50th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE SPRING/SUMMER 2020
LIVES.org.uk
50 CELEBRATING
YEARS of LIVES
plus... PAGE 04
INSPIRING A NEW GENERATION
PAGE 08
ARE YOU READY TO RUN FOR YOUR LIVES?
PAGE 12
HOW TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER FROM AFAR
/ WELCOME
CEO
“
2020 MARKS
IN THIS ISSUE:
FROM OUR
50 YEARS
NIKKI COOKE
50th History
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Welcome to our first newsletter, ‘On Scene’, launching in our 50th Anniversary year.
Inspiring a New Generation
04
Virtual Challenge
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News
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Are You Ready to Run For Your Lives?
08
Gary and Izzy’s Story
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How to Support Each Other From Afar
12
Coleby Downhill
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Leaving a Legacy
16
Thank Yous and Achievements
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Coronavirus support
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Donation Form
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On Scene is bringing together the vital work we do in our communities both with patients who need us, and the work we do to ensure we can raise the vital funds we need to continue our service. We have some really exciting plans to celebrate with you but many of these have had to be put on hold. Nevertheless it is a time of celebration, not just of the work that so many people have done to create the LIVES that we have today, but also of the amazing work being done by our volunteers in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
You’ve learnt lifesaving CPR
Our 50 years has seen the charity grow and evolve, from certificate is awarded to its rootsThis in 1970 with Dr Cooper and Dr Harper-Smith to 2020 with an army of Community First Responders, Medics and Fundraisers. I take great pride in seeing our charity achieving so much, and the impact we make; from bespoke training courses to bystander CPR, each and every action helps Lincolnshire be more prepared when emergencies happen. We can only be there in a 999 medical emergency with the support of people like you. It takes a team to save a life and we thank you for being part of our team.
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Nikki Cooke / onscene SPRING / SUMMER 2020 Chief Executive Officer
Dr Simon Topham Clinical Director
ES CEO KE LIV I COO NIKK
LIVES responders are used to responding to emergencies. We have provided our responders with the protective equipment and training they need to respond to medical emergencies in their communities and they continue to do so with professionalism and courage. Some of our people have also been involved in delivering food parcels and medication and checking on the safety of some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. LIVES responders are nothing if not adaptable and committed.
OF LIVES The last 50 years has seen so much happen for LIVES, and we are proud of the difference we have made in our communities and the lives we have saved.
LIVES brought medical skills that were based in homes across the county to the scene of the emergency, saving time and saving lives.
From 1970 through to 2020 the passion for providing vital skills in a 999 medical emergency to our rural communities hasn’t changed. Dr Cooper and Dr Harper-Smith pulled together to create a network of doctors to attend emergencies when time was playing a critical factor.
Today, in 2020 we look back at the amazing achievements that have been made to take us to the forefront of community first response. Right from the start we worked hard at implementing technology to ensure we can be there when you need us, from transmitters to mobile phones, aerial masts to apps, every step we’ve taken has led us here. LIVES has grown and evolved throughout our 50 years and we are proud to say that our army of volunteers, from a wide range of diverse backgrounds, have become embedded in everything we do. We train, we respond, we save lives.
When ambulances were in place to simply carry patients to hospital, LIVES knew that our road network made journey times long and were severely delaying the medical intervention needed.
We know that it takes a team to save a life. Our team has been saving lives for 50 years, together we can save more.
/ SCHOOLS AND YOUTH
INSPIRING A NEW GENERATION OF LIFESAVERS LIVES’ mission is to leave a lasting legacy from our 50th anniversary by creating emergency ready communities and this starts with emergency ready schools. This is why we developed the LIVES school partnerships programme; the programme is suited to all schools from infant through to secondary. School pupils will learn vital lifesaving skills that they can build on during their school career through to adulthood.
Children also enjoy sharing new skills so will therefore share this new found knowledge with their parents and family, inspiring others to learn lifesaving skills and spreading the message of LIVES and the work that we do in our communities. It takes a team to save a life and you are part of that team. Monkshouse Primary School in Spalding is the first school in Lincolnshire to complete the LIVES School Partner Bronze Award. The pupils successfully completed workshops during their PSHE lesson; they all got hands on and experienced real life scenarios. All of the pupils that took part can now: •
Identify an unconscious causality
•
Call 999 for help
•
Perform CPR
•
Use a defibrillator
•
Put a casualty in the recovery positon
•
Deal with someone choking
LIVES mascot Defib Dan, attended Monkshouse Primary School to present them with their bronze award and the school are keen to get the silver award in the future.
g their
se Primary School recievin
/ Children of Monkshou Bronze Award
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‘’The year 5 pupils thoroughly enjoyed the session and said they felt confident that they would know what to do if they found themselves in an emergency situation’’. Monkshouse primary school ‘’ By teaching the young people in their school, the school benefits with increased skill levels and so does the community. Having more members of a community with the knowledge and skills to respond in an emergency brings greater resilience. The likelihood of someone being able to help others in need increases and therefore the chances of patients surviving an emergency, such as a cardiac arrest, improve. In addition, providing a workshop for the wider community of the school offers adults the chance to refresh or learn new skills themselves.’’ Ian Tomlinson - LIVES Education Support Specialist
If you would like to learn CPR and other lifesaving skills, LIVES has a variety of accredited first aid courses. Contact training@lives.org.uk or if you’d like LIVES to visit your school, please contact Zoe at fundraising@lives.org.uk for more information.
RESTART A HEART DAY On the 16th October, Healthcare professionals and volunteers will come together lead by The Resuscitation Council for World Restart a Heart Day. LIVES coordinates World Restart a Heart Day across Lincolnshire, and with the support of its Community First Responders, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, Lincolnshire Police and East Midlands Ambulance Service, we have taught over 6,000 primary and secondary school pupils how to perform compression only CPR since 2016. Year after year the CPR campaign has grown with more and more schools taking part; in 2019 we even attended large venues such as Football Clubs to demonstrate CPR to the fans before a match. We are passionate about empowering children and young adults with these essential lifesaving skills.
SPRING / SUMMER 2020 onscene
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/ CHALLENGES & EVENTS
/ NEWS
TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE…
VIRTUALLY! LIVES has launched its first ever virtual challenge, ‘What’s your 50?’ so that supporters can take part in a fitness challenge despite planned running or cycling events being cancelled.
From its humble beginnings of two founding doctors, today LIVES has trained an army of Community First Responders who attend to 999 medical emergencies in their home towns and villages across Lincolnshire.
‘What’s your 50?’ launched in April and saw supporters sign up to run, cycle or walk a target of their choosing. It’s been a great success so far and everyone has had a lot of fun taking part, even getting competitive. We were impressed to see distances of 50 kilometres to 50 miles being achieved each week!
This year more than ever we need the help and support of everyone in Lincolnshire to ensure we are able to continue to support our first responders, as sadly many of the events that we would be attending have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. During this challenging time, we will not be able to fundraise in the way that we normally would, so we need you!
We want to continue the LIVES Virtual Challenge throughout 2020, so why not join? You can do anything you choose from running a garden marathon to ‘climbing Mount Kilimanjaro’ up your stairs! By joining the ‘What’s your 50?’ virtual challenge, you can make the most of spending time outdoors during the warmer months, from getting on your bike and seeing how far you can go or just by walking with the kids around the block a few times. It all counts and since the sun is shining, it would be a shame not to make the most of it.
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FIND OUR MORE The LIVES fundraising team are here to support you every step of the way. We have the tools for you to set up your fundraising virtual event, drop us an email at fundraising@lives.org.uk to find out more.
#whatsyour50 LIVES.org.uk
WHAT’S HAPPENING
AT LIVES?
New Trustees Appointed At the last Annual General Meeting, LIVES officially appointed four new trustees to its board. Dr Ben Coyle, Thomasin Nicholds, Jonathan Teer and Andy Wilson have joined the LIVES board of trustees, joining six existing members. The new trustees were appointed following a recruitment process last summer after a large volume of applications. Nikki Cooke, CEO of LIVES said: “We’re thrilled to welcome four new trustees to LIVES. We’re looking forward to how they can help LIVES thrive.”
Award win for Chris We’re thrilled to announce that Chris Cole, LIVES Head of Education and Advanced Paramedic, has won BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Make A Difference Award in the Uniform Hero category. Chris joined LIVES as a Community First Responder ten years ago and, through his passion and commitment, has progressed to an Advanced Paramedic, who now leads our training and operational practices for responding. The award was a joint win with Chris’s friend and fellow paramedic, Roger Linnell. Congratulations to both. New dementia training for Responders At the beginning of the year, LIVES introduced the first e-learning module for our Community First Responders. ‘Dementia Awareness’ by the Social Care Institute for Excellence was launched by our Education Team to help raise awareness of dementia care and to improve confidence in dealing with situations where the patient may have a lower mental capacity. This e-learning has been a great addition to our training package and we hope to introduce more modules later in the year. SPRING / SUMMER 2020 onscene
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/ CHALLENGES & EVENTS
LIVES 50 FOR 50
/ Since 1970 we have needed your help to fund our training and equipment to enable our volunteers to be there when you need us most. Sponsorship from your 10k can help fund lifesaving equipment. Whilst our kit bags today don’t quite look like this 50 year old doctor’s boxed pictured here, your sponsorship will ensure we have the modern equipment for our army of Responders.
ARE YOU READY TO RUN FOR YOUR LIVES?
To celebrate LIVES 50th Anniversary we’re looking for 50 runners to run the Lincoln 10k in aid of LIVES this year! Due to Coronavirus, the annual running event has been moved to 1st November, which gives you a summer of training to prepare, and with the support of the LIVES fundraising team behind you what’s stopping you? The Lincoln 10k is a fantastic flat and fast course that is perfect for a range of participants, from seasoned runners chasing a personal best to fancy-dressed fundraisers just hoping to make it all the way around, as well as being suitable for beginners looking for a fun and friendly 8
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first run. Its beautiful route takes in some of Lincoln’s famous historic landmarks, including the cathedral and the city’s Roman Walls. The LIVES fundraising team have all the information and tools to support you and your journey. Help us mark our milestone anniversary and be part of something really special. Celebrate our humble beginnings as two doctors partnered up in 1970 to make a difference in Lincolnshire, and celebrate where we are today with an army of Community First Responders and Medic Responders who need your support this year more than ever.
What are you waiting for? Join thousands of runners taking to the beautiful streets of Lincoln whilst being cheered on by the many supporters who line the route. It takes a team to save a life, be a part of that team. Be part of the LIVES 50.
FIND OUR MORE If you’d like to run for team LIVES, contact fundraising@lives.org.uk and we can help get you started on your fundraising.
SPRING / SUMMER 2020 onscene
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/ PATIENT STORY / Rich, LIVES Community First Responder
Rich and Liz, the two LIVES Community First Responders who attended Izzy, were initially confused when they arrived on scene, Liz said: “We knew we were going to a road traffic collision incident, so we didn’t know what to expect when we arrived at a residential address.” On arrival, they were met with Gary and his daughter, who was very upset and in shock. Rich said: “As we didn’t arrive at the scene of the incident, it can be difficult to comprehend what has actually happened as there is no scene to assess. We initially tried to understand exactly what had happened so we could assess the patient’s injuries.”
“IF YOU NEED THEM, YOU WILL BE IN
SAFE HANDS.”
The father of girl injured in a hit-and-run has praised the LIVES volunteers who helped. If you have a story to share about your own experience with LIVES, email stories@lives.org.uk
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Gary Ross is the father of a 12 year old girl who was hit by a vehicle in January on a pedestrian crossing. He has spoken out to praise the LIVES volunteers who helped. Gary’s daughter, Izzy, was hit while on her way home from school by a vehicle that made no attempt to stop after the incident. Despite numerous injuries, she managed to make her way home. Once Izzy arrived home, Gary immediately called 999 and two LIVES Community First Responders were dispatched and arrived at Gary’s house minutes later.
“My main concern was the injury to her head, but our years of training has also given us an understanding that children compensate a lot for their injuries and illnesses; the worry that she could also become more severely unwell had to stay in the back of my mind, luckily she didn’t” Liz added. Rich and Liz talked to Izzy and helped calm and reassure her, before assessing and treating her multiple injuries. The ambulance service arrived later and transferred Izzy to hospital. Gary’s daughter is now recovering well, despite serious injuries including losing her front teeth, cuts and swelling to her forehead. Members of the community setup a crowdfunding page to help raise money to pay for dental work Izzy needed from the injuries she suffered. However, whilst they were extremely grateful, Gary and Izzy have decided to donate these funds to LIVES and cover the cost of Izzy’s treatment themselves.
“The level of care we received made the fact that we discovered that they are volunteers is even more unbelievable.
“We hope that most people will never need to see them in action, but we are relieved that if you do indeed need them, you will be in safe hands.” He adds. The thanks from Gary and his family was passed on to Rich and Liz who were overwhelmed by the response.
“we don’t do this for the glory, we do this to help our community” “We don’t often receive praise, but we don’t do this for the glory, we do this to help our community” Liz said. “Although it was a horrible incident to attend, especially for Gary and his family, it’s nice to know some positivity has come out of it and Izzy is recovering well.” she added. Rich and Liz are part of our army of Community First Responders who volunteer for LIVES. Rich originally joined LIVES in 2005 with Liz joining in 2012. They are both extremely passionate about LIVES and supporting their local communities, and have both progressed to become Level 4 Community First Responders, meaning they can attend a variety of different emergencies and some of the most serious cases, including those involved in road traffic collisions and paediatric emergencies.
Gary has expressed how Rich and Liz acted “impeccably” while treating his daughter. SPRING / SUMMER 2020 onscene
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/ EDUCATION & TRAINING
HOW TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER
FROM AFAR
During challenging times, mental health as well as physical health is more important than ever. With many people already struggling with feelings of loneliness, change in routine or worry, the lack of daily interaction or contact can be extremely difficult to deal with. As an emergency response charity, we look after a multitude of patients suffering from a range of illnesses and injuries, and these can sometimes be related to mental health issues. We know now, more than ever, we need to support each other, but how can we do that from a distance? While many are working from home or following social distancing measures, find out how you can support colleagues, friends and family that may need mental health support at this time.
Stay connected Staying connected is easier than ever thanks to advances in technology. You can communicate with someone at the touch of a button without leaving the house. Remember to email and text friends and family just to ask how they are, and consider phoning and video 12
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video calling is a great and simple way to stay connecte d!
calling them too. Try to do this at the start or end of the day (or both!).
Get moving Encourage regular exercise! Exercise doesn’t have to be excessive or even mean going outdoors. Exercise has been proven to boost endorphins and elevate moods. While many people are spending more time indoors, it can be easy to become less active. Suggest online tutorials for Pilates, yoga or HIIT classes or even challenge them to see if they can beat your ‘personal best’ at something fun and simple like burpees or squats.
Working remotely doesn’t have to mean isolation
Extra support
Just because you’re not in the office or workplace doesn’t mean those meetings and catch-ups need to be missed. Set up video calls and conferences. Even work socials can continue! A pub quiz via a video call can be just as fun and really help to make people feel involved and experience some ‘normal’ social interaction that they may have been missing.
If you are worried about someone’s mental health or even your own, there is support available. Whether you just want some more advice on how to deal with a situation or you need someone to talk to, see if your workplace has a dedicated mental health first aider or employee assistance programme, or visit the Mental Health First Aid England website for further guidance.
WHY FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH?
LIVES prides itself in the high standard of its training in First Aid and Pre Hospital Care to provide employees with first aid skills to help provide immediate care and maintain safety. Since September 2019 LIVES has been able to offer training in Adult Mental Health First Aid.
LIVES is part of addressing the stigma around mental health. We need to approach mental health in the same way we look at the safety through physical first aid. Talking about our mental health is difficult for many. Through mental health awareness training there is the opportunity to reflect on our mental health and start the conversation. Let’s get talking and make a cultural change. Our mental health and physical health work in tandem. It is stated being physically active is good for our mental health. Equally, if our mental health is good, our physical health benefits. Look at the top athletes in the world and how their mental health affects their performance. LIVES can contribute to the health and wellbeing of staff in the workplace.
LIVES delivers the following Mental Health First Aid courses: •
Mental Health awareness half day covering general overview of mental health and starting the conversation
•
Adult Mental Health First Aid – 1-day qualifying as a Mental Health First Aid Champion
•
Adult Mental Health First Aid – 2-day qualifying as a Mental Health First Aider
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/ COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
IN OUR COMMUNITIES
IN NUMBERS What’s in a number? A lot! LIVES attends thousands of emergencies every year. See in numbers how LIVES has made a difference in Lincolnshire.
INCIDENTS
1,571 Chest Pain
1,856 Breathing Difficulties
Warmer months are our busiest times at LIVES, with shows, events and fundraising challenges. Unfortunately, the outbreak of COVID-19 has caused these events to either be cancelled or postponed to another time. Despite this, we still wanted to recognise past events that really stand out in Lincolnshire. COLEBY DOWNHILL CHALLENGE Since 2014, the Hykeham Lions and the Coleby Village Hall Committee have been organising one of the maddest events in Lincolnshire – the Coleby Downhill Challenge. The event attracts riders from all over the world who create their own soapboxes, gravity sidecars and gravity bikes, all willing to complete the downhill track in the fastest time.
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LIVES have been there since the beginning, providing event medical support and cheering contestants on. The event has always supported LIVES too – the last event raised £2,500 for LIVES, supporting its army of Community First Responders and Medics. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the organisers made the hard decision to cancel this year, not only to adhere to government guidelines but to ‘avoid unnecessary strain on our public services such as the police and NHS.’ In a statement made online, event organiser Andy Biddulph from the Hykeham Lions said that his team are ‘going to be meeting once we are through this crisis to discuss the next steps and look forward to bringing racing back to Coleby very soon!’ We all look forward to next year!
510 Falls
0 3 2 4,030
HOURSAY PER D
trained in CPR
average e tim on-call
PEOPLE
584
Responders
891
Road Traffic Collisions
46
552
Medics
Stroke
OVERNIGHT JOBS
637
Cardiac Arrest
12,612 5,410 Total number of patients helped
callouts between 7pm–7am
‘*Figures based on data from April 2019 – March 2020 SPRING / SUMMER 2020 onscene
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/ LEGACY & REMEMBERING
/ THANK YOUS & ACHIEVEMENTS
THANK YOUS
YOUR LEGACY, ENSURING WE ARE THERE WHEN MINUTES MATTER Your legacy will help us be the next Responder, arriving into a home to help someone in a 999 medical emergency. Your gift will be the expert training, the equipment, the ongoing support they need. Gifts in Wills help us be there for your family, your friends, your community when the worst happens. After you’ve looked after those closest to you, please consider leaving a gift in your Will to LIVES. Anyone can leave a gift in their Will, small or large every donation makes a difference. If you’re thinking about leaving a gift to LIVES, we are here to help. We always recommend seeing a solicitor if you’re thinking of
In April we received a donation of £2,000 from Orchards Park in Ruskington. They have been supporting LIVES for 20 years and in this time have raised £15,000. They have held Raffles, Tombolas, Coffee mornings and carols around the Christmas tree as well as many other events.
writing or amending your Will but we can help with any questions you might have.
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Horse and Groom Holbeach, held a charity quiz night in March and raised a fabulous £216.
We can discuss how you might like your gift to be spent, arrange a visit to our office in Horncastle or see a project first hand so you can see the difference your legacy will make. If you’d like to talk to us on the phone or via email, please get in touch. Call us on 01507 525 999 or email Gemma at fundraising@lives.org.uk
G4S Policing Service raised £5,572 for LIVES after choosing us as their charity of the year.
If you’ve already left us a gift and have any questions or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you too.
LIVES.org.uk 16
The residents of Whittons Mill chose us as their charity of the year and raised an incredible £1,524.
Horncastle Farmers have once again donated £1,000 raised at their annual charity ball which took place in January . They have supported us for a number of years with the proceeds from their annual event which is held at the Petwood Hotel with over 400 local farmers attending.
Crofts Estate Ag ents of Louth presented LIVES with a cheque for £450 that was raised fr om their Christmas ra ffle
Lincolnshire South Federation WI presented LIVES CEO Nikki Cooke with a cheque for £200 at their annual meeting in March .
Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported LIVES!
/ CORPORATE SPOTLIGHT
LOCAL BUSINESSES PULL TOGETHER IN LINCOLNSHIRE’S TIME OF NEED LIVES has been overwhelmed with the support from local businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak which is continuing even as this article is being written. An urgent request was published asking businesses to donate any surplus alcohol based hand sanitiser, FFP2 face masks and protective eye shields to protect our volunteers when they attend medical emergencies. Here are a few that have helped so far...
Lincoln Gin
Pin Gin
We’ve saved lives for 50 years, together we can save more. Your support is helping save lives and will make a real difference. Donation Form Our army of community-based volunteer responders give up their spare time for free, to help people in Lincolnshire in their time of need. Every year, LIVES responders attend thousands of medical emergencies, including car accidents, heart attacks and stroke. Our responders’ actions literally save lives, delivering vital immediate medical care in those critical first moments of an accident or emergency. If you’d like to make a regular donation to LIVES and join our Friends of LIVES programme, please complete your details below and post back to the address at the bottom of the form, alternatively you can make a one-off donate on our website at www.LIVES.org.uk/donate I would like to make a monthly donation of:
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For UK taxpayers, we are able to reclaim 25p for every £1 given, at no extra cost to you. By ticking this box I confirm that I would like to claim Gift Aid on my donations to LIVES. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference
RINGROSE LAW AND DPS DIGITAL RAISE OVER £1000 FOR LIVES The ‘LIVES loves Lincs’ charity calendar was launched last October, featuring images taken by the public of ‘Lincolnshire Village Life’ which encapsulated the work that LIVES First Responders do in rural communities across the county. The calendar raised over £1000 for LIVES and all proceeds have gone towards keeping our army of volunteers on the road. Ringrose Law and DPS Digital will be joining forces with LIVES again later this year, with a special charity Christmas card competition. To find out how your business can work with LIVES,’ email Tiffany at fundraising@lives.org.uk or call 01507 525999 18
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Account number:
Instruction to your Bank or Building Society: Please pay LIVES Direct Debits from the account detailed in this Instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with LIVES and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my bank/building society. Signature:
Date:
ID Ref: (Office use only) Please post to: LIVES, Units 5 -8 Birch Court, Spratt Close, Boston Road Industrial Estate, Horncastle, Lincolnshire Registered Charity No. 1098364 We will send you a confirmation letter of your donation within 10 days of receiving your completed form. For any queries, please call 01507 525999.
Thank you for your support. SPRING / SUMMER 2020 onscene
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S E V I L G SAVIN S R A E Y FOR 50 E W R E H T E G TO E R O M E V A CAN S
DONATE /
VOLUNTEER /
FUNDRAISE
ACT NOW Find out more about how you can help:
fundraising@lives.org.uk LIVES.ORG.UK
LIVESHeadQuarters
@livesHQ
Registered charity number: 1098364 Company number: 4680981