TOMATINA FESTIVAL IN LEEDS (17/8/2010)
“ This Bank Holiday Weekend in August La Tasca Leeds will be hosting a very special event. WELCOME TO OUR TOMATINA FESTIVAL. Yes the world famous Tomatina Spanish Festival will be celebrated in La Tasca Leeds on Greek Street in the heart of Leeds City Centre. This very popular and successful restaurant will be pulling out all the stops to make each and every customer feel special and more importantly get involved in helping Candlelighters. Expect Tomato infused Drinks, Tomato infused new menu items as well as our already famous Tapas Menu to test your tastebuds!. As an extra special treat KIDS EAT FREE when mums and dads spend £10 or more. Fun and Frolics will take place from Thursday 26th August with the start of the Tomatina Festival with our Fiesta Night where we will be providing sample food such as our Paells and drink tasters in the form of Sangria’s to kick off the weekend in style.The Festival will Continue until Monday 30th August Over the weekend we aim to support Candlelighters by asking all our customers to donate to this fantastic and worthwhile charity just so we can give something back to a charity we hold dear to our hearts. Kids can expect Face Painting and Balloon Giveaways, not forgetting mums and dads who can take a chance at guessing in our game TALLY TOMATOES…come in to La Tasca Leeds and get involved in all things Spanish in the heart of Leeds for further Information please telephone us and ask for Paula or Declan tEL: 0113 2442205 .”
Asda and The Seven Hill Farmers (12/8/2010)
On the 20th June, Askham Bryan College of Agriculture and Horticulture in York held an open day for students to get involved and learn a bit more about the courses on offer. As part of the event, Asda in partnership with The Seven Hill Farmers, a co-operative in North Yorkshire, sampled a selection of their latest products to whet visitor's appetites - in return for donations for Candle Lighters. The farmers have been working closely with the supermarket to develop a new brand of quality North Yorkshire lamb and, thanks to their efforts on the day (not to mention their tenacity!) they raised an incredible £239.33. Asda presented the cheque at St James Hospital on the 25th June. Seven Hills Farmer Tim Lawn was amazed by the support. "It was great to see so many people reaching into their pockets for such a worthy cause. It's a charity close to my heart after they helped my daughter when she suffered with cancer last year, and I hope this goes some way towards saying thanks for all the good work they do."
Charity Unleashed brings you the Leeds Gift Book (5/8/2010)
£1,000 of gift experiences for £50
that's it, nothing more and nothing less, absolutely no hidden costs.
Too good to be true?
No, Leeds businesses want you to come out and have fun and help support two fantastic charities, Candlelighters and Cash for Kids.
Why should I buy it?
Because for the first time ever, you receive £1,000 for only £50, and no you do not have to spend any money to use the vouchers, we obviously recommend that you support your local businesses by giving a little back, but this is not essential to use your gift book. Difficult to believe? Please check out our website.
But please act fast, there are only 4,000 books and they are only available for a limited time and once we have sold all of those, there will be no more available until next year.
So be a part of a Leeds first and buy the book.
What is in the book?
Everything from spa days, to hotel nights, off–road driving and scuba diving, meals in restaurants and back massages. For a full list, check out the Charity Unleashed website....
www.charityunleashed.com, where you can also find links to the charities we are working with.
Some incredible brands involved are:
- Chevin Country Park Hotel and Spa
- The Living Room
- Hob Salon
- Waterfall Spa
- Yorkshire 4x4
- Prohibition
- Livingwell @ The Hilton
- Wike Ridge Golf Course (Leeds Golf Centre)
- Thorpe Park Hotel Spa
So check out the website www.charityunleashed.com and see what you can get for £50.00
and how you will help raise over £60,000 for 2 local charities.
Contact Sally Amos for further details on info@candlelighters.org.uk or 0113 247 0372.
visit the website
Glusburn Sponsored Silence (27/7/2010)
When little Zak Longbotoom's classmates at Glusburn Primary School heard that he was ill they wanted to do something to help. So on Friday 19th March the children were invited to take part in a sponsored silence. The rules were simple but challenging, the children had to keep quiet! The length of silence depending on their age group. Head Teacher, Ricahrd Hunt was amazed by the response. They raised a fantastic £2772.40, by far the highest amount of money the little school had ever raised through a single event. Zak was able to visit his classmates before the summer break to accept the cheque on behalf of Candlelighters
Bradford Musicathalon (13/7/2010)
Approach PR's first Musicalathon at Bradford Playhouse on 18 June became the hightlight of the day for those disheartened by another disappointing result for England in the World Cup and provided a lighthearted, fun filled night for die hard musical enthusiasts, Films from Mamma Mia to Hairspray followed one another. Each was greeted with the same enthusiasm and vigor, despite the unearthly hour and proved a real tribute to the mood of the event . With home baking on offer to add further sweetness to an evening of high spirits, special mention should go to Bradford’s Midland Hotel which donated bacon sandwiches for all participants at 5am. Raffle prizes on the night included a night’s stay in the Midland Hotel and a meal for two at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Leeds. Other prizes were also generously donated by Little Germany’s Bar Twenty 5, Bradford Media Museum and Natural Beauty. Approach PR Managing Director, Suzanne Johns said, “All who took part really entered into the spirit of the evening and it was so much fun to be able to put on such an unusual event such as this, and raise money for a charity that is so close to the hearts of all of us here at Approach. Most who attended made it to the end – we were quite euphoric not to mention exhausted by morning!”
Candlelighters on Calendar! (1/7/2010)
To watch the clip of Candlelighters on ITV Calendar that was aired on June 16, please click below!
If you're a YouTube user, don't forget to subscribe to the Candlelighters YouTube channel too.
A date in the Calendar! (17/6/2010)
Anyone who was around when a news crew from ITV’s Calendar News visited the new Candlelighters ward may have seen themselves on the TV at 6pm yesterday (16 June)!
The visit to the new premises at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) highlighted the importance of The Big Move Appeal and the fantastic and numerous support services made available by Candlelighters to young cancer patients and their families.
Featuring Candlelighters trustees and staff, the piece explored how the move to LGI will benefit present and future patients and their families, and the need to maintain this transition and Candlelighters’ services through fundraising.
The footage also looked at where the money generously raised by supporters goes; for example, to fund play workers who give the kids a much-needed distraction from treatment and dinner ladies who provide a flexible and freshly prepared food and snacks service for our patients, whose appetites and eating times vary considerably depending on treatment.
Those interviewed by Calendar included parent trustees Roger Stocker (see pictured) and Geoff Shenton, dinner lady Elaine and play worker Claire.
Thank you to all those who got involved! We are delighted to have been featured on the programme and hope you all get a chance to see it! Who knows - you might even have caught a glimpse of yourself or someone you know!
Candlelighters Triumph at Stray FM Local Hero Awards (6/6/2010)
Congratulations to two of our great fundraisers
On the 4th June, two of our fundraisers won both the group and individual fundraising awards at the Stray FM Local Hero awards, held at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate. The awards recognise outstanding contribution in the Harrogate area.
Harrogate Candlelighters won the Group Fundraising award, a fantastic birthday present in their 21st year. Sue Patterson, chair, commented " It's great to see the charity recognised. Like many of the other groups we are run by volunteers and this award really is a reward for all their hard work. Winning the award will really help us to raise the profile in the local area. We were approached by several companies in the night who have pledged thier support to us for the big move appeal"
Harrogate Candlelighters have several events coming up including a car wash on the 19th June at Harrogate Fire Station and ball at Harewood House on the 16th October. Details for both can be found in the events sections of this website
The individual award was won by George Stocker, an 11 year who has so far raised over £32,000 for Candlelighters. George was diagnosed with Meduloblastoma brain tumour in April 2008 and is now 10 months since he completed Chemotherapy. Not only that George went on to win the main prize of Stray FM Ultimate Hero of the Year and was indiviewed live on the radio. George said " it was an amazing night and listening about all of the other people I did not think I would win the individual award and shocked when the announced my name as hero of the year".
George's next fundraising event is the Candlelighters fun run on the 20th June. More information can be found on www.candlelighters.org.uk/wetherbyfunrun.
WE SHALL GO TO THE HARROGATE BALL (13/5/2010)
Tickets available now for spectacular soiree in aid of children with cancer
The countdown has officially begun to the spectacular Harrogate Candlelighters Autumn Ball on 16 October 2010 at The Pavilion at Harewood House, in aid of children living with cancer in Yorkshire and their families.
Organised by Harrogate Candlelighters, one of the largest dedicated fundraising groups of Yorkshire’s pre-eminent children’s cancer charity the Candlelighters Trust (Candlelighters), the Ball is now in its twentieth year. Candlelighters provides practical, emotional and financial support to children living with cancer in Yorkshire and their families, as well as funding vital research into new treatments and cures.
The group anticipates a sell-out event after last year’s well-attended occasion where guests praised the high quality catering and entertainment on offer. Over the last 10 years Harrogate Candlelighters have raised over £600,000, the annual Ball contributes significantly to the monies raised throughout the year.
This year the lavish event is supported by Yorkshire Mafia, a LinkedIn networking group headed by Geoff Shepherd; Boutique Catering, one of Yorkshire’s premier catering and event management companies; and audio visual specialists AV Matrix.
The event will include its customary glitz and glamour, fine wining and dining, and entertainment, with a number of other fundraising activities for guests to get involved in, including live and silent auctions
The annual Harrogate Ball is one of the group’s biggest fundraising events, with all proceeds put into helping children and teenagers and their families every year who access treatment at the regional children’s cancer and leukaemia unit in Leeds. Previous events run by Harrogate Candlelighters have raised tens of thousands of pounds for brain tumour and bone cancer research.
This year the proceeds from Harrogate Ball ticket sales will contribute to ‘The Big Move’ campaign, a fundraising drive to raise the extra £500,000 needed to facilitate the move of the Candlelighters ward and outpatient’s clinic from St James’s Hospital to Leeds General Infirmary (LGI).
For information about tickets, sponsorship and donations please contact suepattersonuk@yahoo.co.uk