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MOVERS & | SHAKERS
News in brief Kate Brindley
■ The Arnolfini Centre has announced the appointment of Kate Brindley as its interim director – she will take up post on 1 April. Kate is an experienced and respected visual arts professional whose career has been characterised by her curatorial and leadership skills. She joins Arnolfini from the Middlesbrough Institute of Contemporary Art (mima), where, as director, she has firmly established this ambitious, new-build initiative on the cultural map. In her previous role as director of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Kate was responsible for the successful £26m M Shed project. She also oversaw the Banksy v Bristol Museum project which attracted over 300,000 visitors. Kate said: “I am looking forward to working with partners and communities in the city to shape the next chapter for Arnolfini, a powerhouse of experimentation and artistic excellence at the heart of Bristol’s rich cultural identity.”
■ On 12 April, seven ex-Clifton College pupils will begin an epic 800-mile cycle from London to Varese, just north of Milan, to raise money for the Haematology unit which helped saved the life of their friend Luke Ponsonby, who was successfully treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia at the Ospedale di Circolo in the little known town of Varese. They will also donate to UK charity Lymphoma & Leukaemia Research. They hope to complete the trip in 12 days, covering an average of 70 miles per day. Follow their progress at http://londontovarese.wordpress.com/.
48 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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MARCH 2014
Rowing to victory
E
lsa Hammond, the University of Bristol student who will be competing in the inaugural Great Pacific Race in June, has been buoyed by the support she has had from sponsors. She has so far raised more than £20,000 towards building the boat she will row for three months across the Pacific. Organisations who have committed financial support to date include the University of Bristol, IT and mobile solutions provider, Excalibur, MBA Polymers, Blockchain.info and the Hatfield Trust. They are joined by a number of personal donors. The Great Pacific Race will start on 7 June from Monterey Bay, in California, and participants, including Elsa, will row around 2,400 miles across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. Rowing for up to 16 hours a day, Elsa and fellow contestants will face a number of challenges, including spending up to three months without any human contact. Elsa is the only solo female participant in the race from the UK. By taking part Elsa hopes to raise awareness of plastic pollution in the oceans around the world, supporting the charity, Plastic Oceans Foundation. Elsa’s campaign manager, Steve Bullock, says: “We have been overwhelmed by the support to date both in terms of giving money and equipment, as well as time in such areas as marketing and PR. We have made a great start and now need to keep the momentum going so that we can reach our target of £100,000.” For more information on Elsa’s bid visit: elsahammond.com.
BRISTOL PEOPLE Father and daughter put best foot forward In April father and daughter team Len (58) and Laura Collacott (29) from Bristol will be raising money for cleft charity Smile Train and All as One, a charity that takes care of orphaned and abandoned children in Sierra Leone, by undertaking the Marathon des Sables – an extremely challenging 250km footrace across the Sahara Desert. This will be the first time that Len, a care home operator and Laura, a communications consultant, have attempted the race, which is seen by many as the toughest footrace in the world. The conditions are extremely tough, with competitors forced to carry all their own gear; water is rationed and competitors have to withstand temperatures of over 50 degrees. The duo are looking sponsorship in order to reach their huge target of £10,000, which will be split equally between the two charities. As the Marathon des Sables is a very challenging race, Len and Laura have been training incredibly hard. Len comments, “Marathon des Sables is a one-off chance for me to take part in something I really want to do. I am lucky enough to be doing it with my daughter and I am very fortunate to be the father of three healthy children. This is my opportunity to give something back for my good luck and help out those who were not only unlucky enough to suffer from an untreated cleft lip and palate, but were born in the third world where help is not readily available.” For further information visit: www.SmileTrain.org.uk ■
■ The former England and Bristol rugby player Jonathan Webb, who lives in Abbots Leigh, is to become a patron of spinal injuries charity, the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust (SSIT). As a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, his medical and sporting background mean that he has good understanding of the potential risks and implications of spinal injuries. He says: I have seen first hand the good work that SSIT does and I am looking forward to helping raise awareness of the charity.”
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■ BeBristol, a Young Enterprise company from Colston’s Girls’ School, has launched its Bristol merchandise with a reusable cotton bag that showcases Bristol’s famous landmarks. The bag’s design was supplied by Bristol creative agency Orca Design depicting some of Bristol’s iconic landmarks and history in a modern illustrative style. The tote bags are the initial product to be launched by BeBristol with other items to come. The bags are on sale via Facebook, email and Twitter and in selected retailers. Email: bebristol@colstonsgirls.bristol.sch.uk
Elsa Hammond in training
Father and daughter Len and Laura Collacott