FUNDRAISING NEWS & PICTURES

The Psychic & Spiritual Fellowship meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month from 7.30 to 9.30pm at Paston & Gunthorpe Community Centre,
Hallfields Lane (Off Fulbridge Rd), Peterborough.

See FUNDRAISING NEWS below of how monies raised from our monthly events is spent on your behalf.

FUNDRAISING NEWS

Friends of The Pheonix School - £500
(specialised playground for children)

The Fellowship now has close ties with the Friends of The Pheonix School in Peterborough. All the funds raised from our December 2009 event were donated to a fund set up to enable the school to provide a suitable play area for children with very special needs. Please do have a look at the school’s website. I was given a tour recently, and their outstanding work has to be seen to be believed. The parents and staff truly are an inspiration. It is a place of joy and hope – amazing!

Liza Shwarz, whose son Spencer attends the school said “We are raising funds towards a specialised children’s playground at The Pheonix School so the children there can enjoy the pleasure of using swings and other play equipment just like any other able bodied child. The difference is that thousands of pounds are needed to provide just one piece of the very specialised equipment required. For example, one swing for a child that cannot sit up would cost approximately £26,000. We always much appreciate donations like this and we would like to thank the PSF and all people there who donated to our fund.”  

If you would like to help, see www.pheonix.peterborough.sch.uk 

Multiple Sclerosis Skydive - £50

It is Kyren's 18th Birthday on 23rd December, and to celebrate the day, he is taking part in a skydive from at least 13,000 ft. at bps Langar, Notts. One of his best buddies, Michael Panter has been mad enough to agree to accompany Kyren, and they have decided to raise money towards MS Therapy.
(in photo Michael Panter and Kyren Wilson)

Micheal Panter’s auntie Linda is a Fellowship Committee member and she told us about the boys’ fundraising efforts. We are delighted to donate £50 to their fund. It’s just a fallacy that all youngsters waste their time!

For more information, see www.justgiving.com and enter Michael Panter.

Combat Stress (Help for Soldiers) - £100

We were contacted by Combat Stress to ask for help towards the expense of keeping their voluntary organisation going in Peterborough.

Elaine Danaher said “Our aim is to provide help and support for Ex-service personnel and their families who are experiencing mental issues from past and present military conflicts. Each month we have representatives from Combat Stress, MIND and the Veterans Agency, who are on hand to help anybody needing financial help, assistance with mental and other issues etc., giving pointers on how to arrange help from various relevant organisations.

With the help of the Dean of Peterborough Cathedral, we are able to have a room within the grounds of the Cathedral on the First Tuesday of each month. We have been up and running since June 2009, and our group is getting bigger every day. Everyone gives their time free, but we need constant funding to keep going to cover expenses such as the £34.00 for 2 hours each month, for the hire of the room.”

If you would like to know more or wish to donate, please email:
elaine17danaher@yahoo.co.uk

Evening Telegraph May 2009 - Gift for fire family in the right spirit.

Debbie Layton and her son Jaydon, whose house was damaged in a fire, receive a cheque for £500 from Jacqueline Lesley of the Psychic and Spiritual Fellowship.

A mother from Gunthorpe who narrowly escaped with her six-year-old son from a devastating house blaze has thanked a well-wisher who gave her £500 to get back on her feet.

Debbie Layton and son Jaydon became trapped in their home, in Cheviot Avenue, Gunthorpe, Peterborough, after a fire broke out in their lounge on the evening of March 31. Jaydon had to be dropped from an upstairs bedroom window into the arms of his grandmother, Linda Layton, while Debbie (28) was rescued by firefighters after falling unconscious in the smoke. But despite escaping with their lives, the contents of the house were destroyed in the incident, and Debbie and Jaydon have been forced to live with Linda since the blaze.

To help them, Jacqueline Lesley, chairwoman of the Psychic and Spiritual Fellowship, a group which meets every month at the Paston & Gunthorpe Community Centre, has donated £500 to the family. Debbie said: "I have never even met the lady before, but my mum and her friend go to the fellowship meetings regularly. I was told Jacqueline was sending me a cheque for £200, but when I opened the post, it was for £500. I couldn't believe it. It was a real shock, but it is a lovely gesture, and is very much appreciated”.

"Almost everything in the house was destroyed, so this will be a really nice start to getting our lives back on track. One of the main things I need is a bed for Jaydon, and this will go towards that, but there is so much to do."

Jacqueline, on behalf of the PSF who have in the past has donated money to a variety of schools and families in the city, said she was very pleased to be able to give Debbie the donation. She said: "We always put all the group's profits back into the community for a good cause, whether it's a charity or a specific case, such as this one. A friend of the Layton family told me about what had happened, and we thought it was an excellent way to use the money, and were delighted to help."

Debbie's mum Linda, who lives close by, added: "It is a lovely gesture, and is going to a very good cause. Every penny counts, and it is helping her rebuild her life. The fire could have resulted in my not having a daughter or grandson, so it was very frightening, but it is nice that someone can be so helpful afterwards."

Coronation Street's 'Ken Barlow' Raises funds for the PSF

The Psychic & Spiritual Fellowship were very honoured that William Roache MBE generously agreed to come and give a talk entitled "The Psychic Side of My Life" at the John Clare Theatre in Peterborough to help raise money for our local charitable donations fund. All the tickets were sold out and we raised £650 towards the fund.

Photo: William Roache MBE with Jacqueline Lesley

We would like to extend our thanks to William Roache for giving up his time in coming to Peterborough.

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Donation February 2009

Donation to the Pheonix School, Peterborough (a school for very special needs)www.pheonix.peterborough.sch.uk

A member of the public who regularly attends our monthly events brought our attention to this amazing school as her friend's little boy has a condition which severely impairs his quality of life. (Read about this below.)

What is Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum?   (www.Corpal.org.uk)

Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC) is a rare neurological condition in which the Corpus Callosum, the major 'pathway“ for information which links the two hemispheres of the brain, fails to develop fully.

The condition is usually diagnosed by CT (Computer Tomographic) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan.The effects of the condition are variable; ranging from normal development (where the condition may be undetected or be revealed incidentally), through mild developmental delay to severe learning difficulties, epilepsy, visual impairment and delayed motor development. There may be other brain malformations present, for example microcephaly (small brain) or hydrocephalus (obstruction of the flow of fluid in the head).

NSPCC Emergency Appeal - £50.

A cause close to everyone's heart. We felt a little of the Fellowship's fund could be spared, event though they are not strictly 'local'.

'Elderly Lady Caring for Father'

Pat is a lady who is 75 and is caring for her 95 year old father who has Alzheimer's. This is the letter she wrote to us.

"My Dear Jacqueline,

It meant so much to me to see you recently for my reading as I have been waiting so long for it, but my present circumstances had made it impossible as I cannot leave my father.

As you saw so clearly, I have horrendous financial problems I am under threat of repossession and have now received a court date for next month. I had no idea that your work contained The Psychic & Spiritual Fellowship which raised money to help others and I have to say I was completely astounded and overwhelmed to be given £200 to help me through this dreadful time. I simply cannot express deeply enough to both yourself and to the Fellowship how grateful I am for this most generous gift.

Thank you with all my heart. With heartfelt thanks to everyone".

£100 to ‘Beating Bowel Cancer’ Chairty

Lucy, a local girl who lost her Dad to bowel cancer two years ago, will be running the New York marathon this year. Look out for pics and more info later in the year.

Nene Valley Tots - £100

Thank you so much for your generous donation. We are looking to get some outdoor equipment now the weather is improving, as well as a few other much need items. Thank you again. Love from Becky Eames, on behalf of Nene Valley Tots.

Castor & Ailsworth Preschool - Donation £100

Thank you very much for your kind donation, which will be put towards a much needed new computer at the pre-school. It was very kind and very much appreciated by the children, parents and staff. It is due to donations such as yous that we are able to provide the children with a good range of activities. Thank you again. From June Cawsey, Aministrator.

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Pensioner Suffering from Cancer - £200

A donation was given to a lady who is not only suffering from cancer, but was involved in a bad car accident in recent months. She has been a worker for Spiritualism in Peterborough for 20 years. The money was given so that she can have a little break at the seaside or to help towards cab fairs to and from her many hospital appointments. We felt it appropriate not to publish her name as she lives alone, but we would like to thank her for the lovely raffle prizes she donated to the Fellowship.

Deafblind Centre, Paston Ridings, Peterborough - £1000

Deafblind UK have a residential centre in Peterborough which allows people who are both deaf and blind to live as independent a life as possible. It is kept going by volunteers and staff who we saw at work when we took them our donation cheque.

The kindness shown to residents in this lovely place restores faith in human nature and they all do a fantastic job.

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The Felton Family - £400

In June of this year, 14 year old Becki was run over on a pelican crossing by a hit and run driver on her way to school. As you can see, the picture of her in the intensive care unit is such a contrast to the lively girl you see in the second picture. Becki's family (Mum Theresa, Dad Peter and Lauren and Liam Becki's younger sister and brother) had to be at the hospital with Becki for 24 hours a day as they had been told by the consultants it was extremely unlikely that Becki would survive her terrible head injuries. This was devastating news for the family.

Photo: Becki Felton (14) in Addenbrokes Hospital ICU
and 8 weeks later at home

Unfortunately in these circumstances, people still have to pay to eat, for petrol (an 80 mile round trip to and from the hospital) and all the normal living expenses. The Fellowship donation helped to ease the family's financial burden during this very trying period of their life.

Many people sent absent healing to Becki and the family during this period, including my circle and Fellowship attendees. Below is a letter Teresa Felton sent to us following Becki's return home.

"Dear Jacqueline,

Please pass on our thanks to everyone on the Fellowship Committee for the kind thoughts and prayers over the past couple of months since Becki's accident. At times we have been at real lows, but the kind words from you and everyone have helped to lift us. The good news is that despite things looking so bad at the end of June, Becki is now well on her way to recovery.

Becki came out of her coma within a week and took her first steps shortly after. Since then, she has continued to baffle all her doctors by her recovery. It is hard to believe that only 8 weeks ago she was not expected to wake up, yet alone be back at home enjoying family life. Becki has many battles ahead of her as she has to undergo a couple of corrective procedures and rehabilitation over the next few months and understandably, she is a little worried, but I am sure she will be ok.

Since your visit to the hospital Jacqueline 5 days after her accident, we have all began to believe in miracles. I remember that you said she had a great life force and that she would live and be normal, and you were right! I now keep these two photos with me to show that miracles do happen. The first is Becki on the day you came to give her healing and the second is as she is now. I am not sure who 'upstairs' is looking after her, but they must really love her.

The Marianne Rooprai Trust Donation - £600

Marianne Rooprai is a local girl in her early twenties. Two years ago, having started a successful business she had all her life before her. Marianne was involved in a car accident which left her paralysed from the shoulders down. A devastating blow for her and the whole family. Marianne has now started the Rooprai Spinal Trust with her fiancée so that she and others can get treatment abroad which may help with the problems experienced in day to day living in such difficult circumstances. See Marianne's website www.rstrust.com

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Sue Ryder Care Hospice, Peterborough Donation - £200

This is a local hospice which caters for all age groups. Craig Linton, Fundraising Manager of Thorpe Hall said "Thorpe Hall relies heavily on the goodwill and support of our local community to help us raise the £2 million a year it costs to provide all our vital services. Without donations of the kind provided by The Psychic & Spiritual Fellowship, we would not be able to provide our vital medical care and services to so many people in Peterborough and District. Many, many thanks for your kind donation."

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The George Simpson Fund Donation - £600

As you can see, George Simpson is a gorgeous little boy. He suffers from severe Cerebral Palsy which prevents him from walking, communicating and doing most of the things we all take for granted. We were told about George by one of the people who comes to our monthly meetings. As George is getting bigger, some help was needed to make some modifications to the Simpson's home to make it easier to lift and bathe George in the downstairs of the house.

Our donation has gone toward this project. As a direct result of the press coverage in the Peterborough Evening Telegraph, Joy and Scott Simpson received another £400 donation from a caring citizen.

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Peterborough District Hospital Eye Clinic Donation - £200

A member of staff informed us that the eye clinic needed a wheelchair. Eye clinic consultant, Mr. Timothy Rimmer who accepted the cheque for the chair said "Most of our patients are elderly and frail and need help getting about. It is absolutely marvellous to get this chair because we always need this sort of thing." We were really pleased to be able to help.

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Family Welfare Assoc. Playgroup Donation - £100

One of the roles of the FWA is provide playgroups in some of the most deprived areas of the City. Jackie Smith, Playgroup Supervisor of the Paston Ridings group said "We rely heavily on donations to keep things going. We wanted to develop an outdoor play area for the children to play safely in the fresh air and this donation is so very much appreciated. We will certainly put it to good use."

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Happy Days Preshool Group Donation - £100

Belinda Fenning, the Playgroup Supervisor said "We are situated in a deprived area and government funding is very limited. Kind donations like yours make all the difference to us. It enables us to purchase equipment and resources for the children. On behalf of the children and staff at Happy Days, please pass on our thanks to all your committee and members for this money".

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Attention Deficit Disorder Boy Donation - £291

Although his identity must remain confidential, this 14 year lad was falling through the cracks of the NHS and struggling with behaviour at school, although he is a very talented musician. He desperately needed an assessment for the above condition which would take so long to get via the NHS. The Fellowship paid for him to have a private consultation with an expert in the field.

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Exotic Pet Rescue Donation £150

Pam & Mel Mansfield founded the charity and rescue centre in 1985 although their work with needy animals goes back to the mid 1970's. They take animals in from disbanded or closed zoological establishments and private collections where owners find these more exotic creatures too much to handle. Also from owners whose health or hardship prevents them from keeping on an animal or bird. See their website www.Exotic-pet-refuge.org.uk

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