The Last Entry – Well, for now anyway!

It’s been a while since I last had anything to update you with, which is because we’ve taken a break from fundraising for now.  Amy spent time with her girls during the summer, and had some big decisions to make regarding the future of Butterflies Community Store and the Kaleidoscope Project.

As you will all know Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 was set up to mark the 20^th anniversary of Amy being diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis.  The aim of Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 was to raise money to give back to the organisations that had helped Amy during the last 20 years.  The fundraising began in the summer of 2013 with selling at car boot sales to help fund three skydives.  These skydives were followed by Christmas Fayres and the main event of an Afternoon Tea.  We had expected to stop there, but money was donated by Calmore Slimming World, and the fundraising went on including three further skydives in September 2014, a Christmas Fayre in December 2014 and an Easter Fayre in April 2015, plus Amy did an abseil for Myaware in April.

Below is a breakdown of the donations made by Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20

29^th March 2014         Myasthenia Gravis Association (Hampshire Branch)            £2000.00

29^th March 2014         Stanley Graveson Ward, Wessex Neurological Centre           £500.00

29^th March 2014         Donation of 2 personal DVD players for use on Stanley

Graveson Ward, Wessex Neurological Centre approx cost                                       £150.00

29^th March 2015         Myaware (Hampshire Branch)                                                 £500.00

29^th March 2015         Myaware (Hampshire Branch) from Webb Ivory Sales            £134.00

Summer 2015             Stanley Graveson Ward (before closure of ward)                  £200.00

5^th August 2015           Southampton Hospital Charity (Dylan’s Quest)                     £500.00

GRAND TOTAL OF MONEY RAISED     £3984.00

PLUS

April 2015 – Amy’s abseil raised over £600 which went direct to Myaware

Dylan’s Quest

The last donation made was to Dylans quest.  Dylan’s fundraising  is for the Children’s Neurology Department at Southampton General Hospital.  Amy learned about this fundraising during one of her stays in the hospital.  So far they have raised over £5000.  They are now raising funds to convert their home so Dylan can leave hospital.  Dylan has his own facebook page, a copy of which can be seen below.

In addition to the funds raised, we also raised awareness of Myasthenia Gravis, now many more people know about this life threatening disease and how it affects the daily life of those with it.

Butterflies Community Store

Unfortunately, after much deliberation Amy has decided to close Butterflies Community Store.  The shop and tearooms were launched on 29^th March 2014 and were open for 18 months, during that time they supported a number of charities and local organisations.  These include

Bartley Skate Park Project (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bartley-skate-park-community-group)

Macmillan Cancer Research,          Breast Cancer Research,                      Bras for Africa

    

Salvation Army Homes, Oxford Street, Southampton                               Jordan House of Society  St James

              Myaware                     Help the Homeless, Southampton                                    Syrian Refugee Appeal

  Childrens Ward, Southampton General Hospital Toy Appeal

plus Butterflies Community store helped two individual families who lost everything in house fires

They have also worked in partnership with Family Mosaic,

Catch Extended Services,                       SSJ Rehabilatation,                                        Minstead Training Trust

A BIG “Thank You” to Amy, her workforce and volunteers for all the hard work they have put into helping these organisations and the local community during the last few years.  

The Kaleidoscope Project will continue to trade.

This is a shop that once again has the community in mind.   It is aimed at smaller businesses, who cannot afford to “go it alone”, or who don’t want a whole shop but would like to dip their toe in the water and see what interest is out there for their product.  They can rent either shelving or floor space either short or long term.  This window of opportunity is available to anyone, so if you have a hobby that you would like to become a business but don’t want the commitment or expense of taking on a premises yourself, if you are an existing business that would like to advertise your product by getting it seen, if you have a small amount of stock to sell, or for any other reason them why not contact Amy.

Well, that’s all for now, but I’m sure we’ll be back at some point ……………

 

Abseil – Sunday 26th April – She did it!

On Saturday 25th April a car load of us (7 in total) headed up to London to ensure that we were ready for the Myaware Abseil taking place at The ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, the following day. Only one of us, Amy Guy, was going to be taking part, but we were all going to play our part in helping her to keep a check on her nerves leading up to the event. Quite an important role we felt, especially as she’s scared of heights and had never previously considered doing anything that involved being that far above the ground!

None of us were familiar with the area, but Amy and I had booked a Bed and Breakfast online. It was not expensive and well, it looked OK in the photograph! When we got there we were, to put it mildly, not overly impressed, and we’re pretty sure the photograph was a number of years old – but hey ho, it was only for one night so we decided to just make the best of it.

We all went out for a meal and Amy was noticeably nervous about what lay ahead, but hopefully the general chit chat, mostly about how she and I would not be trusted to book accommodation on any future trips, was enough to alleviate some of her fears. We then headed back to our accommodation – we’d booked two family rooms, but when we’d arrived we were told that there wasn’t enough room in the B & B for both families so one of the families had to stay across the road – and round the corner in another, even less salubrious B & B. Somehow we all managed to sleep and the following morning we declined the ”Continental style” breakfast on offer (Toast and/or cereal) and headed off to the local Harvester where we had a really scrumptious breakfast. We thought this would be fine for Amy as, after all, her Abseil wasn’t scheduled until 12 o’clock.

We then headed off to the Olympic Park which was relatively easy to find, and parking was not a problem at all – in fact we were quite surprised at just how quiet it was.

The abseiling had already started (there were a total of 22 abseilers taking part in this Myaware fundraiser). Amy watched on as someone gingerly lowered themselves down the outside of the Orbit – a tad nervously I have to say. We then headed around to the entrance so that Amy could sign in. We spoke to Steve Saunders, who said that we were nice an early, but added that they were running ahead of time so Amy could go straight up!!

Not sure how that really made her feel, especially as she’d just had a major breakfast, but on the plus side it meant she wouldn’t be hanging around for an hour or so waiting to be called. As Amy was a wheelchair user, her partner, Allyn, was allowed to go with her to the top of the Orbit so that he could help her. (It also meant he was able to take some photographs of her as she started her abseil).  The rest of us had to stay outside – and wait for her decent!

A number of other abseilers came down, at one point two came down together, and then it was Amy’s turn. It was difficult to see her at first – she appeared to be just a little spec, but then down she came – I videoed it with one excited 5 year old beside me cheering her mum on. Megan, Harry and Dave were all taking photos – we were all extremely proud of our Myasthenia Warrior.

Amy’s decent was anything but slow, she quickly got into her stride, feeding the ropes through her hands and coming down the 350 ft tall structure in around four and a half minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way to the railings to see one very jubilant AMY beaming from ear to ear, obviously thrilled at what she’d achieved. We then headed round to the entrance to meet up with her. We arrived before she did, but they informed us they’d already heard that Amy had loved the abseil – and wanted to do it again.

Amy and Allyn then appeared through the door, we all gave her a cheer and watched on as she was presented with her medal and certificate.

Sponsor money is still coming in, but at the last count Amy had raised over £600.

After Amy had completed her abseil she went for a well-deserved coffee and cake – the kids and I went up the Orbit in the Lift then walked back down the 450 steps, but not before taking some photos of the views, including one of the car.

At this moment in time Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 has got nothing planned for the immediate future, but you never know what’s round the corner so we promise to keep you posted of any future events, watch this space!

 

 

 

April 2015 Update

Well here we are and half of April has already whizzed by. The Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 team have been pretty busy one way or another.

Butterflies Community Store – Kaleidoscope Project

Amy has now opened her second shop. This one is directly opposite Butterflies Community Store and has a slightly different twist. It is Butterflies Community Store Kaleidoscope Project. There are a number of other local businesses renting space within the shop, including, Totton Rubber Stamp; The Supply Sgt; Wax Scentual; Gifts for Girls; Ciggy Juice; Bridget’s Bling; Beth’s Buttons and Bows and more besides. They are all either renting floor or shelf space.

The pre-loved clothing from Butterflies Community Store has moved across to the new shop, allowing more room for the books; CDs; DVDs; bric-a-brac; toys and general household items in the original shop.

There is now more space for the events taking place in the tearooms which include; Monday – Seasonal Arts and Crafts; Tuesday – Cards and Board Games; Wednesday – Knit, Sew and Natter; Friday – Topic Quiz and Bingo. The tearooms are available to hire on Thursdays, and now that the weather is that much nicer, why not enjoy a cup of something in the delightful garden.

The Grand Opening  took place on Saturday 28^th March with Councillor David Harrison doing the honours and officially opening the shop. There were around 20 people present at the opening including Harry Young who sang a few songs from his recently released CD.

The Echo were present and a photograph and write up about the opening appeared in the Southern Daily Echo on Monday 6^th April.

Charity Easter Fayre – Saturday 4^th April 2015

As the Christmas Bazaar was so well supported we decided to hold a Charity Easter Fayre, also at Colbury Memorial Hall.  Once again we got our creative heads on a produced another advertising board – complete with Easter bunnies!

 

As before we had a children’s corner with activities but this time we also had a children’s entertainer, who volunteered their services free of charge. Thank you Kay. This proved really popular with the children and is something we will definitely look into doing again.

We had around 20 stalls, some raising money for various charities, including Myaware – the new name for Myasthenia Gravis Association- Hampshire Branch), Macmillan Cancer Support, Parkinson’s UK, and Prostate Cancer. The kitchen supplied hot dogs, hot cross buns, quiche and salad, tea, coffee etc. and of course there was a well-stocked cake stall!

After all the overheads had been paid the Easter Fayre made a grand total of £470.00, which we were thrilled with as it was more than we made at Christmas. We think these two fayres may become annual events for Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 and Butterflies.

Before the Fayre was over Amy was able to give two cheques to Jackie Perry for Myaware Hampshire Branch, one for £500 from funds raised at events held last year by Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20, and another for £134 raised by sales from the Webb Ivory Catalogue in the run up to Christmas.  This is something we have done for many years but this year was, by far, the largest sum we’ve ever raised in Christmas sales, and we feel this is due to people being more aware of  Myasthenia Gravis, thanks to Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20.

 

Stanley Graveson Ward, Wessex Neurological Centre, Southampton General Hospital

As regular readers will know, this ward is one of the charities that Amy’s H.O.P.E.20 supports. Amy attends Stanley Graveson Ward as an inpatient every eight weeks to receive Intravenus Immunoglobulin (IV IG), which has proved to be the most effective treatment for her.

Amy’s last stay (9^th-11^th April) was at the same time as Stanley Graveson Ward was coming to an end. There is being a reconfiguration of the wards, and from now on it will be known as E Neuro. Many of the staff on the ward, some of whom have worked there for over 20 years are being moved to other wards in the hospital. From what Amy said this stay was a very emotional one, not only for the staff, but also for her, as she has been a patient on ward since she was 17 and has often commented that Stanley Graveson Ward is like a second home, as she is known by most of the staff.  They have seen her through teenage years, to becoming a mum, twice, and now follow her new ventures with interest.  She has also got to know and become friends with some of them.  It’s the end of an era.

Amy was able to make one final donation of £200 to Stanley Graveson Ward before it ceases to exist.

 

Abseil – The Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – Sunday 26^th April 2015

Now that Amy has been topped up with her magic juice she is all ready for her next big challenge, which is to abseil down the Orbit at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This is the tallest structure in the UK standing at over 350 ft high. The event has been organised by Myaware and Amy is one of the 15 participants undergoing this challenge.

She hasn’t had much time to get nervous about taking part in this event, but now that the shop is open and the Easter Fayre has taken place it’s all become very real and she has Butterflies of another kind to deal with, especially as she is SCARED OF HEIGHTS!

We all wish her the best of luck and will report on how the day goes sometime after 26^th April.

If you would like to sponsor Amy the link for he Just Giving page is here.

https://www.justgiving.com/Ami-Guy/

Well, that’s all for now. I think you’ll agree April has been fairly eventful – I think the summer may be a bit quieter – but you never know.

March Update – What we’ve got planned!

Well March has got off to a good start for Amy. She took part in The Volunteering Show with Julie Lorraine, a radio programme on Express fm tonight, along with Steve Saunders from Myaware and Myasthenia Gravis nurse, Lisa. Amy spoke about the effect Myasthenia Gravis has had on her life, the treatment she now receives and the fundraising activities that she is involved in. She also mentioned Butterflies Community Store and her plans for the future. If you didn’t get to hear the programme you can listen again at

Also in March, Butterflies Community Store will be spreading their wings and taking over another shop. Due to the fantastic response the shop has had, and the many donations of goods she receives, Amy has been short on space in the Community Store, unable to display all the items she has for sale. Books and CDs are having to be displayed in the Ten Bob Tea Room, at the rear of the shop, taking up valuable space where the activity events that run on a regular basis are held. These events include Monday 10.30-12.30 Seasonal Arts and Crafts, Tuesday 10.30-12.30 Cards and Board Games, Wednesday 10.30-12.30 Knit, Sew and Natter, Friday 10.30-12.30 Topic Quiz and Bingo. Thursdays are left free for various support groups who hire the tea rooms.

So, when she was offered the opportunity to expand she could hardly refuse. As a result Butterflies have spread their wings and taken over what was Totton Rubber Stamp just across the road from their existing shop. This new venture will be called Butterflies Community Store Kaleidoscope Project. The aim is to incorporate local businesses under one roof. Butterflies Community Store will move their clothing to the new shop and keep the other items in the original shop. Other local businesses will then rent space or shelving from Butterflies. Some businesses already on board are: Totton Rubber Stamp; The Supply Sgt (Army Surplus), Ciggy Juice (e cigerettes) Build a Buddy, Waxscentsual, and more.

Here are some photos of the Christmas Bazaar held in November, which was a great success. Many people asked if we would be holding another “Table Top Sale” so we decided to hold an Easter Fayre …….

Our friendly Mrs Santa and Elf welcomed people to the Christmas Bazaar

 

 

 

 

 

Events in April
Easter Fayre, Saturday 4 April 11.00 – 2.00. Colbury Memorial Hall, Main Road, Colbury, Hants. There are still a few tables available which can be booked at a cost of £15 each. There will be a variety of goods on offer, including stalls from Macmillan Cancer Research, Slimming World, Organic Bliss, Maggie Curtis will be selling works of art, created by herself, to raise money for the Wing Walk she is doing on 19th April in aid of Parkinson’s UK, there will be plants ready for the spring, cake stall, raffle, tombola, as well as activities for children, plus hot and cold snacks.

 

 

Abseil the Orbit – Sunday 26th April 2015

On top of organising the opening of a new shop (Official Opening Day Saturday 28th March), and despite being afraid of heights, Amy is also going to Abseil the Orbit at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London on Sunday 26th April. The orbit stands at 350 ft high and is the UK’s tallest structure. This abseil has been organised by Myaware, the new name for the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Amy has a Just Giving Page where you can make a donation in support of Myaware. https://www.justgiving.com/Ami-Guy/.

Christmas Bazaar Update and Happy New Year

Hi Everyone,

Well first of all huge apologies for the long delay in getting an update to you about how the Christmas Bazaar went. Unfortunately just afterwards I went down with the dreaded lurgie, then Christmas was upon us. Anyway here we are in a brand new year – and I’m sure Amy is going to have a lot more fundraising ideas and schemes for us during 2015.

As you know the Christmas Bazaar took place on Saturday 29th November at Colbury Memorial Hall. We had all the usual nerves about whether or not anyone would turn up to support us – but we need not have worried. A number of us had advertised the event widely putting posters up in every available place we could think of – leaflet drops were carried out in the local and not quite so local area and as a result we had almost 200 people through the door. PLUS we had the amazing banner outside the hall during the weeks leading up to the event –

Once inside there was plenty for them to do and see. We had over 20 stalls, some were charities stalls and others were individuals selling their wares. These included Bartley Skate Park, Butterflies Community Store (which is run by Amy Guy), Macmillan Cancer Support, Myaware (previously Myasthenia Gravis Association) Hampshire Branch, CMV Action was represented, Slimming World, Tia’s Jewellery and Crafts, Tarot Cards, Sweets, Crafty Frames and Bangles, Phoenix Cards, Nail Art and much much more.

The kitchen, which was run by Butterflies Community Store, supplied hot and cold drinks plus hot dogs, mince pies, cakes and biscuits. The hot dogs went down so well that they ran out. There was also a cake stall which had an array of various donated home made cakes for sale which also did extremely well.

FOR THE CHILDREN – KIDS KINGDOM
In Kids Kingdom there was Santa’s Grotto where the children could go and tell Santa if they’d been naughty or good and let him know what they would like for Christmas. Each child then received a gift from the big guy! There were also activities for the children to do, they could have a go on the lucky dip, make magical reindeer food, have their faces painted, and have a go at making christmas decorations. Santa had a team of elves to help him with these tasks.

THE RAFFLE

In the lead up to the Christmas Bazaar we wrote to a number of companies and organisations explaining what we were doing and asking if they would consider donating a prize to our cause. We were overwhelmed by the response, and as promised here are the names of everyone who gave us a prize

Hampshire Cricket, Ageas Bowl
Paulton’s Park
Hall and Woodhouse
Beaulieu Motor Museum
Shirley Garage
Westland Motors
Classy Nails, Shirley
Curry House, Sholing
Reflections Cafe, Shirley
Longdown Activity Farm
Stewarts Garden Centre
Goodies Fish and Chips, Totton
The Pyramid Centre
Frankies Fun Factory
Bradbeers

We sold tickets for the raffle in the weeks leading up to the bazaar as well as on the day. The winners were all delighted with their prizes – especially the main prize of a day at the cricket for four people.

MONEY RAISED
After costs or hiring the hall etc, the afternoon made a total profit of £400.00. We have put this with other money raised since March and at the end of March 2015 when Butterflies Community Store celebrates its first year of trading Amy will present some of the charities she supports with cheques. These charities range from Myaware (Hampshire Branch); Stanley Graveson Ward, Wessex Neurological Centre, Southampton General Hospital; Society St. James; Ward G2 Souhampton General Hospital; and Young Carers.

SOUTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL – Childrens Wards
Some of you may have heard that just before Christmas somebody stole toys that had been bought for the children on the Childrens Wards at Southampton General Hosptial. Despite being unwell herself, Amy went to the hosptial on Christmas Eve and donated the toys that Santa had left over from the Christmas Bazaar, as well as a number of other toys. It was thanks to the support given to Amys HOPE 20 and the Christmas Bazaar that she was able to do this.

WEBB IVORY
We have also been able to raise funds by selling from the Webb Ivory catalogue in the lead up to Christmas. We have done this in previous years, but since Amys HOPE 20 has raised more awareness of the illness, Myasthenia Gravis, this year we had more people buying from the catalogue than before so will have raised more for Myaware (Hampshire Branch) than in previous years. We expect to be able to give them around £140.00.

Once again a massive ‘Thank you’ to everyone who has supported our fundraising efforts. Look out for our next venture, which I’m sure won’t be far away.

November Update – Charity Christmas Bazaar

 
The banner is up!! Just over two weeks to go until the Christmas Bazaar. Plus we’ve had another prize donated to the raffle. Four tickets and parking for a day’s cricket at the Ageas Bowl in 2015 with the compliments of Hampshire Cricket. The winner can choose any domestic LV=CC or Royal London One Day Cup fixture within the 2015 season.

Raffle tickets will be on sale within the next few days!!  

November Update

The Committee
Initially Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 was set up so that we could raise money to mark the 20th anniversary of Amy’s diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis.

Well, the anniversary has been and gone but the fundraising continues and as it looks like we will keep raising funds for the various organisations that have helped Amy over the years we decided to make Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 an official charity.

We are not big enough to become a registered charity – YET, but we can apply to be a Small Charity. To do this we need to put a committee together, which we’ve done. There are currently eight people on the committee and we have so far had a couple of meetings. The application form has been signed and submitted and now we are just waiting to hear …. An update will let you know how we get on with this, but in the meantime if any of our followers are interested in becoming committee members please contact us.

Our Next Fundraising Event

Charity Christmas Bazaar – 29th November 2014 – ADMISSION ONLY 50p per person

This event is being held from 11.00 – 3.00 on Saturday 29th November 2014 at Colbury Memorial Hall, Main Road, Colbury, Southampton. SO40 7EL.

We have numerous stalls including
Heart and Soul (from Eling Lane Totton),
Slimming World (Emilie from Calmore Group),
Body Shop,
Hair Curling and Straightening,
Forever (Aloe Vera),
Nappy Cakes,
Pheonix Cards,
Tia’s Jewellery,
Sue’s haberdashery,
Bartley Skate Park,
Wool Craft,
Organic Bliss (from Rumbridge Street, Totton)
Cakes
Tombola

Butterflies Community Store – who are organising this event along with Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 will have a number of stalls including:
Books and Puzzles
Gift Sets and Christmas Crafts
Kids Clothes and Toys
Pictures
Plus a range of new ex-display wedding dresses will also be available –prices from £50 – £150.

Children’s Corner
This will include
Facepainting,
Christmas Decoration making,
Reindeer Food making,
Lucky Dip
Colouring Competition

And of course there will be

SANTA’S GROTTO – Cost £2 per child –
Each child will have the opportunity to tell Santa what they would like to receive for Christmas and let him know whether they’ve been naughty or good! They will ALL receive a gift.

Refreshments –
Hot and cold drinks will be available from the kitchen plus mince pies etc.

RAFFLE
The prizes for the raffle have started coming in. To date we have Family passes for
Longdown Activity Farm
Frankie’s Fun Factory
The Pyramids Centre

And vouchers for
Bradbeers Store
Goodies Fish and Chips
Stewarts Garden Centre
Westland Motors, Shirley (1 MOT)
Cafe Reflections (meal for 2)
The Curry House, Sholing
Plus lots more ….

We have quite a few volunteers to help us run this event, but if you would like to come along to help please let us know. Otherwise please just come along to get in the mood for, and possibly buy some gifts for CHRISTMAS!

See you there.

Money raised by Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 will go to some of the many organisations that have helped Amy over the last 20 years. These include
Myasthenia Gravis Association (Hampshire Branch)
Society St. James
Young Carers
Ward G2, Southampton General Hospital
It’s Your Choice

Amy’s article in the Mail Online

On Friday 3rd October Amy had an article published about her in the Mail Online http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2779268/People-think-I-m-permanently-miserable-I-just-t-smile-Mother-34-t-facial-muscles-incurable-condition-s-killing-muscles.html. Amy’s aim is to raise awareness of Myasthenia Gravis and the effect it has on her everyday life.  Since then we have been asked about how donations can be made to Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20.  WE have set up a PayPal Account which canbe found at

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=NF7B6VHMK75ZL

Money raised will go to some of the organisations that have supported Amy over the last 20 years.

Tomorrow we are holding our first Committee Meeting – another update will follow with the outcome of this meeting.

Skydive Sunday 14th September 2014

At 11.40 a.m. I received a text from Go Skydive which said that the weather was not ideal for skydiving.  They were not cancelling our booking but we could reschedule our skydive if we wanted to.  If we did go we could have a bit of a wait.  We decided to go anyway.

I went with Dave, Amy and my grandaughter, Teagan.  Jay, Bridget and Kieron were going to meet us there.  We arrived early at 1.00 p.m, so I went and registered.

Despite the earlier warning of bad weather, it all seemed fine, planes were going up and although it was quite cloudy it was a warm and pleasant afternoon.

We went to the cafe and got coffees and biscuits.  I sat down with my coffee thinking “Well, we’ve got a long wait ahead of us so lets just soak up the atmosphere, do some people watching and watch the planes ….”  Dave’s brother phoned to say they’d be along, Dave told them it would be ages before we went up so they had plenty of time.

But, no sooner had I finished my coffee than my name was called… Jay and Bridget hadn’t even arrived, and I was off.  I went and got kitted out, then walked over to the plane with my instructor.  He explained that he was in charge so we would be the last to get on – and one of the first to get off!  The plane went up and up and up – above the clouds – that was amazing.  Having only ever been in a plane once before when we skydived from 10,000 ft, I’ve never been ABOVE THE CLOUDS.  It was beautiful.  The views were stunning.  Then it was hat on, goggles down, doors open and one, two we were the third couple to go.  AND WE WENT THROUGH THE CLOUDS. For just a few seconds it’s like you’re in nothing, just a big soft ball of cottonwool.  Then we came through the clouds and could see land below, fields, houses, streets. …….

 

Then whoosh out comes the parachute and the whole pace slows down.  Last time I did this we just drifted down, but this time we did twists and turns and spun around, literally putting a whole new spin on the experience.  Then all too soon it was time to land (I could have stayed up there all day).  I did as I’d been told – grabbed hold of my legs and lifted them up, not the most ladylike image as you’ll see from the photos!  Then as we got close to the ground I was told right stand up AND I DID – AND I LANDED ON MY FEET!!  Incredible.

Then we all got into the mini bus for the trip back across the field – all comparing notes on this amazing experience.

When I got back Jay and Bridget had arrived, and before long it was their turn to go up up up and away!  We all had the best day.

Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 – September 2014 update

Well it’s been a while since my last update – but I have news that I need to share. Many of you will remember that on Sunday 6th October2013 Jay and Bridget Macleod and I did a skydive to raise funds for Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20. We raised £1,398.00 which went towards the donations made to the Myasthenia Gravis Association (Hampshire Branch) and Stanley Graveson Ward.

Well, we are doing it again – this Sunday 14th September at 2.00 p.m. with Go Skydive South Coast. And this time, we’re not jumping from 10,000 ft, we’re jumping from 15,000 ft.

You may remember that when we did this last year it was the first time any of us had been in a plane. Well this time we can all say that we’ve gone up in a plane – but we haven’t landed, so after Sunday we’ll have been up in a plane twice but not experienced landing – weird or what!

I have to say this time the build up is entirely different. Last year my nerves were all over the place as we were going to experience something which was totally unknown. This time I’m more excited than nervous. The main difference will be the extra height that the plane goes to and we’ll have a longer free fall. I can’t wait!

Many of you sponsored us last year, but if you didn’t and would like to sponsor us this year please do. Butterflies Community Store, Rumbridge Street Totton have sponsor forms or you can pay via our PayPal account Skydive for Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 (2014).https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=NF7B6VHMK75ZL

Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 was set up by Amy Guy as the 20 anniversary of her diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis approached. She wanted to be able to raise money to give back to some of the organisations who had helped her over the years. After the anniversary, 15th February 2014, when we held an Afternoon Tea, and all the funds were in Amy was able to present the Myasthenia Gravis Association (Hampshire Branch) with a cheque for £2,000.00 and Stanley Graveson Ward, Wessex Neurological Unit, Southampton General Hospital with a cheque for £500 plus two personal DVD players, one for the women’s ward and one for the men’s ward. Amy knows only too well that it’s good to have something which helps pass the time when spending long days in a hospital bed.

As well as the Myasthenia Gravis Association and Stanley Graveson Ward there are other organisations that have helped Amy over the years and she would like to be able to give something back to them as well. Some of these are:

Ward G2, Southampton General Hospital (where Amy spent a lot of her time as a teenager)
Action for Children
Young Carers
Society St. James

Any donations we receive for this Skydive will go to one or more of these organisations.

As a result of the fundraising that we did last year Amy took a look at her working life and decided she wanted something more, something different ….

So,

Butterflies Community Store was born.

I mentioned this in my last update and the shop is still going strong. Amy works in the shop most days and is helped by an army of volunteers – although there is always room for a few more! They sell a wide range of items, such as clothes, DVDs, books, puzzles, bric a brac, children’s toys, small items of furniture, and much more. Most of the items are donated, although in the spring and summer months they sold numerous bedding and other plants plus hanging baskets. There is always something new to see.

At the rear of the shop there is the Ten Bob Tearoom and Library (there were so many books in the shop they were taking over so had to be moved to a room of their own). It’s called the Ten Bob Tearoom because a cup of tea or coffee will cost just 50p as will a slice of cake or a biscuit or two. Beyond the tearoom is a lovely little garden with tables and chairs. An ideal place to sit and relax over a cuppa!

The tearoom has a number of regular events, Fish & Chip and Bingo lunch on a Friday lunchtime (to be booked in advance), Tuesday Cards and Board Games and Wednesdays Knit and Natter. Psychic Suppers are also held regularly with Medium Rachel Squires, these have proved very popular.

The tearoom can also be hired out for meetings, parties etc. For more information please contact Amy at butterfliesbbs@outlook.com or go to Butterflies Community Store on Facebook.

There will be another update shortly – after the Skydive on Sunday. Wish us luck.

Amy’s H.O.P.E. 20 – June 2014 Update

<Hi Everyone,

Apologies for the long silence, but please don’t think it’s because I’ve got nothing to say! Lots has been happening since I last updated you with the Amy’s HOPE 20 fundraising. First of all, after spending most of last year and early this year fundraising in one way or another Amy decided that she wanted to do more ….. She handed in her notice as an Activities Co-ordinator at a nursing home and opened

Butterflies Community Store.

She has taken on the lease of a local shop (the Old Post Office in Rumbridge Street). But it’s not just a shop – there is a kitchen, tea room and garden at the back! Everything needed decorating – so we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck in! So, that’s how we spent March. Then on Saturday 29th March came the opening of the shop.

Amy took this opportunity to combine both opening the shop and handing over the funds that Amy’s HOPE 20 had raised up until 15th February 2014, which was the 20th anniversary of her diagnosis.

There were representatives from both the Hampshire Branch of Myasthenia Gravis Association and Stanley Graveson Ward, Wessex Neurological Hospital. Amy handed over a cheque for £2000.00 to the Hampshire Branch of the Myasthenia Gravis Association and a cheque for £500 plus two personal DVD players (one for the men’s ward and one for the women’s ward) to Stanley Graveson Ward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butterflies Community Store – the aim.

Amy formed Amy’s HOPE 20 to enable her to give back to organisations who had helped her over the last 20 years. The aim of Butterflies Community Store is to give back to the community and to also raise awareness of other conditions, illnesses that are not widely recognised. Butterflies will also promote various awareness weeks.

Tearoom – The tearoom which is a very pleasant light and airy room is available for private hire. There are also various events organised each month, so keep an eye on the “What’s On”. To date there have been two Psychic suppers which were a great success, there will be a fish and chip supper and bingo night every other Friday (Friday 6th June was a special D Day supper). Other activities include Knit and Natter on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month, Boardgames on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, both from 10.30 – 12.30.

Sunday 6th July – Race for Life post race refreshments
Butterflies tea rooms will be open from 11.00 – 3.00 on this day to sell well earned refreshments to those ladies who have taken part in the Southampton Race for Life – and their supporters. Profits made will be donated to Cancer Research UK. Cream teas or ‘Slimmers’ snacks’ will be available at £2.50 per plate with other refreshments from 50p each.

Calmore Group Slimming World
My last notification mentioned that Calmore Group Slimming World were taking part in the Slim for Life. There was a vote to choose a charity for any money raised to be donatedto – and Amy’s HOPE 20 won!!

Some members (including me and Dave) volunteered to be sponsored for our weight loss over a six week period). Emillie our consultant also held raffles with the funds being donated and the Amy’s HOPE 20 collection tins were placed in very prominent positions!
On Thursday 8th May Amy came to the Calmore Group Slimming World and Emillie presented her with a cheque for £322 plus cash bringing the total donation to £398.62. Amy was totally overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity. Thank you to everyone at Calmore Group Slimming World for all their hard work.