Sara Lee Trust newsletter Winter 2012

Winter 2012

The Sara Lee Trust: a hand to hold… an independent local charity providing complementary therapies, counselling and creative therapies to people in Hastings and Rother living through cancer and other serious illness; with support for their families and carers.

Exciting new project!

Working with the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association

Recently the Trust and the MND Association worked together to offer a support group meeting in Hastings. The Association has a group which meets in Lewes, but is keen to develop a group in Hastings so that people with MND and their carers can gain support, and have the chance to socialise, with others in a similar situation.

Working in conjunction with the Sara Lee Trust allowed those attending the opportunity to explore the benefits of

The Sara Lee Trust – what we do Our aim is to support patients through their illness. Complementary to medical care, the Sara Lee Trust offers time, meaningful touch and support so that each person may live life as fully as possible, even with a life threatening diagnosis. Our service also extends to carers and families and we provide over 2,250 treatments each year.

G We provide complementary therapies to patients at our treatment rooms in St Leonards-on-Sea and Rye. G We employ a Community Therapist who visits those unable to attend our treatment rooms, in their own homes.

G The complementary therapies we currently provide include: acupuncture, aromatherapy, relaxation, reflexology, shiatsu and visualisation.

G Creative arts therapy, sanctuary days and counselling are provided all year round.

G We also provide support for carers.

complementary therapy as two of the Trust’s therapists were able to provide people with either reflexology or aromatherapy. The therapists were also able to explain how referrals can be made to the trust for a block of therapy (this includes carers). Volunteers from both the MND Association and the Sara Lee Trust were available to support the day and we would like to thank them very much.

When asked what they enjoyed about the day those attending said that it was: “Really relaxing and good to spend time with others with MND” “Very beneficial, got lots of tips about the care available. It was good to have time away from caring duties and spend time chatting to fellow carers and people with MND. I loved the massage and the food was delicious!”

“We are new to MND and events like this really help us come to terms with the future, it was lovely to meet people in such a relaxing atmosphere.”

When asked what they enjoyed about the therapy one carer said “I expected just a taster session, but I had a lovely long back massage. I felt totally relaxed and felt my knots melting away.”

Sara Murray, who works for the MND Association said ‘It is fantastic that the Association and the Sara Lee Trust can work together to provide these meetings for people with MND and their carers and families. It is very important that people who want to share their experiences have a chance to get together to gain support from each other in this way and it is fantastic for them to experience the relaxing effect of complementary therapies.

We rely on the support of our volunteers to organise and support these events.’

We would like to offer our grateful thanks to St Michael’s Hospice for allowing us to use their Day Therapy Centre to host the day.

A further meeting is planned for Spring 2013, and if you would like to attend, please contact Sarah Geall on 01424 456608 for further details.

Tickets inside  fabulous prizes! …see page 7

Grand Christmas Raffle

Can we help you? – our referral procedure: Referrals must be made via a health care professional – e.g. GP, Macmillan nurse, district nurse, consultant, physiotherapist or other health professional.

For further information please contact Sarah Geall on 01424 456608

To support our work and donate online, please visit www.justgiving.com/sltf

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Message from the Chairman, Mrs Jenny Yeo MBE The summer is now over and it hardly seems anytime since I wrote a welcome for the last newsletter! As usual we have had a full summer of fundraising including Jazz in the Garden with thanks to Mr & Mrs Willson and our annual Barn Dance held at Cowbeech with kind permission of Mr & Mrs Harper. These are just two of our many events managed by our Fundraising Manager, Maria and our excellent Fundraising Committee.

The committee support us in is so many ways – they may open their gardens; or organise events; help sell tickets, secure prizes, and volunteer at the events – that we really wouldn’t be able to manage

without them. Maria and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank them individually so much for all their time and commitment. Huge thanks therefore to Dee Blake, Caroline Ellwood, Sheila Hack, Heather Harper, Ethnie Moser and Pam Shadbolt.

Our Trading Arm continues to improve and is now in a position to pay the Trust a regular amount of money on a monthly basis. As we approach the end of the year I hope we can look forward to expanding our services to more people in outlying areas whilst keeping up the full range of treatments offered to St Michael’s Hospice, The Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital and our existing

community patients. Sarah, our Therapy Manager has the task of managing all the Therapists and reporting to the Trustees as to the way forward with new therapies and keeping the high standards the Trust operates for all our patients.

Lastly, I appeal to all of our supporters, volunteers, therapists and trustees to try whenever possible to attend our fundraising events as it boosts the morale of all the hard working team. I hope to see as many people as possible at our AGM on October 23rd (at The Arthur Easton Centre from 11:30am) with a pot-luck lunch.

My heartfelt thanks to you all.

Jenny

Message from the Vice Chairman, Mr Michael Lear We started the year with a very difficult budget meeting back in April. Our predicted income for the year ahead from 1st May 2012 is £119,393. Maria Gonet, our Fund Raising Manager came up with a very brave forecast, exceeding last years figures by £4,613, this gave us some flexibility. Included within this, the Trading Arm for our charity pledged £6,000 as a minimum donation from its profits.

However, despite this welcomed increase in income, each year the costs seem to rise, with postage up, travel expenses, stationary demands and further to this we have made provisions within the budget to allow the reinstatement of hours for Sarah Geall, our Therapy Manager and for Liz Knight, our Office Manager. These increases in hours were considered essential to meet the growing demands in managing the workload, with the ever increasing need to prepare and edit Trust Policies and to spend time on the Strategic Plans for the Trust, keeping professional records and updating the database.

Unfortunately, the result of these increased expenses has left us with a trading Budget loss for the forthcoming year of £20,468, which is in no way acceptable. The good news is that Maria is hitting and some months beating her targets and the expenses are

lower than we forecasted and thus, year to date after five months of trading we are about £4,500 in the red, which is about 50% of our budgeted loss. Still not ideal, but not a disaster. This trend clearly cannot continue and we are monitoring the income against expenses on a monthly basis. I remain hopeful that we will turn things around one way or another by the year end.

Whilst we continue to live and work in very depressed times financially, the Staff and Board of Trustees remain focused of developing and improving every aspect of the Trust. Most of this work has been researched and managed by Trustee Linda Hodgson and we all owe an enormous amount to her hard work over the past 12 months.

We continue to work hard developing the Trading Arm and recently have commenced with House Clearances on a professional basis, with no less than four having been carried out. Tim Desborough is in charge, helped by volunteers, who are also selling the furniture from our second warehouse.

It’s early days for this side of the trading arm, but we have every hope that it will soon be trading at a profit and that profit will immediately benefit the charity. Added to this, the house clearance provides much needed furniture and larger items which can be sold through the shop.

The Trading Arm is a separate limited company set up by myself and Jenny our Chairman, we have pledged that every penny

of profit will be passed onto the Charity by the end of each trading year, and from there it is down to the trustees to decide on how much is channelled to services or other ventures in the future.

Further thanks needs to go to Lee FosterKirkham MBE one of our trustees who has taken over as line manager for the shop staff, and recently gave up lots of his time and energy filling in as Shop Manager due to staff illness. Without his help and the continued hard work of so many brilliant volunteers, the shop may have had to temporarily close.

Thankfully this was avoided, and sales continue to be strong. We are a long way from opening another shop, much to my disappointment, but both Jenny and I want to be sure that both money and staff are in place before we make any further expansions.

Bob Hodgson is continuing to do the shop accounts and Liz Knight does those for the Trust. Debbie Hargreaves, Trustee and Chartered Accountant has now taken on the responsibility of collating the shop and Trust accounts and producing the end of year accounts before submission to the independent examiners.

Finally, I realise that so many aspects of the charity and trading arm would not exist without the generosity of those giving money, raising money and equally important, those giving there precious time to help us. Thank you.

MJL

To support our work and donate online, please visit www.justgiving.com/sltf

What happens on a Sanctuary Day?

Above: Reflexology in the garden and a Mandala made at one of the Sanctuary Days

“When you know that life is drawing to a close, the mental battle is a hard one and it is only possible (in my case anyway) to remain strong for those around me by escaping regularly. My Sanctuary Day left me cool, calm and collected and gave me the chance to gather strength again.”

July’s sanctuary day was a classic warm English summers day with bright sunshine; a gentle warm breeze; blue sky; the scent of dusty cornfields and fragrant flowers; bird song; the gentle rustling of the leaves in the trees and just the quiet of the countryside.

After a welcome warm drink we formally started the day by gently introducing ourselves and people were invited to share their name and an image or memory that they connect or associate with summer.

The group then made a mandala, which is a sanskrit word meaning “circle”. At sanctuary days we use a mandala as a way of bringing the group together and forming a central point for the day.

Choosing from a selection of items like fir cones; stones; beads; feathers; crystals; petals; ribbons; shells; pebbles; flowers and many items that people who have attended these days have donated, people are invited to pick an item from this selection (or use an item they have brought) and place them at various points.

We use compass directions as a point of reference and in doing so form a circle. The picture above shows how the colourful circle/mandala was built up, with a candle in the middle which stayed alight offering a focal point for people during the day.

Throughout the world Mandala’s are used in many cultures and religions including Christianity. We however place no specific meaning on our mandala and use it simply as a way of inviting people to gain a sense of belonging and becoming part of a group; creating something together which remains for the day. The following link may be helpful if you wanted to read more about mandalas, www.mandalaproject.org/What A short, breath meditation enables people to focus on their breathing and by slowing

down helps them identify the things they would like to get from day e.g., peace; relaxation; a walk; some rest; the chance to talk to others; paint; enjoy the countryside; receive therapy; read and much more.

People were able to have some therapy outside if they chose and one lady had reflexology in a cosy bedroom under the sloping roof and lovely old beams, which meant Emma, (the reflexologist), could quietly slip away afterwards and leave the lady to rest and fall sleep.

During the morning Sarah (the aromatherapist) supported some of the group in making up creams to suit their individual needs, people were actively involved in choosing the oils used and making their creams to take away.

A light vegetarian lunch was provided and animated conversation followed. This time is a shared experience and the act of eating and sharing food quickly became a back drop for deeper conversations about people’s experience with cancer and other serious illnesses, and what people found had helped them during their chemo and radiotherapy, accompanied at times by a healthy dose of laughter.

After lunch people continued to enjoy the peaceful setting. Some of the group participated in gentle tai-chi led by Deborah.

Others had their reflexology treatment, some just sat in the garden and took in the views across the field.

The day slowly drew towards its conclusion and the group re-gathered slowly and reflected on the day, and in particular, how people felt at the end of the day compared to the start. We dismantled the mandala which gave people time to gather in their memories from the day and slowly re-connect with their life as they prepared to return home.

Goodbyes were said and the Trust’s fantastic

volunteer drivers arrived to take people home again.

The groups will differ each time but we seek to provide a safe, comfortable venue, and space and time in the countryside for people living with cancer and serious illness.

By taking time out for themselves and beginning to listen to what they feel they need, even if it’s just for the day, we find that people benefit from having the chance to talk or just to be quiet in a beautiful setting.

There is a sense of slowing down and absorbing the “beauty of nature”. People often express that they are able to visualise these days when they are in a clinic for example, or when they are feeling anxious or needing a boost. We discussed at this day the benefit of visualisation and the effect it has on our bodies. Visualisation/therapeutic relaxation relays positive messages to the emotional centre of our brains which in turn send out messages to our immune systems and auto nervous systems, which affect our heart rates, blood pressure and breathing rates.

Below are a selection of words and comments made by the group at the end of the day as we sat down to reflect and draw our time together to a close before returning home: “…the day brings an experience which is beyond words…”

“…peace…” “…inspiration…” “… at the end I feel tired in a good way…” “… I feel safe, I can be myself…” “… proves it helps to talk about your situation to others who understand …” “…Important to be heard…” “…support…” “…Being at the cottage and in nature I can feel like the trees are talking and laughing, I enjoyed listening to the wind in the trees…”

Future Sanctuary Day dates Sanctuary Days always take place on a Thursday, from 10am to 4pm – a light vegetarian lunch, tea, coffee and herbal tea are provided.

There is a swimming pool and sauna available at The Oast House.

Thurs 25 Oct

Oast House, Northiam

Thurs 22 Nov

Oast House, Northiam

Thurs 20 Dec

Oast House, Northiam

For more information to book a place and arranged transport via our small team of dedicated volunteer drivers, please contact Sarah Geall on 01424 456 608.

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Therapy Focus Aromatherapy by Sarah Geall

Creative Arts therapies

Over the next few issues, I thought it might be useful to explore some of the therapies we offer at the Sara Lee Trust, looking at their history and explaining how they may help and support people who are well, and those living with serious illness/disease. In this issue, I will focus on aromatherapy.

Patricia Davies, author of Aromatherapy an A–Z, says “Aromatherapy can be described as the art – and science – of using plant oils in treatment”. The word aromatherapy was first used by a Frenchman Rene-Maurice Gattefosse in 1937. He discovered the benefits of Lavender on burns. A fellow countryman of Gattefosse, Jean Valnet, was a surgeon in World War II who used essential oils (EO) in treating soldier’s wounds to help healing.

The Greeks play a part, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, is said to have practised aromatherapy to assist the healing process. Oils are mentioned in the Bible and were used to wash and perfume Christ’s feet. The Egyptians are credited with developing one of the first distillation machines to extract oil from plants, and certainly fragrant oils have been used by many cultures and civilisations, the Chinese for example, to enhance moods and improve health.

Aromatherapy also incorporates the use of massage. The massage we use and know today started in the 18th century and is known as Swedish massage, from the work of a Swedish gentleman, Per Henril Ling 1776-1839. He had studied in China and developed techniques that are still familiar today – effleurage, petrissage and tapotement (kneading). An Englishman, Dr Roth was developing massage as part of his practice and had studied with Ling.

In America two brothers Dr G H Taylor and Dr C F Taylor introduced Swedish massage techniques into their practice in 1856 and medical professions in many countries over the following decades began to incorporate massage into nursing and medical practice.

In 1894 the Society of Trained Masseuse was established in England to ensure a reputable profession, and developed a code of practise. World War II saw a demand in the use of massage in the treatment of soldiers with nerve damage, appreciating the link of mind and body and the importance of being treated as a whole. The society was awarded with a Royal Charter in recognition of their role undertaken during the war.

Over the next few decades science and technology developed and the use of oils and massage were not valued and declined, till the ’60s when an interest in the wisdom

of the past was reignited. Today, Aromatherapy has once again become a positive and valued tool to enable people to maintain their wellbeing and health.

The Sara Lee Trust is one of many centres working to support people living with cancer and other serious illness by using aromatherapy. So, what does it offer people?

As we have seen from the plotted history, oils have been used to aid with the easing of physical symptoms, as well supporting the psychological or we could say spirit/soul/our essence as people. Touch is a primitive and natural part of our lives, William Frick in ‘Medicine Hands:massage therapy for people with cancer’ said that “Human touch can communicate the energy of life itself”. If we fall or a child hurts themselves the natural instinct is to hold, rub, soothe. Massage builds on this using different techniques to improve blood circulation, ease pain, and release tension in tight muscles and help with relaxation, allowing the person to feel less stressed.

Massage is cumulative so the body learns to relax and release tension. The effect of slow repetitive strokes are of benefit to us psychologically and this in turn will help improve our sense of feeling better and calmer. Massage can help to reduce and slow our breathing which will have a positive effect on how we feel and how our bodies work.

Incorporating oils into the massage may have an effect not only on specific physical symptoms like sore or irritated skin; pain and strained muscles, but also enhances people’s well being through the smell affecting our olfactory system located in the brain which has a direct effect on the nervous system, emotions and feelings. There are many oils that can be used such as Chamomile, Rose, Frankincense, Geranium, Neroli, Lavender and the aromatherapist will work together with the person they are supporting to choose the oils that are right for them.

Aromatherapy can support many physical discomforts and symptoms associated with cancer and other serious illnesses as well as the psychological and this is an area that drugs aren’t always able to affect in the same way. A quote to finish from “Medicine Hands “by Gayle MacDonald ISBN 1 899171770 ….’pharmacological interventions are absolutely necessary but drugs can’t touch the pain in the soul and drugs can’t heal the wounded emotions’…

‘Natural Rhythms’ Natural Rhythms is a group run by The Sara Lee Trust. It meets weekly with short breaks to reflect the flow of the seasons.

We look at ancient and modern festivals, folk stories and myths that link into the calendar. As a group we mark the changes in the year and our own lives. We use a variety of beautiful settings in the local countryside, but a favourite is the Yurt at Powdermill Wood. People who attend ‘Natural Rhythms’ are living through cancer and other serious illness, and this project allows them time to share, reflect and discover aspects of themselves that may have been forgotten or just squashed by life.

We meet on a Wednesday at Powdermill Woods, either in the cabin or the Yurt from 10.30am–12.30pm.

Winter Solstice/Christmas/New Year November 28 December 5, 12,19 January 2013 9, 16, 23, 30 For more information or to book a place contact Sarah Geall on 01424 456608

Volunteer drivers needed We are keen to build up a bank of volunteer drivers to help us by offering our patients transport to Natural Rhythms and Sanctuary Days. This need not be every week, but could be if that would be of interest to you. If you have some time, enjoy driving, and like exploring the fantastic local countryside, then please give Sarah a call on 01424 456 608. You need to be over 21, hold a clean current driving licence and have business use on your insurance (if you need to pay for this, the Trust will reimburse you).

Therapy News

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Exciting developments at our Rye based service

Last year Maria (Fundraising Manager for the Trust) and I successfully bid for funding from The Ted Baker Trust to run a pilot project to provide three hours of reflexology on the ward at The Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital, in addition to the six hours of aromatherapy we already provide, and which the hospital generously helps fund.

We have been offering a service to the hospital and broader community in Rye since May 2007 when the Trust first opened a therapy room at the hospital. Mia Preston, our therapist, provides aromatherapy to people in the hospital and also to people in their own homes who are physically unable to get to the therapy room. We wanted to develop our service provision at Rye as this existing service has proved so valuable to people, but needed to ascertain if there was a genuine need for a second therapy, reflexology, to be offered to people on the ward. Hence our decision to run a pilot project which we were able to launch in January.

We are now beginning the process of gathering in feedback and comments from those who have received a service and will also be asking the health care team to give their professional feedback. I’d like to thank Ethnie Moser who has kindly volunteered to help us gather the feedback This feedback will help us assess and review the pilot. It will also help us as we attempt to secure ongoing funding for the project and possibly look to extend the community aspect of our Rye service, enabling people to have more choices in the therapy they receive.

We would like to thank The Ted Baker Trust for their generous support of this project.

Here is a snap shot from Emma, the Reflexologist regarding a result she has observed recently: “The reflexology sessions at Rye have provided some interesting results of late, especially with regards to blood pressure readings.

Recently, a lady with a history of high blood pressure had her blood pressure taken immediately following a reflexology session. To the nurse’s surprise, her reading was substantially lower than usual. The nurse checked again 30 minutes later and the client’s blood pressure had dropped again. The blood pressure kept falling gently until reaching a ‘normal’ level.

Unfortunately, the blood pressure readings were then discontinued, so I am not aware of how long these positive results lasted!

Again, last week, a nurse was doing the rounds with the blood pressure cart whilst I was giving a treatment to another patient. We agreed to go ahead with the blood pressure/pulse test whilst I continued with the reflexology. When the nurse went to write the details on the patient’s chart, she was surprised, and said it was the lowest reading for the patient in 10 days!

We are used to having our clients say how relaxing and lovely the treatments are, but it is also nice to know a reflexology treatment can have other measurable benefits too, and can help our clients in many different ways.”

Please don’t underestimate how valuable your comments and feedback is…

If you or a family member have benefitted from using the Sara Lee Trust please let us know. It is so important to be able to give first hand accounts when writing the newsletter or applying for funds, of the benefits people receive from our services.

You may have been on a Sanctuary Day; attended the Natural Rhythms group; had counselling or seen one of the therapy team, either at our therapy rooms or been seen at home – please consider writing a few lines, which we can use as a testimony. You can ring 01424 456608 and give us your feedback over the phone – we can then type it up and send it to you for your approval; or you can email something to me at sarah@saraleetrust.org.uk or let your therapist have your comments. You could always pop it in an envelope marked for my attention and drop it off at our shop in Bexhill. We will never use anything you write without having your written permission to do so – you can decided where and how we use it and whether or not it will have your name attached or not. We really would appreciate Sarah your help with this – thank you.

The Sara Lee Trust Shop Currently it is raining and cold outside, and I am swapping summer clothing for more suitable jackets and jeans. It’s a big job, and thanks to all of the help I get, we are ready for autumn, so it’s definitely worth popping in to check out our new season stock.

We have a new part-time Assistant Manager, Anna. She came to us with a wealth of charity shop experience, and we are sure she’ll help us move the shop into the next stage of its growth – along with the support of our current wonderful volunteers and all who continue to donate and help us ensure we are well stocked.

We are carrying a new range of stock, ideal for presents. We have all sorts of shabby chic items that would suit any home. Pop in and see what we have.

We are now up and running with house clearances. Tim, our Warehouse Manager, is happy to pick up donations or price for a house clearance, so please recommend us if anyone is in need of these services.

Call Tim on 07827 319468.

Best wishes from our team: Ashley, Anna, Tim and all the volunteers The Sara Lee Trust Shop, 9 Endwell Road, Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex TN40 1EA Tel: 01424 532098 email:saraleetrustshop@yahoo.co.uk

Jokes…

from Gregory, 10 and Scott 8

Q: What did the Farmer say to the Flying Dog? A: Land Rover!

Q: What vegetable jumps around the garden?

A: A Spring Onion!

6 Fundraising News Hastings Half Marathon We were pleased to have several runners taking part in the Hastings Half Marathon for us in March, and took delight in cheering them on. We would like to say a very big thank you to Neil Bates, Serena Berrett, Perry Blizzard, Frances and Robert Elworthy, Polly Hoad, Graeme Jones and The Norleys for collectively raising £2,188.

Should you like to run for us in 2013 (24 March) please contact Maria on 01424 456608. We will provide a running vest or t-shirt, advice on fundraising online and a very good cheering squad en route.

Flora London Marathon Our runners raise an incredible £10,689!

As promised, an update on our fabulous 2012 London Marathon runners. We were hoping to have 9 runners, taking part this year – however, sadly five were injured and unable to take part, but all hope to be able to run next year. We would like to thank some of our injured runners for having raised £4,186 despite their injuries, funds which will be carried forward to their target for the run next year. Sincere thanks therefore to Lisa Barrett, Michelle Black, Fred Bowring and Chris Lethem. We would like to thank most wholeheartedly Jamie Foster, Michelle and Matthew Lewis and Matthew Neighbour for not only completing the run this year, but for raising a fantastic amount of money for the Trust. Between them, they raised £6,503 – which is absolutely wonderful and we are so very grateful for their hard work and support.

Pampered Chef Evening with a jubilee theme!

Huge thanks to Belinda Wood from The Pampered Chef for putting on a wonderful cooking show to help us raise funds. We had a super evening, were able to make and taste some delicious recipes and the Pampered Chef donated 15% of product sales to the Trust. Huge thanks to everyone who supported the evening, we raised £220.

An evening of Sheer Indulgence with Heringtons Huge thanks to Heringtons Solicitors for allowing us to be a part of this wonderful evening held at Powdermills. The Trust was invited to have a stall to promote our work to the 200 Women in Business attending from Rye, Battle and Eastbourne. It was a wonderful evening, and we must thank our therapists – Sarah, Joan and Mia (pictured above) for donating their time during the evening to offer taster massages in return for a £5 donation. We also held a raffle and we want to thank all the generous stallholders for donating some truly fabulous prizes. The evening was a great success and we raised £363.

Jazz in the Garden Sincere thanks to Peter and Irene Willson for hosting a jazz picnic in their wonderful garden in Herstmonceux. Despite most of July being cloaked in rain, the sun shone and the garden looked absolutely glorious. Jazz was provided by the wonderful Pete Willson Quartet and our guests enjoyed picnicking, relaxing and listening to the fabulous music. Huge thanks to everyone who attended and to those who donated the super raffle prizes. The evening raised a wonderful £601.

Bottle Tombola at The Rye Horse and Dog Show Huge thanks to Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital for inviting us to attend the Rye Horse and Dog Show. We ran our ever popular bottle tombola stall and raised an amazing £315.. Thanks to everyone who donated, we really appreciate your support.

Barn Dance We had a fabulous dance at Heather and Nigel Harper’s barn in Cowbeech. Wonderful live music was supplied by the Catsfield Steamers and our guests danced the night away. Huge thanks to all our volunteers who worked so hard to make the evening a great success, and to Heather and Nigel for their wonderful hospitality. We raised £758.

Special thanks to…

The Trust receives no statutory funding and is completely reliant on public donations and our fundraising to provide the quality service our patients need. We would like to thank all the individuals, groups, companies and trusts who have supported us throughout the year. Sadly with limited space we are unable to list everyone individually but would like to pay special thanks to: Mavis Stofa who asked for donations to be made to the Trust instead of birthday presents at her recent big birthday!

Mrs Joyce Morris who kindly donated a wonderful model of the Titanic which her husband had built, to the Trust to auction to raise funds. I am delighted to report that the model fetched £390 at auction.

All the members of The Hastings Round Table who donated £2,236 from the proceeds of the 2011 Beer Festival to

fund 4 Sanctuary Days. Sincere thanks to you all for your support.

We were absolutely thrilled that 4Delivery Limited and Southern Water donated a wonderful gazebo to the Trust which has been invaluable to us in so many ways . It has our logo and signage over the front and gives a very professional look to our fundraising. It has been tested in some pretty difficult weather conditions so far and has kept us and our volunteers warm and dry – which is much appreciated. We are so grateful to all at 4Delivery Limited and Southern Water.

We would also like to thank: Albert Hunt Trust Asda Battle Muffin Club Bexhill 100 Motoring Club Cranbrook School Hastings & Bexhill Breast Care Group Hastings Winkle Club Hollington Sport for Good Causes Ian Askew Charitable Trust Ian Shadwell Charity Llewelyn Lodge Nº 48 Bexhill Rotary Club of St Leonards Rye & District Lions Club Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust St Anthony’s Catholic Church, Rye The Ted Baker Trust Three Oaks Players Wishing Tree Residents Association

It’s a Knockout & The Tuscany Three Peaks Challenge

Events others have organised for us: Tea and Open Garden Huge thanks to Heather Harper and Debbie Haffenden of Featherbed Barn, who held a jubilee tea and open garden and raised £215.

Just FUNdraising Huge thanks to Andrew Moore and Danny Pepper who plan to cycle from London to Paris to raise funds for us and St Michael’s Hospice. Their challenge is totally self planned and funded – simply two men on their bikes, living off their wits and cunning, aiming to cycle 211.61 miles to raise funds,as Andrew says for ‘two wonderful charities offering high quality palliative care and support to the communities of Hastings and Rother’. We at the Trust would like to thank Andrew and Danny so much for their amazing support – so far they have donated an incredible £1,406 to the Trust and we wish them good luck for their cycle next summer.

Outrageous Decadence Huge thanks to the Outrageous Decadence Committee for their continued support of our work. From the proceeds of their Summer Seaside Spectacular, they donated £300 to the Trust.

You may remember reading in our last issue about the fundraising being organised by local paramedic Tim Hodgson to raise funds for the Trust and St Michael’s Hospice.

Tim and his team have been busy all summer starting off with The Hastings Beer Festival where they had a stall and ran some fundraising games and promoted their fundraising events, followed by the ‘It’s a Knockout Event’ they organised at The Horntye Sports Complex on 14 July. It was a super day, despite the rain with 17 teams battling it out for the title of Knockout Champions. Langley’s Legends from Ponswood Industrial Estate took the honours with 156 points just pipping the Local Fire Fighters team to the title by two points. Dozens of spectators cheered on the teams and the event raised £1,500 for the two charities. Tim would like to thank everyone who supported and sponsored the day; all the teams who took part and all those who helped make the day an incredible success!

Donkey Day Thanks as always to Barbie and Jim Soan for holding a Donkey Day to raise funds for the Sara Lee Trust and The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth. A wonderful time was had by all, and we are thrilled that £365 was donated to the Trust. Thanks to everyone who supported the day.

Bexhill Triathlon Despite the gale force conditions, The Bexhill Triathlon was an incredible success, and we are thrilled that the Trust was one of the charities to benefit from the day. We received a donation of £1,750 and would like to take this opportunity to thank The Bexhill Lions so very much for their wonderful support of our work.

On 16–18 October, Tim and his team of 14, including Paramedics, NHS workers and friends will attempt The Tuscany 3 Peaks Challenge – 27 miles and 18 hours of climbing!

All money raised will be shared between the two charities and we would like to take this opportunity to thank Tim and all of him team and wish them the very best of luck with their challenge.

To sponsor Tim and his team – visit www.justgiving.com/timstuscany

GRAND

Christmas Raffle With this newsletter, you will find two books of 5 raffle tickets. The tickets are £1 each. We really hope that you will be able to support us by buying some.

Back Wax Huge thanks to Sean Delaney and Charlie Puttick who bravely agreed to get their backs waxed to raised funds for the Trust – ouch! Thanks to Cindy Delaney, everyone at The Duke Pub and all those who donated and supported the event. Sean and Charlie raised an incredible £857 for the Trust!

Earlier this month, Tim’s parents, Linda (our Trustee) and Bob, held an Italian Party in their garden to help raise funds and wish ‘buona fortuna’ to those undertaking the challenge in Tuscany.

Linda would like to thank the students of Sussex Coast College for the wonderful food they prepared; all the volunteers who helped on the day and the wonderful entertainment provided by Julia, Nigel, Karen, Richard and Brian. A lovely afternoon was had by all and £550 has been raised for the two charities.

The Sara Lee Trust Open Golf Day Thank you to all who organised an amazing Golf Day for the Trust; David Judd and Geoff Dixon (above right) along with the helpers who marshalled the day. Geoff hopes to run (possibly walk!) the London Marathon for the Trust in 2013 and wanted to start off his fundraising with a golf day – and what a day it was! The sun was shining as 96 golfers teed off to compete in this fun Texas Pairs Scramble golf day with small competitions, a live band, raffle and BBQ. Any player wearing female attire was able to play off the red tees which led to some interesting outfits! Huge thanks to all the sponsors, especially Mr John Alliston of Melray Ltd who covered all the event costs and also made a special donation of £500 to the Trust on the day.

Thanks also to Mr James Andrews and all the team at Sedlescombe Golf Club for their fabulous support. Thanks to the band, The League of Gentlemen who played for free and thanks to everyone who supported Geoff in making the day the incredible success it was and helped him raise £3,989 for the Trust. Sincere thanks to you all.

1st prize: 42inch TV (LG 42CS460, with full HD, LCD TV) donated by Trinity Electrical Contractors 2nd prize: Case of wine (12 bottles) donated by Mrs E Moser 3rd prize: Lamb ready for the freezer 4th prize: £50 cash To enter the draw, please buy the tickets – or encourage friends and family to buy them – return the completed slips with payment made payable to THE SARA LEE TRUST in the enclosed envelope (please add a stamp).

The draw will take place at our Christmas Fair on Saturday 24 November – see events calendar for more details.

The Sara Lee Trust Collecting Tins Do you know of a local shop, pub, restaurant, hairdresser, school or any local business that may be happy to have one of our collection boxes.

If so, please let us know on 01424 456608.

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8 Funding The Sara Lee Trust receives no statutory funding and relies solely on fundraising and voluntary donations. This year we aim to provide over 2,250 treatments to patients and families through: Counselling – providing nine hours per week to patients and family members.

Hands on Therapies – providing a minimum of 36 hours of therapy per week. This includes: acupuncture, aromatherapy, relaxation, reflexology and visualisation.

11 Sanctuary Days – each offers support to eight people.

Natural Rhythms – our year round creative arts therapy project runs over 32 weeks, offering people the chance to meet others and share.

How much services cost: One hour’s therapy and essential oils

£35.00

A Natural Rhythms session for 8 people

£186.00

A Sanctuary Day for 8 patients

£498.00

How YOU can help US A regular gift allows us to plan for the future because we know, day in and day out, that we will have a steady income stream that we can rely on - and that is so important in the current economic climate. To make a regular donation to the Trust, please download a Standing Order Form from our website, and if you can Gift Aid it, we can claim an extra 20% from the Government.

What do supporters receive? As a way of keeping you up-to-date with the Trust you will receive our newsletter, twice a year.

Fundraise on our behalf: why not consider organising an event on our behalf – we have lots of ideas, or why not think up one of your own. We have a fundraising pack on our website:www.saraleetrust.org Choose US: if your company, school, sports club, group or association fundraisers for charity – why not ask them to choose the Sara Lee Trust – or why not have a jewellery collection?

Legacy: if you believe in the value of the work we do, consider remembering us in your will.

Donate: make a donation. If you are a UK tax payer and make your donation via gift aid, the charity can reclaim 20p for every £1 donated. Donations should be made payable to The Sara Lee Trust and posted to the address printed below. Alternatively you can make your donation online through: www.justgiving.com/sltf

Events Calendar November 2012–April 2013 Our events list is constantly being added updated. To receive email updates, contact Maria on 01424 456608, or visit our website www.saraleetrust.org

Saturday 24 November, 10.30am–3pm

Christmas Fair for all the Family

at St John’s Church, Pevensey Road, Elvis Tribute Night & Fun Casino St Leonards-on-Sea at The Phoenix Arts Centre, Parkstone Please join us at our Road, Hastings TN34 2NT fabulous fair with something for all the kindly being organised by Tim Hodgson as family – including great shopping; part of his Tuscany 3 Peaks Fundraising for the Sara Lee Trust and St Michael’s Hospice. fundraising stalls; tombola; fabulous homemade refreshments and a visit from Featuring live band MixBeats and DJ and the man in red! We will also be drawing the an amazing raffle. Event kindly being Grand Christmas Raffle – (tickets for which sponsored by The Black Pearl Restaurant are enclosed with this newsletter) – so don’t and SD Campbell Plumbing & Heating. miss your chance to take part and win some For tickets and further information, wonderful prizes! please contact Tim on 07909 898 880 We would be so grateful for any donations of craft items; home baking or preserves; Friday 16 November The Sara Lee Trust raffle and tombola prizes for the fair – items can be left at St Michael’s Hospice reception presents as long as they are clearly marked for the ‘Strictly’ Sara Lee Trust.

Come Dinner Stalls are available for a 15% donation at The Montgomerie of your sales on the day – to find out Suite, more, contact Maria (details below).

Bannatyne Spa Hotel, Battle Road TN38 8EA Sunday 24 March 2013 Hastings Half Marathon Dust down your dancing shoes for an evening of glitz and glamour in a stunning Please consider running this on our behalf. setting. Entertainment will be provided by We can provide you with a running vest or t-shirt and advice and support with the wonderful ‘Dance Mavericks’ (above) fundraising online – we are also very who will perform some demonstration dances and then teach one or two dances good at cheering!

Friday 19 April 2013 to our guests; with music from the Murder Mystery fabulous ‘Pete Willson Quartet’. Tickets are at The Little Common Village Community £40 and include a reception drink, three course meal and coffee. Tables of 8 and 10 Centre. Details to be confirmed, but for now – please save the date. are available. For further details, contact Maria (details below).

Sunday 21 April 2013 Saturday 3 November

‘STRICTLY’ COME DINNER IS KINDLY SPONSORED BY:

AND

M. LEAR

Virgin London Marathon We have guaranteed places available to runners who are fit and able to commit to raising £1,750 for the Trust. To find out more contact Maria (details below).

If you have any comments on this newsletter; or have something you would like to see included – or you wish not to receive further copies, please contact Maria Gonet on 01424 456608 or email maria@saraleetrust.org.uk

The Sara Lee Trust 25 Upper Maze Hill, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN38 OLB

Tel: 01424 456608

www.saraleetrust.org

Registered charity number 1055048

To support our work and donate online, please visit www.justgiving.com/sltf