to us all day. From about 8.00 a.m. through to 1.30 p.m. when we finally packed up, there was a brisk trade at the stall. We had, as usual our treasurer Ruth Pagett's superb cakes and biscuits, jams and preserves to sell and these were joined by others supplied by some of the branch members. We had been asking for items for the stall for weeks beforehand and had a great variety of things on offer from collectable china to fishing tackle to clothes and books. The day was a roaring success and although we never thought we would beat our the amount we raised at our last 'Stall in The Square', beat it we did and managed to put a further £1094.69 into branch funds. We thank everyone who donated goods for the stall, all our volunteers who worked so hard on the day and of course to the public who came along and found a bargain. Annual General Meeting14 May 2005The branch held its 39th Annual General Meeting at 11.00 a.m. on Saturday 14th May, 2005 at Mereside Community Centre, Springfield, Shrewesbury. Coffee and biscuits were served before the meeting. Dave Fisher was re-elected as Chairman; Mo Pullen as Secretary; Ruth Pagett as Treasurer. Carole Thomas and Hilary Fisher were re-elected as MS Support Officers with Jo Jones, Liz Wells, Frank Jones, and Sandra McLeod also being re-elected to the committee. Two new committee members were welcomed Jonathan Crawford and Mary Anne Richey both of whom are fairly new to the branch. After the main business was concluded we were given a talk on the benefits of the plant 'Aloe Vera' by Tracy and Phillip Pickles from Forever Living Products. Lunch was then served by Ann Gardner and her band of helpers and was much appreciated by all who attended. Annual Church Service
8 May 2005Shrewsbury and District Branch held it Annual Church Service at St. Chad's Church, Shrewsbury on Sunday 8th May, 2005. Branch Chaplain, Reverend Mark Thomas officiated at the service. The service was attended by The Right Worshipful The Mayor of Shrewsbury and Atcham Councillor Miles Kenny and the Mayoress Mrs. Aurona Kenny and the committee and members of the branch. Tea was served afterwards in the nearby church hall. Pictured are Reverend Mark Thomas, Dave Fisher, The Mayor and Mayoress of Shrewsbury and Atcham and Hilary Fisher. Cake Stall Success
30 April 2005Saturday 30th April was a wet one in rural Shropshire and particularly in Church Stretton. This did not however deter our chairman, Dave Fisher, our treasurer, Ruth Pagett and volunteer, June Harvey from selling cakes, biscuits, jams and chutneys. The stall was provided free of charge by Church Stretton Town Council and various local charities set out their wares to raise money for their particular cause. Despite poor weather the Shrewsbury and Distrcict Branch stall did very well selling most of the cakes which had been made by members and friends of the branch. We made £162.40. Thank you to all who made cakes for us and to those people of Church Stretton who bought them. We are sure you will have enjoyed them. Street Collection in Whitchurch29 April 2005Seven volunteers braved the streets of Whitchurch on our branch's northern border on Friday 29th April and thanks to the generosity of the people of the town collected a magnificent £410.13. London Marathon
17 April 2005Shrewsbury and District Branch benefited from the London Marathon this year to the tune of £732.60. Lee Jones, husband of branch membership secretary Jo Jones ran this year and was sponsored by family, friends, work colleagues and branch members. He completed the course in just over 4 hours, which was a tremendous effort on his part. Cheered on by Jo and their baby daughter Morgan, Lee finished the course looking as fresh as when he started! Our photograph shows his proud moment at the end wearing his medal. Well done Lee and thank you from all the members of the branch. Street Collection in Church Stretton
26 March 2005Church Stretton was the setting for another successful street collection for Shrewsbury and District Branch. Eight volunteers were out on the streets and thanks to the residents of and visitors to Church Stretton we managed to collect £426.62. We would like to thank Church Stretton Town Council for granting us permission to collect and to everyone who gave so generously. Tin Collection in Shrewsbury19 March 2005We managed to put out a total of 10 collectors throughout the day on Saturday 19th March at the West Midlands Co-op in Radbrook Green, Shrewsbury. The customers of the Co-op generously donated £432.68 and we would like to express our thanks to them and to the staff at the Co-op for their support throughout the day. Snowdrops & Hellebores Fundraiser for Shrewsbury27 February 2005We are extremely lucky here in Shrewsbury to have a nationally recognised expert in snowdrops and hellebores. Mrs. Margaret Owen has for the past few years supported the branch with a fundraiser at her garden known as 'The Patch' at Acton Pigott, Acton Burnell, near Shrewsbury. This year Mrs. Owen again opened her garden for the benefit of the branch. It was a cold and snowy start to the day on Sunday 27th February when our little army of helpers descended on 'The Patch' at 10.00 a.m. Mrs. Owen had also assembled her group of helpers and friends to assist with some expertise of the various plants in the garden and with the sale of snowdrops and preserves. Branch volunteers served hot soup and rolls, tea, coffee and cakes and also sold some cakes and preserves. Despite the cold and the fewer numbers attending, doubtless due to the weather, the function still made in excess of £2,300.00. This is a tremendous boost to branch funds and we would like to express our thanks to Mrs. Owen and her friends for all their hard work and dedication which made this once again a most successful day. The Chairman would also like to thank all the branch volunteers who turned out to help and to those members of the public who were so generous on the day. Tin Collection at Tesco, Whitchurch, Shropshire18 February 2005This tin collection was offered to us by Tesco Head Office via National Centre. We had been offered two days to collect but we were unable to take up the offer of both days. Whitchurch is on the outskirts of our area and we have only a few members there. The four collectors however did a marvellous job and collected a remarkable £351.72. Thank you to especially to the two Whitchurch and one Wem collectors as well as our collection co-ordinator who did a great job. We would also like to express our thanks to the people of Whitchurch and to the staff at Tesco for their support. Tin Collection in Wem, Shropshire22 January 2005West Midlands Co-op at Wem kindly allowed us to collect in store on Saturday 22nd January. Sadly we could only muster 5 collectors on the day but they did exceptionally well, managing a fantastic £228.95. Well done all the collectors and a big thank you to the people of Wem who always support us so well. Tin collection success8 January 2005We started 2005 collecting quite early this year with our first collection at the West Midland Co-op at Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury. We were pleased with the collection of £351.77 given that there was also a collection going on for the victims of that terrible disaster in south east Asia. We were still amazed by the generosity of some people, one of whom even returned a bottle of wine to the store and put the £5 into one of our collector's bucket. Thank you to all the collectors who turned out on a chilly January day and thank you to people of Shrewsbury who gave so generously. |
|
