Charity

We are delighted introduce our charities for this year.

They are The Kate Farrer Foundation and The Blue Smile Project  . Details are shown below. Our main event this year will be Charity Day on Sunday 28th July, and we look forward to being able to raise a good level of support for these two deserving causes. Click here for a copy of the start sheet. 

John & Keren (Captain & Lady Captain)

The Kate Farrer Foundation:

Kate Farrer was a consultant neonatologist at Addenbrooke's hospital until her death from Cancer of Unknown Primary in 2014. She was just 52 years old. She had dedicated her life to the treatment of seriously ill babies (including a member of the Royal family) but she also managed to find the time, and a substantial part of her income, to support other worthy causes in different parts of the world. Most of these were very small charities with little or no other source of revenue.

The Kate Farrer Foundation was set up soon after she died in order to continue the good work that she had started. Its aim was, and always will be, to continue to support the causes that had become dependent upon Kate and to work with small charities that the trustees believe would have been close to her heart. Many involve children, some are medical, others selected for different reasons including poverty, education and justice. Click here for the charities website.

The policy laid down by the KFF trustees is that funds are pledged only to meet stated objectives, agreed upon at the point of application, and on the understanding that a detailed report must be submitted upon "completion", within the following six months. There are four trustees, all members of Kate's family, and they ensure that 100% of monies collected by the Foundation are applied to the chosen causes. All running expenses are funded privately.

Here are just some of the people KFF plans to help in 2019:

- specialist training for neonatal nurses at The Rosie, Addenbrooke's - Kate Farrer Bursary

- education and meals for orphaned children in Uganda - Chem U

- housing and job opportunities homeless people living on the streets of Cambridge - CCHP

- agricultural training for victims of Mugabe's violent regime in Zimbabwe - Mike Campbell Foundation

- specialist treatment for disabled children in Moldova - Tony Hawks Children's Centre

The Kate Farrer Foundation sends out several e-bulletins every year to its contributors and regularly updates the website (www.katefarrer.org) with news and progress reports.

The Blue Smile Project

Blue Smile is a new Cambridgeshire children’s charity that provides counselling and therapy for pupils in schools between the ages of 3 and 13 during a critical window of opportunity for change. Click here for the charitie's website

There is a growing mental health problem among our children and young people and this kind of targeted early intervention can help prevent later mental illness and associated anti-social and offending behaviours. The repercussions of inadequate support are enormous: school failure, anti-social behaviour, mental illness and a legacy of dysfunction, all of which puts huge pressure on schools, social services and the youth justice system.

We provide the kind of specialist support in schools which gives a vulnerable child the expert and consistent care they need. We call on highly trained paid and voluntary professionals to do this work and use school premises free of charge, so it is both a highly skilled and cost-effective intervention.

£1 spent on therapeutic support now can literally save £100s later on by avoiding the costs of mental health facilities or youth offending institutes.

Most importantly, these children deserve such professional care and support so they are helped to fulfil their true potential and to turn their lives around.

Find out more about Blue Smile in our most recent Annual Review 'Reaching out' which looks back at the exciting achievements, progress and impact of Blue Smile over the past year.

Presentations to the 2018 charities

Ian Skinner writes:

A huge amount of money was collected for my Charity - Alzheimer’s Research UK. Special thanks must go to our most generous members and guests, sponsors, donors and team of helpers. This was an exceptional performance by our organising committee Chaired by Ewart Munday and including Liz Wainwright (and Sharon Turvill), Kieron Ellis and Chris Heath. Alzheimer’s Research wish to convey their huge gratitude and absolute commitment to working towards a cure for this invidious disease.

Many thanks

Ian Skinner
Captain 2018

Chris Heath writes:

My chosen charity for 2018 was ‘Teenage Cancer Trust’ and at our Ladies Christmas Lunch in December I presented Judith Anderson with a cheque for £16,254.17. Judith was overwhelmed and stated that the money we raised at the Gog Magog Golf Club for 

‘Teenage Cancer Trust’ would help to make sure young people don’t face cancer alone. That might mean providing treatment and support in one of their comfortable, contemporary specialist cancer units or one of their specialists travelling to young people’s homes.

My thanks must go to Our Charity Committee, Chaired by Ewart Munday, for all their dedication throughout the year and to all our devoted members who joined in the many events we organised in 2018. I really am most grateful to you all for your support

Thank you

Chris Heath
Lady Captain 2018