Beechy and Jules: charity events at the Elms, Retford: February 2013

Every time we host a fund raising event we try to make sure that the monies we raise support a specific local project - even if we are raising funds for a national charity like the BHF.

We feel that it is important for our event attendees to see where their hard earned cash is going!

Over the course of the last few years we seem to have 'adopted' St Giles School as a cause we really enjoy raising money for.

There are several reasons for this...

it is a local school and everyone knows about it
lots of local people have links to it in one way or another
we can see exactly where our fund raising goes
the students and staff really appreciate our efforts

and of course, not forgetting...

it gives us chance to dress up, be silly and to blame it on everyone else saying - we're just doing this for the children...

In the past we have raised money for computer equipment and games which the students chose for themselves (see 2008) and we have raised money for furniture, seating and items for the sensory rooms and areas.

We also like to give the school either a photo book or pictures for display so that the students can see what we did to raise the money. These are always bright and colourful and the pupils can enjoy looking at the pictures.

As we had chance to go to the school to see the secondary department's adaptation of Robin Hood (a world premiere I believe - but more of that later!..) we asked if we could have a look at some of the rooms and gardens so that we could report back to our loyal charity event attendees and show you a little more about the school.

There are several rooms and areas both inside and outside which have specialist equipment and items to stimulate all the senses for the students.

The multi sensory room has a very sophisticated system of specialist lighting. There are fibre optic strand lights which glow in different colours - and the students can touch and feel these as well as see them.

There are computerised lighting displays which can be projected onto the walls.

This all looks quite sterile and severe here in these pictures but when the main lights are dimmed and the strand lights are lit (shown all bunched together coming from the ceiling in the picture to the left) and reflected in the mirrors and the other lights are twinkling and rotating it is a completely different room.

There are lots of comfy bean bags and tents and seats with touchy-feely throws for the students to relax on and play with so that they are able to enjoy all the different sensations.

One of the other rooms is filled with soft play items which the pupils can climb over, into and round.

In this room there was also a soft play 'cave' which I couldn't photograph as there was a student inside who was having too much fun to want to come out!

Outside in the grounds of the main school an area of land has been developed into a sensory trail.

This is a spacious, lovely walk way with plenty of sounds, sights, tastes and smells provided by flowers, plants, wind chimes and musical instruments.

A covered arch way is being developed. When this is fully grown the arch will be covered in foliage which will create a dark tunnel which the students will be able to walk through before coming back out into the light.

There are musical instruments and sounds all along the pathway...

Some of them look a little unusual but they are all interactive and great fun! (Ask Julie - she tried them all!)

There is a beautiful, tinkling water feature surrounded by bedding boxes which the students have filled with flowers and plants.

Lots of colourful seating and tables...

There is also a large covered area with seating where the pupils can sit and have lessons in the fine weather.

It is a very well thought out area which is tranquil and calm and we are pleased to tell you that your kind donations have been spent wisely and that we have been able to help with the costs for at least some of the items shown here.

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So - back to Robin Hood!

This was a brand new musical written for schools which St Giles was asked to 'trial' for the publishers before it went to print. (I'm copying this from the programme!)

It was adapted by the school so that every class in the Secondary Department was involved - and every student had a role to play. They also added a few scenes of their own!!

It was amazing! AMAZING! Lots of audience participation clapping and cheering for the goodies and booing the baddies - and brilliant acting by the students who were obviously really enjoying themselves and having a great time!

A huge amount of time and effort had gone into the production and preparation of this show but it really was worthwhile so a big pat on the back to everyone involved in it!

And not just acting - a 'Prince John (gangnam) Style' pop video and the archery filming! All very impressive!! No wonder we enjoy fundraising for this school...

A lot of work also went into the props for the performance too - here are some of them...

All very cleverly done - loved the menu on Friar Tuck's Chip Wagon!

Badges? Badgers? Who said they wanted badges?..

Thank you to everyone at St Giles for letting us come to watch your school production - you are all BRILLIANT!

And to all our charity event attendees - I hope that you all enjoyed this tiny insight into how we are able to help St Giles School in a very small way with our fund raising.

Thank you all for your generosity which makes it possible!

16 February 2013

In aid of St Giles School

Amount raised: £1356

Running total to date: £27483

This was another of our smaller 'in between' fund raisers - and a chance to dress up in some skimpy beachwear on a cold February evening (makes a change from 70s gear though...)

All monies raised are for St Giles School and will be used to buy more seating for their sensory room.

Pupils from St Giles school painted some beach and sea themed pictures for us which we put up on the walls. The most severely disabled students were helped to put their finger and thumb prints on a tree on a large beach scene picture which raised £25 at auction.

Beechy and Jules did their usual brilliant room transformation with the aid of two young helpers Molly and Lola.

Aunt Margaret (our mum's sister) usually comes to lend a hand while we are setting up but she wasn't available so Beechy ended up as the balloon holder this time - I think that he would rather have been watching football!

The entrance was transformed into a beach scene complete with old fashioned deckchairs, part eaten picnic, beach toys, towels and a drying bikini (size 12 and Julie's if anyone is interested!)

There was even a grumpy old man sitting in his deck chair with bottle top glasses and a knotted hanky on his head complaining about people standing in his sun!

A wooden 'to the beach' sign with a seagull sitting on it pointed the way into the room to tables topped with buckets, spades, sand, flags and windmills.

More seagulls flew overhead surrounded by bunting and there was an end of pier picture stand with bathing belles to stick your head through for a photo opportunity.

Some of the seagulls had deflated and needed a quick blow up before the evening!

How many of you tried to sneak a peek at the open book on the deckchair - '50 Shades of Grey' - which was actually a copy of the Thomson's local directory (Bury edition!) with a cover - I'm sure that there were several disappointed people out there!...

Food was fish and chips in a carton (newspaper not allowed any more - elf n safety..) with mushy peas and an ice cream to follow - well it had to be didn't it, proper seaside food...

The winner of the 'best dressed' award donated his prize of a basket of fruit for auction and this raised a further £15. Thanks Russ - and nice drinks tray by the way!

There were some fabulous costumes and we had great seaside beach themed music from Beechy so a good time was once again had by all. I see that our Disco Queens have changed their sashes for lei garlands for this event! (..and we've actually caught them sitting down..)

Here are more of our beach babes...

Pauline and her posse were there to keep an eye on proceedings!...

And here are some more of the pictures painted by the pupils at St Giles School...

We had to give in to inflation and rising costs and put our ticket prices up this year as we weren't raising as much for charity as we had been previously. I am sure that this will not deter people from attending our events and I hope that you will agree that the evenings still offer great value for money.

So our smaller 'in-between' events which are usually in February will now cost £15 (as this one has!), our main event in the summer will be £20 unless it is a ball - as it is this year 2013, which will cost £40. Our major outgoings are for the bands and the food and these costs have been rising steadily over the last few years.

Where possible we buy or make things ourselves (Julie and I are known as 'Bodgit and Co'!) to keep costs to a minimum - and it helps to have a host of family and friends with varied and useful talents!... If we can get into catering and form a band we've cracked it!!..

Robin helped us out this year by making the 'to the beach' sign. He even weathered it outside to make it look more authentic (another one with attention to detail!) before nailing it to mum's old wooden washing line prop! The things we do... He also made the pier end bathing belles photo booth to give us a bit more seaside feel. Thanks bruv - you're a star!

Reference was made to Martin both on the ticket and on a photo near the seaside picture booth. He was a friend of our family (part of Roy and Anne's family who were great friends with our mum and dad) who had sadly died in 2012 - and he had been a pupil at St Giles some years previously. A lovely, happy character!

You may have noticed the four ladies sitting on the beach in their cossies which were part of the design printed at the top of your ticket. This is a large print which was a christmas present to me from Beechy and Jules and had been pointed out in a shop by Ian saying to Julie "Oh look - it's the Roberts' girls!" (don't know what he was implying!!) I am the one on the far right with my name tattooed on my bum! I'll leave you to work the other three out. The small dog on the left looking longingly at the ice cream is our bruv Robin who has his name on the small bandana round his neck.
All together now - quaver

oh, I do like to be beside the seaside...

How many people does it take to put up a deckchair?.....

...More than you think - and it was just a normal chair! I think Christine's expression says it all!

We put together some of the brightest pictures in a photobook to give to the school so that the pupils can see how we raised the money and we had the book printed in the largest size available so that the visually impaired students would be able to see it more easily.