Valley
man of the year
Good Samaritan Malcolm Genge has been named as Chew Valley's Man of the Year.
The owner of Chew Stoke's shop and garage will pick up the Chelwood Rotary Club's
Community Award at a presentation later this month (April). Chew Stoke Parish
Council made the nomination for the award. Chairman Roy Ireson said many people
had grown to rely on Malcolm since he came to the village twelve years ago.
"Not only does he run the shop and garage, but Malcolm also delivers groceries to disabled and elderly people and he gives lifts to people who need to get to the doctors' surgery in Chew Magna. When he found out that a young lad, who'd saved all his money to buy his first car, had had it stolen he fixed up an old car and gave it to the young man. All in all he's always positive and happy to help, so we are delighted he has received this recognition," said Mr Ireson.
New
website to help you cut your carbon
An exciting
new project - Fair Shares, Fair Choice - has been launched in the South West.
Fair Shares, Fair Choice can help you to explore your carbon budget and make
positive choices towards low carbon living. Along with a carbometer, www.fairsharesfairchoice.com
will invite you to sign up as a supporter, develop your own carbon action
plan and share your experiences of 'going low-carb'. A choice of virtual 'carbon
coaches' will be on hand to offer positive advice, tips and encouragement for
living within a fair carbon budget at home, work and play.
Over
the top for Kidney Research
Jerry
Moorhouse of Chew Stoke was one of 108 brave people who stepped out over the
edge of the roof of The Bristol Royal Hospital for Children last month and abseiled
120ft down the outside of the building to raise money for Kidney Research UK.
As the recipient of two transplants over the last ten years, most recently in
April 2005, Jerry is all too aware of the importance of the work of Kidney Research
UK.
"As well as obviously wanting to give something back to an organisation from whose work I have benefited so greatly, I also wanted to raise awareness of the transplant process" said Jerry. "When we read of a child who has received a transplant the impression is sometimes given that their life has been turned around and it will all be plain sailing after that. This is simply not the case.
"What is not widely known is that donor organs at present have a limited lifespan of around ten years due to the effect of immunosuppressant drugs. Keeping someone on dialysis is hugely expensive and not only does a successful transplant lead to a better quality of life but in the long term is also significantly cheaper. This is why continuing research into improved drugs is so important."
Jerry raised over £300 and would like to thank everyone who supported him. The total raised by all participants over the weekend was a staggering £23,000.
Anne Collier
Two
Marathons for heart charity
Luke Hasell
is planning to run the London and New York Marathons on April 22 and November
5 respectively, in memory of his father Martin Hasell, of Herons Green Farm,
Chew Stoke.
Luke says: "I decided to run both following last year Bristolıs Half Marathon which I completed quite comfortably, although 26.2 miles does seem a little crazy. Once I found out that the New York marathon was actually on the anniversary of my father's death in 2003, I confirmed my place and the challenge was set. Having done weeks of training I feel prepared for the mental challenge but not sure my legs feel the same? I did 23 in miles in training a few days ago and don't feel too knackered, so hopefully I'll be ok. I am raising money for British Heart Foundation, for which I am organising several charity events, one of which is the yearly and much awaited golf competition. If you would like to sponsor me then the following link below allows you to do that over the internet. http://www.bhf.org.uk/sponsor/lukehasell
"If you or your company would like to sponsor one of the events then please contact me on 07855492108 and I can send you more details of each."
Free
trees
The Forest of Avon has launched a Free Trees Scheme. Under the Free Tree Scheme,
the Forest of Avon will provide trees for free to community groups, schools,
parishes and local councils for use in community planting projects. The scheme
is funded by donations from individuals and businesses - providing a much-needed
opportunity to make a positive contribution to their local environment. Trees
for the scheme will be bought from the Forest of Avon Tree Life Centre, a local
community tree nursery, and support their work in growing native tree species
from locally collected seed.
The Free Tree Scheme is part of the Forest of Avon's work on climate change - helping to create an environment that is better able to cope with some of the effects of climate change locally. With the help of extra funding from their corporate sponsors, Western Power Distribution, and a small contribution from the school, The Forest of Avon Tree Life Centre will complete the planting of over 800 trees to create a 161-metre hedge along the front boundary of a school.
This will not only provide an excellent and attractive natural barrier; it will also attract wildlife and provide a natural learning resource for the pupils. For more information on the Free Trees Scheme and how to get involved, call the Forest of Avon on 0117 953 2141, or visit www.forestofavon.org.uk The Forest of Avon is one of England's twelve Community Forests and is an ambitious project to improve the environment for the people of the West of England. Formed by a partnership of councils, national organisations and community groups, it has already seen the planting of a million trees
Rising American singer-songwriter Corinne West pays a visit to West Harptree on Saturday 28th April when she appears at the Memorial Hall as part of her UK tour. Acclaim for Corinne has been growing over the last couple of years following the release of her album Bound For The Living in 2004.
This quickly established her as a major talent in the country / folk / bluegrass mould and has brought comparisons with Joni Mitchell, Mary-Chapin Carpenter and Emmylou Harris. Her voice has been described as 'mesmerising' and her songwriting as 'intelligent and passionate'.
The event is another collaboration from promoters PLEASE and Hard Shoulder Productions, who were responsible for the highly successful Jan Smith concerts in 2005 and 2006. Supporting Corinne West is an exciting new local talent Andrew Short. Doors open at 8.30pm and tickets cost £7, available from PLEASE on 01761 221448 or 0777 900 3168 or email info@please-events.co.uk
