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Community smashes
fundraising goal
MANCHESTER based Callum Ballantine who
died of osteosarcoma in 2015 at just 19-years-old set up a fundraising
initiative to support other young people living in the North West before, during
and after cancer treatment. Initially selling:- 'Made From Manchester' tee
shirts, Callum's initiative was taken up by friends, families, school,
university and more resulting in a phenomenal £250,000 being raised for Teenage
Cancer Trust.
The Made From Manchester tee shirts were launched in November 2015 and with the
exposure given to them by the likes of Noel Gallagher and Manchester City FC
warming up on a match day in them, Callum and business partner Samir Kamani
presented a cheque to Teenage Cancer Trust for £20,000 within a month of launch.
Callum then set an ambitious target of £100,000 and wanted David Beckham and
others to join the campaign. He achieved both targets and so much more.
Callum had signed up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for charity prior to his
diagnosis so on his passing his brothers Lewis, Owen and Finn vowed to take his
ashes to the top of Africa's highest mountain. A total of 19 undertook the Trek
in August, Callum's best friends and family, and this became the focus of a
fundraising drive. Others joined the initiative and soon there were football
matches, cycle challenges, marathons, cake sales and so much more all being
supported by a huge North West community.
Last week the total raised under the umbrella of 'The Calimanjaro Challenge'
reached £250,000 and Callum's dad Rob presented a cheque on behalf of Callum's
supporters to Teenage Cancer Trust Honorary Patron Roger Daltrey CBE and Teenage
Cancer Trust's Chief Executive, Siobhan Dunn along with the Stereophonics Kelly
Jones and Tom Jones. Rob is a Director for SJM concerts, the official promoter
for Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall, which was conceived and
curated by Teenage Cancer Trust's Honorary Patron and The Who front man, Roger Daltrey CBE.
Callum's mum, Beth Ballantine, said:- "Cal lived life to the fullest and
was always a very social and kind hearted individual. He would be so proud of
the number of people who supported the fundraising and totally blown away by the
total raised. As a family we are so incredibly proud and it's such a monumental
legacy that hopefully will help other teenagers facing cancer".
Siobhan Dunn, Chief Executive of Teenage Cancer Trust, said:- "Cal showed
amazing determination and positivity, which continues to inspire so many people.
His family, friends, and the community in the North West have all continued to
fly the flag for Cal's legacy and the funds raised in his honour will make a
huge difference and help other young people with cancer in the region."
Teenage Cancer Trust's Honorary Patron and The Who front man, Roger Daltrey CBE,
said:- "Rob has shown incredible passion in his fundraising and support
for Teenage Cancer Trust over the years, and has been absolutely instrumental in
making the Teenage Cancer Trust Royal Albert Hall shows a success.
Cal inspired so many people in the North West to fundraise and help us support
for teens and young adults with cancer. It has been incredible to see the
community in the North West, coming together so closely to help improve the
lives of young people with cancer. Every penny raised will make the vital work
of Teenage Cancer Trust possible; we're hugely grateful for all the community's
support."
The Made From Manchester tee shirts have become cult fashion around Manchester
and beyond with celebrities such as David Beckham, Liam Gallagher and more all
supporting the brand. Alice, Jamie, Jonnie, Luke, Matt and Zach are brand
ambassadors and have been a driving force over the last twelve months. They have
a few ambitions and surprises in store for Made From Manchester followers in
2017.
Those wishing to make a donation in Callum's memory can visit:-
JustGiving.com/Calimanjaro or buy a 'Made
from Manchester' t-shirt
online. |
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66% of millennials struggle
to read a road map
THERE'S nothing more fun than a road
trip: the joy of the open road, being able to stop wherever you like, that
feeling of freedom as you… get totally lost and take a wrong turning at the next
junction. But these days, the potentials for mistakes are far fewer, thanks to
technology. The invention of the Sat Nav has let drivers sit back, relax, and
focus only on taking the wheel. Gone (for many) are the days of unfolding an
unwieldy road map, ferreting about for a road atlas, or (heaven forbid) asking a
stranger for directions.
But is the new technology all it's really cracked up to be? Car leasing company
Cars On Demand surveyed 1,000 people to find out how much
they really rely on their Sat Navs. The 1st overall discovery was that 54% of
us would struggle to read a road map these days. However, if we look more
closely, 67% of those were aged between 18 and 44, and 43% of them could be
described as 'millennials', aged between 18 and 34. Only 16.5% were 55 or
over, demonstrating perhaps that we are slowly but surely losing the skills of
finding our way by good old fashioned map reading.
A similar amount of people overall (56%) say they do not keep a map in their
car. Only a very small proportion of millennials (9% of 18 to 24 year olds and 10%
of 25 to 34 year olds) would, although, when it comes to the older generation, the
figure is much higher: 66% of 45 to over 65's. Maybe it's because they've
gathered so much wisdom over the years, including the fact that when a phone
battery dies, if you don't have anything else to fall back on, you're pretty
much stuck! And clearly, those who do rely on technology so heavily wouldn't
even want to try and risk getting to their destination without it: 44% of those
surveyed say they would simply abandon the car journey if their Sat Nav broke!
Overall, however, people feel safer using GPS than with a printed map, with 85%
of us agreeing. Perhaps we've suffered one too many unreliable navigators, or,
when driving solo, the risk of taking our eyes off the road to actually look at
the map, is too great.
But on the other hand, perhaps we're also losing a bit of common sense. There
have been endless stories of drivers ending up in lakes, or dead ends, because
of an unreliable or out of date Sat Nav, and it turns out that over a third of
us would take an illegal turn, or drive down a bus lane, if our Sat Nav told us
to; which has the potential to be a recipe for disaster! So perhaps the
solution is to keep alert to what's around us, and not just slavishly follow
that soothing, computerised voice…
"The invention of this technology has
been beyond valuable, but we should still be wary of relying on it 100%.
Keeping a road map in the car is never a bad idea either!" acknowledges
Paul Brown, Managing Director at Cars On Demand.
New Years Day 2017 charity event needs more
runners & swimmers!
THE Fernley is back for its 2nd year in
Southport event and will take place on New Year's Day 2017. If you want to shake
of your Christmas pounds, or start 2017 on a high... Well this is a very unusual
way to do it. The event is a charity event that is part run and part swim. The
event is now in its second year, commemorating one of the largest ever Lifeboat
disasters; the tragic loss of 27 lifeboat men, with 14 lives lost, from
Southport and 13 from St Annes, Lytham. The crews launched to save the troubled
'Mexico' boat, on 9 December 1886, but sadly many of them lost their
lives soon after. The events name also recognises 1 of Southport’s greatest
benefactors, John Fernley, whom The Fernley is named after.This event takes
place on New Year’s Day at 10.00am. Full information about the race that sees
participants not only running around the marine lake, but also swimming across
it, can be found via clicking on this
link. Even if not taking part this is a
fantastic event for of spectators to watch as well! |
