Arthritis Research UK

Arthritis Research UK has teamed up with florists Hayford & Rhodes to help raise money for arthritis research this Mother’s Day, March 18th. Hayford & Rhodes has created a special Mother’s Day bouquet with 100% of proceeds going towards arthritis research. That means that every purchase will help Arthritis Research UK with their important research, finding the cause, treatments, and hopefully one day a cure for arthritis. Far from being a disease that only affects the elderly, arthritis impacts over 10 million people of all ages in the UK, including over 15,000 children suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or JIA.

That’s where the folks at Hayford & Rhodes (and you!) come in. They’ve created a custom made bouquet, combining White Avalanche Roses, Orange Ranunculus, White Spray Roses and Vibernum to create a fun, unique arrangement that will be a hit for Mother’s Day and help out a great cause. Prices range from £44.95 for small bouquets to £84.95 for large. With over 200 different forms of the disease and 1 in 6 people in the UK living with daily arthritic pain, this is no doubt money well spent! To buy your mum a bouquet and support the cause, visit www.hayfordandrhodes.co.uk

Quintessentially Foundation’s Skydive

On 13^th July 27 brave souls from Quintessentially London threw themselves out of a plane from 14,000ft (that’s 2.5 miles high) in a charity Skydive for Quintessentially Foundation.  Luckily we all returned – Rob Break’s bacon sandwich however, didn’t make it.

Our jump took place at Netheravon, near Salisbury on a sunny but cloudy day. The whole thing lasted about 6mins for each person with 45-50 seconds of free-fall followed by a five minute gentle parachute back down to green earth.

The event has collected £22,492GBP so far in sponsorship money and we are still raising so please donate now! For information on how to donate please speak to Chloe Musgrave (chloe.musgrave@quintesentiallyfoundation.org), Cordu N’Diaye (cordu.ndiaye@quintessentially.com) or see our Facebook page (http://goo.gl/ToINM).

The money we raise from this event is being be put towards the Quintessentially Foundation small grant scheme. All event participants/ fundraisers will be able to nominate a charity of their choice to receive small grants of £500-£2000

These are our best/ and worst bits in pictures, videos and quotes.  Please see Quintessentially Foundations facebook page (http://goo.gl/ToINM) for more!

VIDEOS:

Aaron

http://www.watchmyreddevilskydive.com/aaronsimpson

Alexei

http://www.watchmyreddevilskydive.com/alexicantacuzenesporawsky

Paul Drummond

http://www.watchmyreddevilskydive.com/peterolfe1

Pete Rolfe

http://www.watchmyreddevilskydive.com/peterolfe

Rob Breaks

www.watchmyreddevilskydive​.com/robbreaks

 

 

BEST QUOTES:

 

“Lose your virginity. Rx” Donation by Richard Branson

(Aaron Simpson’s page http://www.justgiving.com/Aaron-Simpson0)

 

“When the people look like ants-PULL, When the ants look like people-PRAY…. xx” Donation by Toots

(Cordu N’Diaye’s page www.justgiving.com/cordundiaye)

 

“The possibility of physical and mental collapse is now very real. No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride.” Donation by Johnny Depp

(Helen Tootsi’s page www.justgiving.com/helen-tootsi)

 

“Typical – you’ve found a way to raise money by simply falling down!” Donation by Michael Mann

(Ed Gerard’s page http://www.justgiving.com/Ed-Gerard0)

 

“One way of getting a high, rather you than me, very brave. A very worthy cause, best of luck.” Donation by brian hayter

(Nicola Munro’s page http://www.justgiving.com/nicolamunro)

 

 

 

 

Introducing Pro Dono

We’re pleased to announce that Quintessentially Foundation and Pro Dono have joined forces to raise funds for charities.

Pro Dono is a not-for-profit organisation specialising in organising one-to-one experiences with well-known famous figures – for those interested in business, it might be a visit to Guernsey with Terra Firma’s Guy Hands; for a gastronome, a cookery lesson with Raymond Blanc; for a cricket fan, perhaps afternoon tea at Lord’s with Geoffrey Boycott?

And here’s the best part – it’s all in aid of charity. You suggest a donation to go to the celebrity’s chosen charity.

Pro Dono has over 90 celebrity supporters raising money for over 75 causes. With planning of future events already underway (such as exclusive auctions for Quintessentially clients), Quintessentially and Pro Dono together hope to raise significant amounts for a whole range of charities.

Head to http://www.prodono.co.uk to find out more, or contact Chloe at chloe.musgrave@quintessentiallyfoundation.org.

One of our London to Edinburgh cyclists recalls his experience

Day 1 – London to Peterborough (94 miles)

The day started early in the car park of Alexandra Palace, in North London for my riding buddy, Drew, and I.  There was a cold wind from the north so, after extended greetings of people we met last year, and the briefing from the marshals, so all 52 starters were glad to set off at 7.30am.

We wound our way through the suburbs of London but within 10 miles we were in the countryside and people settled into their respective pace and spread out – a pattern of 2 hours between front and back group that was to maintain throughout the event.

There were a few early hills through London but the terrain flattened out and the full force of the cold, north wind that was to dog us for the whole trip became apparent.

When you’re on a bike and the wind is blowing against you, it feels like you would stop dead if you stopped pedalling.  It was also so cold that the joints ached constantly – for me, the knees (until Dr Nurofen made a welcome appearance around lunchtime).

We pulled into our hotel outside Peterborough at about 3.30pm.  A crew of masseurs were on hand to remedy tired legs and shoulders (the cheapest and best of the trip at £15 for a half hour).  Peter, also from Bermuda, pushed along with the lead group to finish amongst the first in difficult conditions.  He was accompanied by Ian from Scotland and two other fit-looking tri-athletes who made it a mission to be first each day (they were).

Slept well.

 Day 2 – Peterborough to Scunthorpe (96 miles)

The organisers issued maps and elevation profiles each morning.  The weather forecast was as bleak as the day before, and the terrain expected to be similar (flat – and therefore wind exposed).

The first 10 miles were on the Peterborough ring road, with large trucks thundering past.  Although not pleasant, it did get the legs (and in my case, sore knees) warmed up pretty quickly.  We formed pace lines – single file, alternating at the front – to keep as much speed up as possible in the ferocious, cold wind.  Oh, and the rain….

We all battled driving rain, with the strong winds, from mid-morning onwards, arriving very tired at the hotel outside Scunthorpe at around 3.30pm.  Thanks to Mike for alternating the drafting during the day – mate, you have to get rid of the purple parachute on your back pretending to be a rain jacket – it will be so much easier for you!

Dinner was a quiet affair, with much comment about the dismal weather so far and fear of worse to come.

Slept fitfully.

 Day 3 – Scunthorpe to Middlesborough (100 miles)

The elevation profile for day 3 showed 3 large climbs (3-400m bottom to top, so hardly alpine – but painful all the same).

These rides (at least for me) are punctuated by the hills – the dread of what’s ahead and then the relief of getting to the top of each one.  At this stage, too, I was worried about pulling something before challenges to come (day 4 – see below).  As fellow riders we spent time at breakfast and in the breaks checking the map and looking at the map in trepidation.

On the ride itself, most of that was forgotten, as the scenery (and weather) improved dramatically.  After 18 miles and a dull start (on all fronts), we crossed the Humber on a bridge which still impresses half a century after it was built – it takes quite a few minutes to cross and we were not hanging around.

After the Humber Bridge we stopped to regroup and the sun came out for a group photo and stayed out for the whole day, so for once the weather was not as bad as forecast.  The landscape from here on was stunning and if you were ever thinking of doing a ride/walk/tour, I would recommend starting from here and working upwards.

Lunch was at 65 miles, after 3 big hills in the East Yorkshire moors.  The ride after lunch included an “oh sh*t” moment going down a steep, winding hill in the woods, when I had to use all of the road at 35mph to make a corner; thank God no-one was coming the other way.

Before finishing the day, we did the biggest climb of the trip so far – in the North York Moors National Park.  I started off strongly from the last water break and, thinking I was spoiling for a fight, a young blade (Justin) chased me up the hill.  I was totally spent by the top, in the face of a horrible head wind, so I ended up drafting behind the poor chap for the last 15 miles to the hotel – I bought him a beer for his trouble that night.  Scenery was impressive but I was just too pooped to appreciate it.

After a rest however we watched the highlights of one of the best Tour de France stages on record – Cadel Evans looking in good shape for the yellow jersey.

The “ice cream sundae” was particularly memorable – a huge blob of bright yellow and brown that I’m no doubt had never seen chocolate, vanilla or cream.

Again, not a great night’s sleep, thinking about the “big day” tomorrow.

 Day 4 – Middlesborough to Alnwick (100 miles)

The map / profile of the day’s ride was handed out at breakfast…..oh dear!  It looked like the mouth of Jaws – up and down in sharp points.  It was difficult to discern the exact number of teeth but 8 – 10 seemed to be the consensus.

My mental approach was to get to lunch at over half way (60 miles) – with 5 of the major climbs done, and only then think about the home stretch.

In the event, I had a good run in to lunch.  I caught a group on one of the hills, including Justin from the day before, and we had a marvelous “race” down the other side through some lovely woods and undulations.  Got up to 45mph on one of the downhill stretches – trying to avoid thinking about being on 23mm tyres and brake pads that are about 3cm x 1cm.

However, at lunch my body reminded me how old I was and I just couldn’t get up to rejoin that group.  I joined my regular group and we moved almost immediately to the next set of hills.

On the worst bits, I was riding with Chris, and we encouraged each other up each steep section, and freewheeled down the other side.  At the last water stop, the marshall assured us there was one big hill and then it was “undulating” from there ’til home.

At 95 miles – after some killer hills – we hit the top of the “last” hill, and pedaled as hard as we could down the mountain, thinking we were heading into the village where we were staying over night.  But no – one last unpleasant surprise awaited us – a 17% hill in 2x 200m sections.  There wasn’t one part of my body that wasn’t aching at this stage, and I was so glad to finish at the very nice hotel in Alnick, with fantastic staff (Gary, the maitre d’, put up with some severe stick).

That was at 4.30pm.  The last group arrived as we were having dinner at 8.30pm.

The scenery and weather, though just as windy as ever against us, had been breathtaking.  In all, we had climbed 7,500 ft that day.

Having had poor sleep for a couple of nights, I took up the offer of a sleeping pill to help me rest.  I woke up in the night wanting the bathroom and felt so wobbly I walked into the toilet door.  Maybe a half dose next time.

 Day 5 – Alnwick to Edinburgh (82 miles)

To be honest, my legs (knees in particular) were all but done by now and I sincerely hoped it would be a nice cruise into Edinburgh on the final day.

Things looked good as we crossed the Tweed at the beautiful Coldstream and the sun came out after a cold and windy start.

The biggest hill of the whole ride was before lunch (at 65 miles again).  It didn’t disappoint – 5k of climbing against the wind and then (it seemed to me) a near vertical 300m one pedal stroke at a time.

This was a proper hill – in the lowest gear I had, out of the saddle, and grinding onwards and upwards, hearing each breath and willing myself to take the next downstroke (sorry to be so dramatic, but that’s how it was).

I took a rest at the top, overlooking a wind farm (beautiful, but inefficient, I was told by an engineer coming the other way) and then took some photos of my team mates coming up the hill.  We all then free-wheeled down some hairy, gravelly, cattle-gridded, roads to the lunch stop (the best of the trip).  The whiff of the finish was so close I had to have a pint of bitter shandy!

I now have to confess that, for the last 20 miles, all I wanted was the finish.  Sure, it was fantastic weather, and we were ambling along the beautiful beaches to the east of Edinburgh (never knew they had surf but there were some lovely rollers coming in).  But I was done for.  My a*se was complaining (despite having 2x sets of shorts as a special treat for the last day), my legs were shot and I just wanted to get to the end.

The finish line was underneath Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, the sun was blazing and thousands of people were there (not because of us, but because there’s only about 5 days a year like that in Scotland).  The final stretch had a surreal quality to it; there was an ice cream van, this bloke on a 12ft tall bike entertaining the crowd, people having picnics etc. and at the same time we were being asked to move ourselves and our bikes because we were “blocking traffic”.  Ben Elliott, the organiser of the event told a traffic warden to f*ck off and was cautioned by the police.  To my great relief, someone was on hand with cold beers at the finish line (thanks Rupert, Chris and Seb) to keep tempers under control.  Thanks also to Rufus who handed Drew and I an iced lolly as we crossed the line – small things really do count.

After some baggage dramas and a quick  change in the cab (there wasn’t much to see after 5 days in the saddle), Drew and I managed to catch the 6.15pm to London.  I was left with a sense of pride after raising over $15k for charity, making some new friends, some fantastic memories and a pair of very sore legs.  472.5 miles, 20,000 ft of climbing (all in the last 3 days) and 1 tub of very much appreciated chamois (ie. a*se) cream.

I would like to say many, many thanks to my fellow riders named above and unnamed, for being such a good bunch, and sorry to those I was not able to speak enough with (Colleen, all the Tims and Ollies, Jake, George, the Met policemen etc).

East Africa Food Appeal

The whole of the horn of Africa region has been hit by the worst drought in 60 years which has left more than 11 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and the newly formed Republic of South Sudan in urgent need of food, water and emergency health care. SOS Childrens Village are launching an emergency appeal to help the children affected by the new wave of crisis. To donate or find out how you can help- please visit: http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/charity-news/appeal-for-help-sos-launches-emergency-relief-in-somalia

Emergency Appeal Save the Children, Oxfa

Emergency Appeal

Save the Children, Oxfam and the Red Cross have made appeals for donations to help those affected by the recent drought in the Horn of Africa. Over 3.2 million people are in need of aid making this the worst drought in a decade in Ethiopia. No rain is expected until September leaving three months for children and families to starve to death.

To read more about this go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14024081

To donate go here http://www.redcross.org.uk/foodcrisis/?approachcode=68764_heroEAfrFood

Two Men’s Journy to Annual 10k

On the 10th of July, two high-profile Tottenham Hotspur fans will be participating in British 10k London Run to raise funds for SOS Children’s Village. Nihal and Kulveer headed to the Spurs gym for some training with Sam Erith, Head of Sports Science, Fitness and Conditioning. Sam said they both need to train hard if they want to complete the race, but the two are convinced they can do it. Nihal said he is “looking forward to raising a lot of money for SOS Children’s Villages.”

To see their progress, check it out here http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/charity-news/celebs-to-run-british-10k-for-sos-children-an-update-on-dj-nihal-and-kulveer-ranger2019s-training

To support Nihal and Kulveer by visiting their Just Giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/NihalandKulveer

Red Devils Skydive Seeking Your Help

Quintessentially Foundation is preparing for our biggest drop yet.  On 13 June, some brave souls are will be jumping out of a plane to raise some money for charity.  With £12,405.92 raised so far, QF still has a long way to go to reach our goal of £30,000.  Some of the participants are having a bit of trouble getting to their targets.  To help any of these dare devils out visit our Just Giving page at http://www.justgiving.com/quintessentiallyfoundation or contact us directly by sending an email to chloe.musgrave@quintessentiallyfoundation.org or cordu.ndiaye@quintessentially.com

SOS Children’s Village Helping Empower Women in Guatemala

SOS Children’s Village has been helping people around the world to further education, rights and general wellbeing of all.  For more than half a dozen years their Strengthening Program in Sololá, Guatemala, has been giving women the courage to be more active within their communities. Of the 240 plus families supported by SOS, 90% of them are female-headed households. 

Mayan girls grow up preparing for their role in the home.  Most girls will attend two years of primary school, if any at all.  Their entire “education” revolves around learning about housework, leaving many of them illiterate.  Many men take control of the jobs due to the majority of girls beginning to have children at an early age, causing them to have a higher average number of children to take care of.

To help empower the women of Sololá, SOS has started a literacy program to help develop their skills and boost their confidence.  So far the program has had a great impact creating more participation of the women in their communities and to help even more, they operate a day-care center for the children of the working moms.

One woman who has benefited from SOS’s efforts is Isabel.  Isabel is a mother of 12 and a grandmother of three and has raised children and taken care of house her whole life.  She has never been to school because when she was growing up, her father told her “that women would not have the right to learn anything. All my brothers went, but us girls did not.”  Since SOS established their program in Sololá, Isabel has taken literacy classes and can now read and write.  These skills have given her the confidence to have a bigger impact on her local community.  At 51 she says, “I am old, but I have never been taught anything” she explains “participating in those talks awakened my mind.”

To read about one woman whose life has changed for the better, please check out her story here: http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/charity-news/steps-towards-gender-equality-in-guatemala

To read more about other SOS programs in Guatemala, visit here: http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/sponsor-a-child/americas/guatemala/sos-children-in-guatemala

International Day of the African Child

Ten years ago today, The Organization of African Unity first celebrated the International Day of the African Child.  It remembers the more than 10,000 African students who fought for their educational rights during the apartheid regime 35 years ago.  “Thousands were killed and more that 179 were brutally tortured.”   Because of the organization’s efforts, continued advancements have been made toward improving the level and quality education provided to disadvantaged African children.

Today SOS Children’s Village will be holding a children’s right exhibition in Nairobi focused on the importance of education and schools.  “It will highlight the need to educate children on their right to life, their survival and development.  It will also advocate for the developing of laws and establishing of government structures to ensure child survival, development and protection.”

Although in recent years things have improved for many children, money for tuition, uniforms and textbooks fees are a huge barrier for many.  Many have to forgo education in order to provide for their families.  SOS has established 111 schools and 128 nurseries across Africa, which has helped thousands over the years.

To help with these efforts, please visit http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/charity-news/day-of-the-african-child and to read a personal account click here http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/charity-news/dickson2019s-story-the-opportunity-to-be-a-success-at-sos-school-lusaka-in-zambia