Get A-Head news

It was Sunday 7th June and raining. It started on Friday at around 3pm and hadn’t stopped. The marquee had been re-dressed and transformed from a Rock and Roll theme to a beautiful Sunday Lunch setting, complete with fresh roses sitting decoratively on the tables. Still raining. Everyone was busy with the various preparations, moving from one task to the other in their wellies. Still raining. The aroma of the food was inviting and the bucks fizz was ready at the reception area to greet the first of our esteemed guests. Still raining. The items for the silent auction were being laid out, by Dennis (the expert) and presented in the best possible light. I heard what I thought was a record being played. It sounded lovely. It wasn’t a record, it was Jack Montgomery rehearsing! What a wonderful voice! Brian Conley, our entertainment for the day, arrived and he went through the order of events with JJ Loades and John Watkinson. Still raining. We had some late irresistible offers of items to auction, so we set about getting that information on to the tables for our guests. It was just after midday and we were almost there…then we looked up and noticed a break in the clouds. We were ready and the sun turned up to complete the preparations and stayed with us all afternoon.

We had a silent auction of 44 items. A main auction of five items and a raffle consisting of three very attractive prizes. One of the raffle items; dinner at the Butcher’s Arms was (generously) returned so we promptly auctioned it for £800. How was that for five minutes work? The Jazz Ramblers played us through the afternoon and Jack Montgomery sang for us. Then he joined Brian Conley, undeniably the star of the day, in a duet.

Brian entertained us in a way that somehow exceeded our expectations. He was off the cuff in his delivery and his repertoire knew no bounds. A true professional who captivated the mood, his audience - and created an atmosphere which set the tone for the remainder of the day. He auctioned some fabulous items for us, raising much needed funds, and then he auctioned himself! Someone bid for an audience with him for his wife’s 50th birthday celebrations – what a wonderful present! Once all the pledges are in – and we are nearly there – Brian will have been responsible for raising in excess of £50, 000 for us that day. He appeared free of charge. Thank you Brian.

Stephen Fisher, photographer captured the moment for us all and his pictures are will be on the site very soon. Everyone had a fantastic time and it is obvious in these pictures!

And finally, we could not have done this without the absolute generosity of all our supporters who gave us wonderful, bespoke gifts to auction. And THANKS to all who helped on the day; Fran Gurney, Amanda Smith, Dennis Price, Annette and Paul Darby and Rachel Barron. Ultimately, we owe a debt of gratitude to Tony, JJ and Mason Loades who spent time and effort, donating not only their valuable time but their home too. Their enthusiasm for us is warm and appreciated as well as valued and respected. JJ Loades orchestrated the whole weekend of events and was completely unflappable – even when everywhere was wet and getting wetter!!!

On the 21st May GAH met with The Royal College of Surgeons of England and awarded Neil Sharma a Joint Fellowship for one year. This continues our 'pump priming' of clinicians for academic research which boosts the value of our funding and is a very solid stepping stone to more intense, longer term research with established organisations such as The Wellcome Trust. More about this ongoing project in the research section of the website.

On the 8th May 2009, a volunteer of 'The Get A-Head' Charity and a newly appointed Trustee, Rachel Barron, got on her bike with two chums, Ann Peate and Lynda Fawthrop and after months of all-weather training - undertook the challenge of a Coast to Coast bike ride and pedalled up a super £1500 pounds for GAH. Well done to Rachel, Ann and Lynda for completing the uphill challenge and our grateful thanks for choosing to support us.

On the 5th June the sun shone – it was a typical English summer’s day and it was a Friday – the start of the weekend - and the weather looked hopeful to remain that way for the next 3 days. The marquee was erected, the caterers had delivered their hardware and Tony & JJ Loades, along with some good chums (Gilly and Barry) were just putting the finishing touches to the setting that became the Rock and Roll Evening. Then at around 3pm, it started to rain and it rained and rained and rained. But, our spirits weren’t dampened. The band, Johnny and The Zephyrs were stuck on the M5 and the portable loos were not far behind them! Come 7pm, the guests arrived and were all on good form for what was to be a wonderful evening. Everyone joined in the spirit of the event, wearing rock & roll outfits – each with their own interpretation of the era. Sally Hadfield had prepared a slap-up supper and Nick Underwood delivered some fine wine. One of JJ Loades’ friends took a jar round and ‘stole’ loose change (including notes) – raising a cool £794 and that was before the raffle, which raised a further £925. The prizes were a magnum of champagne, fully body massage and an evening of fine Indian Cuisine all donated by John James, Body Tone and Mr Nat Batt of The Maharaja – respectively. Mickey Pugh did a stirling job of anchoring the whole evening together. Thank you to everyone who supported JJ and her family and an enormous Thank You from Get A-Head. Please enjoy the pictures, all taken and generously donated to us by Stephen Fisher.

This was held on Tuesday 16th June and we were guests of Edgbaston Golf Club. Mike Hargreaves hosted this for us and he secured an order for sunshine too!! He ordered fahrenheit; they delivered centigrade, but no-one complained. After a light lunch, the teams set off on part one and were fed, watered and topped up with chocolate for part two of the course.

Guest Trucks sponsored the day together with Marcity Developments. Other sponsors were, ESC Limited, Webb Gray and Partners, Jones Lang Lasalle, HSBC, Jamie Cundy, Cox Lee & Co, Allied Irish Bank, Metro Bar & Grill and Island Steel. We auctioned some lovely prizes during dinner. Saracens rugby tickets; Ashes tickets; a signed cricket bat and picture; a signed Blues shirt and a round of golf at Edgbaston. We are thankful to everyone who contributed and took part. The winning team were Apres Bar UK - well done! Mike and Cassie and Jennifer helped raise just over £7,500. Not bad for a beautifully sunny day when everyone had a good round of golf followed by the usual delightful fare from the kitchens at Edgbaston Golf Club.

Today we have launched our new website for the Get A-Head cancer charity. The website has fresh new design and up to date relevant information.

New features include:

- Easy to donate system
- In depth helpful information and research.
- Latest news and events blogs
- Patient network blog
- In site search facility
- Newsletter sign up
- Contact forms and interactive map

Not forgetting our animated logo!

The focus of the website is to allow users to quickly find useful information and have access to the latest news, events from the Get A-Head cancer charity.

We have put a lot of work into creating this website, please contact us with your thoughts.