A Big Nite Out at Shurdington Community Centre

Mike and Vic - A big night out

During the late 80’s they each trod the boards regularly at the London Palladium Royal Variety Performances and such and were often on our screens in shows such as The Comedians and chatting with Michael Parkinson.

Songs from shows and favourite ballads were sung with gusto, brilliant impersonations and jokes came thick and fast filling the hall with hoots of laughter and the feedback from the audience was glowing.

Many thanks to Mike for his organisation of the evening, to Vic who travelled all the way from Torquay to perform and to Sylvia Charlewood, the inspiration for the event.

Mike and Sylvia are looking for additional venues to which they can take their Big Nite Out, watch this space and if you get a chance to go along, don’t miss it.

On Friday, 30 May they presented a cheque for £500. Thanks everyone, now they’re in the pink not singing the blues!

The Alleyrat Blues Club

The Alleyrat Blues Club

The Alleyrat Blues Club, which meets on the last Friday of the month at the Somerset Arms in Leckhampton, Cheltenham, voted to support our Breast Clinic £1m Appeal at one of their blues nights earlier in the year.

On Friday, 30 May they presented a cheque for £500. Thanks everyone, now they’re in the pink not singing the blues!

Kay and Red Haslam's Coffee Morning

Kay & Red’s coffee morning

Kay and Red Haslam organized a huge coffee morning and sale for friends and neighbours in Broadway, at their home on Saturday 10 November and raised a fantastic £6,093!

The event was held to raise money for the Cobalt Breast Clinic £1m Appeal and had managed to take £1,000 even before the day, such was the keenness and enthusiasm shown by Kay, Red and Kay’s friend and co-organiser Liz Chard.

Cobalt recycled Christmas cards were on sale, copies of the Cobalt Cook Book, a cake stall, gift stall, produce and of course, a raffle.

The next event to be organized by the Haslam’s is a ball in 2008.

Arthur’s 24th Spring Stroll raises a bumper crop of walkers

Arthur McTiffin in the pink

About 75 people turned the old Nailsworth branch line a shade of pink when walkers, dressed in Cobalt £1m Appeal t-shirts set off to Dudbridge last Sunday.

Arthur McTiffin held the 24th annual Spring Stroll on Sunday 20th April when many of those who walked were regulars to the event.

Seventy eight year old Arthur said “This year I seemed to have more than ever calling me for sponsorship forms and it was great to see many new faces. I think the fact that we are raising money towards the Cobalt Breast Clinic for Gloucestershire people this year has made a big difference.” “I met a gentleman whilst fishing in Thrupp who recognized me and he went on to walk this year and raised an amazing £650 in sponsorship.”

Over the last 23 strolls Arthur and the walkers have raised well over £60,000.00 and this year they anticipate raising this total to nearing £70,000.00.

Special thanks go to the Stewardess of Nailsworth Comrades Club, Lisa Gatley, for providing a fantastic buffet lunch at the club for everyone once they had finished the walk.

The fastest walkers completed the 7 mile stretch in about one and three quarter hours and the final family came back about an hour later.

Cobalt Golf Day

The winning team being presented with their Cobalt Golf Trophy by Keith Bell Photo courtesy of Nick Davis Photography

It was an absolutely superb day on Friday for the Cobalt Appeal Fund Crack Cancer Golf Day held at Forest Hills Golf Club near Coleford on Friday 4th April.

Around 120 golfers teed off on a glorious sunny day to raise funds for the Cobalt Breast Clinic £1m Appeal.

The winning team with a score of 94 points was the Forest Hills Golf Club team with players Ashley Smith, Phillip Moore, Trevor Knight and John Richards. They were presented with the "Cobalt Golf Trophy" by Mr Keith Bell who, with the KW Bell Group supported the event.

Runners up with a score of 86 points, were Team Holland, comprising James Holland, Simon Edmunds, Mark Tyler and Nick Jacobs.

Nearest the pin trophies were presented to Andrew Birch, Chris Evans and Tim Walton.

Jenny Roberts, Cobalt Fundraiser said "We are expecting to raise around £5,000 from this event, and my grateful thanks go to Keith Bell and the KW Bell Group, Richard Ballard and Dave Robinson from Forest Hills Golf Club without whom this event would not have been so successful and enjoyable. Special thanks also to Tammy Payne for her fantastic administrative support.

The day proved so popular that we have already had a number of teams expressing an interest in next year's Cobalt Charity Golf Day which will take place on Friday 3rd April.

20th Relay Marathon Challenge - In The Pink.

Sunday 30 March 2008

Winners : Some Hartpury Ballerinas

Well weren’t we lucky!! The weather turned out to be fantastic following the dreadful rain and winds of the previous two days.

We hope that you all enjoyed the 20th Relay Marathon Challenge and just want to say a very special thank you to our sponsors everyclick.com and the Bathurst Estate, The Earl Bathurst for the use of Cirencester Park, such a fantastic setting.

Thanks too to everyone who gave their time voluntarily to ensure the event went smoothly. The teams were definitely very pink and even if there weren’t quite so many fancy dress entrants this year, you all looked wonderful.

Beer Bellies get the "Best Dressed" Cup

Team Imodium, very smart!

We hope to have raised about £10,000 this year towards our Breast Clinic £1m Appeal but that is all down to you, the runners. Please round up your sponsorship money and get it in to us as soon as you can and thanks for being part of the 20th Relay Marathon Challenge and for supporting cancer patients locally.

Fastest Team: Hartpury Ballerinas made up of Hartpury College footballers
Slowest Team: Gym Jams from Dursley Pool & Sports Centre
Best Dressed Team: Beer Bellies from Cirencester

Running in Circles team is showing in place 4 which does not reflect their true position as they decided to walk and run the day in their own way, in pairs. Their true time if walking/running as individuals may have been more like over five and three quarter hours so a big thank you from the organising team for pairing up!!

To view the results pages, please click HERE, or to download them click HERE.

Punch & Judy, Bouncy Castle and Spectators

Magnetic Mayhem minus Duncan

See you next year!

Maggie, Zena, Jenny and Pat
The Fundraising Team

Keith Bell Raffle

Once more a fantastic response from our supporters to our Holiday, which raised £7,000, making a 100% profit for the Cobalt Breast Clinic £1 Appeal, due to the generosity of Keith Bell of the K W Bell Group.

Picture - Left to Right - R Keith Bell, Peter Hornby (Trustee), Shane Grindle (Manager - The Belfry Hotel) and Ann Hornby.

Bra Recycling

Staff from Tesco in St Oswalds, Gloucester supported the Cobalt Breast Clinic £1M Appeal by collecting unwanted bras at their store throughout February. The bras, plus those collected at other venues around the county were weighed at An Evening of Bra Fashion (and recycling), organised by Sarah Cook on 28 February. Over £900 was raised during the evening and was so successful that another one has been organised for 19 June.

If you are interested in having a bra re-cycling bank at your place of work please contact the Fundraising Office on 01242 535900. The banks are emptied on a regular basis and money debited directly to the Cobalt Appeal Fund.

Image : Staff from Tesco’s with Sarah Cook and Cobalt Fundraiser Jenny Roberts

HARRY BUCKLAND

Having read about our Breast Clinic £1m Appeal in the media and then in our last edition of Cobalt News, Rob Buckland and his wife Vera made a fantastically generous, personal donation of £5,000 in memory of their daughter Kathy Summers, who died from the disease six years ago.

Celebrating his 70th birthday, the year after the 70th anniversary of the family business, Rob then decided to ask friends and family to make a donation to the Cobalt Breast Clinic £1m Appeal, rather than buy him gifts. They new better than to argue and helped Rob to raise a fantastic £610.

No stranger to supporting the Cobalt, Rob and his son Henry who manage the family business of Harry Buckland on the Gloucester Road just outside of Cheltenham, have been raising money for us since Kathy’s tragic death in 2001 at the age of just 36.

Over these past six years they have had a collection box at the yard, encouraging customers to donate their change or, for small pieces, to make a donation and the customers have all been extremely generous with their support as have regular friends. In addition the guys at the yard have regularly raided glove compartments, door pockets, checked around gear sticks, under the seats and in the boots of cars coming in to be scrapped and in all, have raised well over £6,850.

Our finance department can always tell when Rob has been in with the most recent donation, the money collected at the yard always needs a good wash but that is no problem!

Rob, his son Henry who runs the family business with him, the Buckland family and staff are the quietly supporting kind. Rob Buckland has been happy to help without wanting publicity, however, he has very kindly agreed to share his story.

“I hope that others in business and acting as individuals will think about ways in which they might be able to support the Cobalt Breast Clinic £1m Appeal” said Rob “we will continue to do what we can and I hope that when you read this article, you will think of your own way to support this specialised clinic and therefore daughters, granddaughters, mothers and sisters of Gloucestershire.”

Picture - Left to right - Martin, Jason, Richard, Henry and Rob Buckland, Shaun and Darren

THE “COBALT COOK BOOK ”

A fantastic new cook book with recipes from pubs and restaurants around Gloucestershire. A must have for your kitchen as well as a great reference book for pubs and restaurant around the county. Excellent value at £10 per copy and all proceeds go to the Cobalt Appeal Fund.

Available from Waterstones in Cheltenham and Gloucester, the Chapter House in Gloucester Cathedral, the Tourist Information Office in Gloucester and from the fundraising office at Linton House.

For other venues around the county please contact the fundraising office on 01242 535900.

13th October 2007 - Black Tie Ball

Pictured Left Izzi Street and right Charlotte Wilson

A Black Tie Ball with a difference, organised by two local ladies, Izzi Street and Charlotte Wilson, was held on Saturday 13 October 2007. An annual event on the girls’ calendar, this year was the 4th ball they have organised and it was held once again at the Thistle Hotel Cheltenham. As well as music from the disco , there was a silent auction for meals out, spa days, hours of ironing and lots more, also a raffle for a day’s horseracing for two. The highlight of the evening was “Stand Up Bingo” which has proved a big favourite at past balls too. Well I think you just needed to be there!

The inspiration for Izzi and Charlotte’s annual ball is Charlotte’s sister Sharon who sadly died from breast cancer in February 2006.

“We have great fun organising these balls and just want to raise as much money as we can for our chosen charity” said Charlotte

“We were so happy to have been able to send a donation of £3,350.00 following the ball, towards the new Cobalt Breast Clinic, which is a fitting tribute to Sharon who was such a lovely lady” added Izzi.

Thanks girls, it really was a great night out in posh frocks!

COFFEE CUPS CLINKED ACROSS THE THREE COUNTIES

Throughout June and July hundreds of people in villages and towns got together in their gardens, community halls and front rooms to raise money, in good company. With the addition of bring & buys, raffles, plant sales, neck and shoulder massages to name but a few of the “extras”, the 14th Three Counties Coffee Chain for Cancer will have raised a fantastic £25,000.00 this year. Thanks to all who have organised a Coffee Chain event this year and to everyone who went along and supported them.

Ronnie Harding back left with friends at Dursley Town Hall, coffee, cake and much more!

Even schools took part - Jenny with the children at Aylburton Primary School, near Lydney

THE “SHOP” AT LINTON HOUSE

When you need a greetings card, come along to Linton House and take a look at the great selection we have, which have all been hand-made by our wonderful volunteers in card-making groups. The prices are amazing and there are cards to suit all tastes.

If you like a good read, we also sell second hand books (which are in good condition) and would really appreciate you bringing in those paperbacks that you have enjoyed over the summer holidays.

Next time you bring in your small change as part of the Pot Your Pennies scheme, drop off your old greetings cards for us to re-cycle or your paperback books, we hope you’ll like the new look of the front hall “shop” area where you’ll also find quality hand-knitted items, other home-made craft as well as Cobalt pens, teddies and wallets. You will be assured a warm welcome.