So many people have contributed to our fundraising efforts. Here is a selection of fundraising heroes from recent years. We are grateful for what these amazing folks have done and to help us to support families and people affected by myelproliferative neoplasms (MPN).
In the November 2013 issue of MPDlife we reported that Glen Titmarsh, who was the PhD student working on the MOSAICC study, was taking part in Movember, where men are sponsored to grow a moustache and not shave for the whole of November, the money raised being donated to charity. Glen chose to brave Movember to raise money for a charity close to his heart, MPD Voice.
Glen said “I decided to take part in Movember to raise money for this fantastic charity and raised £400, my goal for 2014 is to run the Belfast half marathon and will again look to raise more money for this worthy cause.”. We would like to thank Glen very much for raising such a fantastic amount.
June 2014 Andrea Headech was busy fundraising for MPN Voice having organized two fun events, a spa night and a 60s themed disco. Together the events raised almost £3,000 and Andrea also participated in the June abseil too!
Took part in the abseil at Guy’s Tower in June and raised over £170. The summer abseils raised over £2000 from our amazing and brave supporters!
Raised £602 after completing the Tunbridge Wells Sprint Triathalon in August. Andy was running on behalf of his wife who was diagnosed with ET in 2013.
Raised £300 at a church fete, and scarves on behalf of MPN Voice. Diane’s daughter Alex has MF.
Sister of MPN patient Anita, raised £533 in the 5K Race for Life earlier in 2014 year. Anita wants to thank her sister.
Jennie Barnes is a very active fundraiser for MPN Voice and CLIC Sargent, the charity for Children with Cancer, she does this because she herself has essential thrombocythaemia (ET). A few years ago Jennie, aged 23, received the devastating news from her haematologist that her ET had transformed into leukaemia, but a miracle happened, just as she was set to undergo a bone marrow transplant further tests showed that her blast cells had reduced to 2%, and she no longer had any leukaemia cells, you can read more about this amazing story in the March 2013 edition of MPDlife newsletter and on Jennie’s blog.
Jennie’s work colleagues rallied round her and decided to compete in the Wilmslow Half Marathon on 24th March 2013 and raise funds for MPD Voice. Despite a freezing cold day, seven brilliant people completed the marathon in times ranging from 1 hr 42 mins to 2 hrs 13 mins and raised over £1,000! So a massive thank you to Dave Wardroper,
Nicola Lloyd, Jack Bland, Ben Jackson, Dan Cheetham, Kate Walsh and Jamie Golombeck for supporting not just Jennie, but MPN Voice.
The first MPD Voice Summer Concert was held in London on 4th July 2013. The elegant Savile Club made the perfect venue on the warm and sunny evening, with drinks and canapés being served in the drawing room before the concert began in the upstairs ballroom. The evening was not only a celebration of the incredible talents of the young musicians but also a forum for MPD Voice friends and supporters to come together and enjoy the social side of such a positive and supportive evening.
Will Self, author, prolific journalist and regular broadcaster on radio and television, started the evening with an honest and humorous account of his diagnosis of polycythaemia vera.
The young musicians, who kindly gave their support and talent for free, sang and played to the highest standard. Laura Bridgman and Caragh Bennet began the evening and sang three jazz and blues songs as guests arrived in the ballroom. This talented duo were followed by Laura Snowdon and Tom Ellis of the Royal College of Music. This incredibly exciting pair of musicians have played their guitars in some of the most prestigious and famous venues around the world. Next was Pippa Bint with her viola, who was outstanding and received a standing ovation for her Hungarian Dance No.1 by Brahms, Pippa starts at the Royal College of Music in September. Olivia Brett, a 17 year old opera singer and Rank Fellowship and Music Scholar, has been described by the creative director of Glyndebourne Opera, as “a remarkable young soprano who is clearly marked out for a future career” sang a selection of Mozart and Lehar arias.
Dorian Todorov, who accompanied all our musicians for the evening, currently studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has appeared in venues such as the Menuhin Hall, Varna Festival Hall, Whitehall Banqueting House, Fairfield Hall and venues in Edinburgh and Perth. The concert came to a crescendo when the incredible pianist and composer Nathan Williamson stunned the guests with his powerful playing of Mozart’s Fantasy and Fugue in C major, K.394 Brahms’ Piano Pieces, op.118. He was called back for an encore and after 40 minutes of non-stop playing brought the concert to a rousing end.
An auction and raffle helped to swell funds, before the evening ended with a short address given by Professor Claire Harrison, Chair of MPD Voice. MPD Voice would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge with grateful thanks the following sponsors and donors:
With very special thanks to the following for their help and support in organising this first MPD Voice Concert:
Rachel Bridgman, Alan Bates, Peter Berners-Price, Maz Campbell-Drew, Maria Cooper, Amanda Hawkes, Jon Mathias, Alisia O’Sullivan, Piers Watson and Marilyn Webster.