Anita Dobson - A Vice President of Phab

Merchant Taylors’ & St Helen’sSchools win Lord Morris award

Virgin Money London Marathon

Issue 31 • Spring 2015

Page 1• Anita Dobson Vice President

• Lord Morris Award Winners

• Virgin Money London Marathon

• Phab Gold Rose

• Carol Concert

Page 2 and 3

• Paul Hope Award Winner

• Louis Goldberg Award Winner

Page 4

• Louis Goldberg Awards

• Midlands Fun Weekend

• Phab Holiday Homes

Page 5

• Virgin Money London Marathon

• Phab at Bendrigg Lodge

• Paul Stuart

Pages 6, 7, 8 & 9

• Club News

• Marjorie Stam Obituary (p8)

Page 10

• New Board Members

• Warwick Youth Phab Club

• Dennis Clarke Obituary

• Connie Waugh Obituary

Page 11

• Sainsbury’s Inclusive Training

• Heartbeat Hike 2015

• Merchant Taylors’ Casino Night

• Keith Creasey Retirement

Page 12

• Mersea Island Festival

• Former Chairman’s book

• South East Arts and Crafts Day

Charity No 283931

KIT is the magazine of National Phab, whose aim is to promote and encourage people of all abilities to come together on equal terms, to achieve complete inclusion within the wider community. Visit www.phab.org.uk for detailsContents

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We were delighted that LadyMorris was at the award ceremonyto present this very special awardin recognition of an outstandingcontribution to the developmentand promotion of Phab’s aim ofinclusion, through schools,colleges and universities.

This has been awarded not to anindividual but to two schools who

together organise an exceptionalPhab week – Merchant Taylors’and St Helen’s Schools.

Merchant Taylors’ School has aproud and continuing history ofhosting the longest running schoolbased Phab in the country, now inits 43rd year of bringing together

Good luck to all our Phab runners in the Virgin Money London Marathon

Follow Phab on facebookand on twitter@phab_charity

Phab Chairman and Vice PresidentJohn Corless OBE pictured with

Anita Dobson.

The wonderful Phab Gold,specially grown for Phab by FryersRoses in Cheshire, will beavailable to order from Phab atSummit House to celebratePhab’s Diamond Jubilee in 2017.These lovely roses will enhanceany garden and also make superbpresents. If you are visitingLondon’s Regent’s Park thissummer, you will see the rosesblooming gloriously at the ChesterRoad entrance to Queen Mary’sRose Garden.

Phab is now taking advanceorders for delivery of bare-rootedplants during winter 2016/17 andfor potted plants in spring 2017.

Further details on the Phabwebsite or call Jan at SummitHouse on 020 8667 9443 for moreinformation and to place an order.

Phab’s Own Rose

Carols at St James’s

continued on page 2

continued on page 4

Pictured with Lady Morris are representatives from both schools.

We are delighted that Anita hasaccepted our invitation to becomea Vice President of Phab. This

St James’s Church in London’sPiccadilly was filled with rousingvoices and Christmas cheer aspart of Phab’s annual CarolConcert on 17th Decemberperformed by the LondonOrpheus Choir. ConductorRichard Jenkinson and organistIan Le Grice took thecongregation on a festive musicaljourney featuring some delightfullesser known music plus favouritecarols from John Rutter and

news was announced to theaudience by Phab’s Chairman,John Corless OBE, at the CarolConcert in St James’s Church inDecember at which Anitapresented a reading.

Anita has been an enthusiasticsupporter of Phab and will bringher very special magic to anumber of Phab events in thefuture. We are most grateful thatshe has agreed to give her time toPhab and welcome her as anesteemed ambassador of ourCharity.

Phab are absolutely delighted toannounce that we have manyinternational runners taking part in

the Virgin Money LondonMarathon on 26th April.

Supporters from around theworld will join the Phab team onrace day from the followingcountries: Australia, China, Italy,Hungary, Greece, Germany,Mexico, Montenegro, Singapore,South Africa, Switzerland and theUSA.

Phab welcome our visitingsupporters

Left to right Sian Phillips, FintyWilliams, Anita Dobson, TobiasMenzies, Conductor, Richard

Jenkinson, Phab President EdStewart, Phab Chairman John

Corless, with James BolamHeartbeat Hike 2015Hyde Park 7th June

for more details see page 11

continued on page 5

25th - 27th JuneDonnington Park

Phab will be exhibitingCome and visit us!

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Lord Lloyd of Berwick hosts Ph

disabled teenagers from all overEngland and their peers at MTS.

Since the 1980s MerchantTaylors’ has teamed up with StHelen’s School in Northwood tooffer 22 disabled boys and girlseach year a residential weekduring the Easter holidays. A teamof over 40 sixth form students actas hosts to their guests offeringthem a unique opportunity toenjoy a whole range of newactivities and experiences. It costsaround £10,000 to host the week,all of which is raised within theschool communities by thestudents themselves. This veryspecial week has been theinspiration for students to thenestablish and run with greatsuccess Phab Clubs at their ownuniversities and to volunteer atPhab’s own residential projectsduring the summer months.

Lord Morris dedicated his life tocampaigning for the rights ofdisabled people. The ChronicallySick and Disabled Persons Actwhich he piloted throughParliament, and which becamelaw in 1970, transformed not onlythe lives of millions of disabledpeople but the attitudes of societyat large towards those withdisabilities. He continued his workin the House of Lords as a LifePeer campaigning for better rightsfor people with disabilities and hispassion and legacy will never beforgotten.

John Corless OBEChairman and Vice President

of Phab

Other Paul Hope nomineeswere:-

Debbie BarnettHounslow PhabDebbie has been an active

member of Hounslow Phab sincejoining the mother and toddlergroup 13 years ago and hersuperb administrative skills havebeen invaluable in supporting andorganising events within the club.She takes care of all the adminand record keeping involved in theannual Dukes Barn project led byLorna Stephens and has recentlycompleted a 12 week course inmonitoring and planning to aid thegrant bids made by the club.Despite a serious back injury andan impending operation she hasput systems in place to continue tosupport the club at the highestlevel.

Paul HartCentral London PhabPaul has consistently provided

support and care to the membersof Central London Phab over the12 years that he has been amember, working closely with theleader on the administration side.His care and compassion,including visits to members inhospital, is hugely valued andappreciated by them all.

Nicki MoodyWisbech PhabNicki has been a member of

Wisbech Phab for 10 years andover that time has gainedindependence and skills whichshe is always eager to pass on to

her fellow members. She is aninspirational and active member,helping in the canteen and lendinga hand whenever asked or neededto the other volunteers, alwayswith her warm smile andpersonality.

Jack EdwardsOldham PhabJack started Oldham Phab Club

in 2000 because there wasnowhere for his daughter, who haddisabilities, to go and meetsocially with others and take partin activities. He has remained thebackbone of the club which nowhas nearly 60 members, taking onwhatever tasks needs doing,running the tuck shop, repairingfailed equipment or taking people,both with and without disabilities,to events.

Rose & Ray BennettSt Austell PhabRose and Ray are outstanding

volunteers who have togethertirelessly devoted eachWednesday evening to St AustellPhab Club – Rose since the start15 years ago and Ray followinghis retirement due to rheumatoidarthritis. On Wednesdays thereare raffles, bingo, arts and craftsand other activities – all organisedby Rose and Ray. Ray negotiatesthe club bus around the countrylanes and makes it possible formembers, who would nevernormally be able to leave theirhome town, to enjoy residentialtrips and holidays. Last year theywere the mainstay of a first for theclub – a hugely enjoyable week inFrance that followed nearly a yearof planning.

Unfortunately Jack, Rose andRay were unable to attend theevent to receive their awards.

John MoodyHalton PhabJohn has been an invaluable

member of Halton Phab for 16

Phil Ford receiving the Paul Hope Award from Ed Stewart and Lord Lloyd of Berwick

Paul, Nicki and Debbie receivingtheir awards from Ed Stewart and

Lord Lloyd of Berwick

continued from page 1

Janine Williams withrepresentatives from Westminster

School and Wellington College

Award winner 2014Phil Ford

In 1989 Phil Ford saw anannouncement in a local paperthat Towcester Phab had beenformed. Phil offered his services toits founder, Jackie Williams andbecame its Chairman the followingyear, a post which he still holdstoday 25 years later.

He took over the business sideof things such as the clubconstitution, charity registration,affiliation to the national charityand also helped with transportingmembers to meetings which hestill does. He also, until recently,was a nominated driver of theminibuses for holidays andoutings. He is completely hands-on acting as chef on BBQ nights,

erecting the gazebo on days outand generally getting everythingsorted including resolvingproblems such as defectivebrakes or flat tyres onwheelchairs. He also acts as carerto any male members who needhelp and support on holidays.

The members know that theycan talk to him about anything –Phil is always ready to listen andhelp in any way he can. He isabsolutely vital to the success ofthe club and hugely appreciatedby the members. In 2004 Phil wasappointed Regional Chairman ofthe Midlands and has made ahuge contribution over the last 10years extending his caring andpractical support to all clubs in theMidlands region.

Paul Hope Award

We are delighted and privilegedto announce that both Lord Lloydof Berwick and Lady Irene Morrishave generously accepted Phab’sinvitation to become VicePresidents of the Charity. We aremost honoured to have theirsupport.

Vice PresidentAppointments

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Spring 2015Charity No 283931

Phab Awards at House of Lords years. He is totally committed tothe club, in charge of first aid andof huge practical help on clubnights and the many outings andfun weekends that he enablesmembers to enjoy safely. He giveshuge amounts of his time tofundraising for the club, bothcollecting and banking thedonations and also helpsmembers in a very practical way intheir homes with small repairs,decorating or shopping.

Mark HassallThe Multiple Abilities ClubThe Multiple Abilities Club

(MAC) in Stoke-on-Trent has ahuge membership and meets for adisco twice a week, 50 weeks ofthe year. Mark Hassall, althoughhaving been a volunteer for only 4years has made a massivecontribution to the club – erectingand dismantling the discoequipment and taking charge ofthe kitchen. He is also a prominentfundraiser helping at monthly carboot sales and toy fairs and showsgreat compassion to those lessable than himself, collecting andwalking to club nights with twomembers who are wheelchairusers to ensure that they arriveand get home safely.

Mike SmithNene Valley PhabMike joined Nene Valley Phab

three years ago as a volunteerdriver. He quickly became a friendand treasured member, bringingsome of the members to the clubeach week and forming a strongand caring bond with one of themembers who has suffered adramatic deterioration in herphysical ability, helping her toovercome her fears. Hisprofession in the car fleetbusiness has enabled him toassist the club with maintenanceand repairs by his own engineers.Without Mike, many of themembers would be unable toattend the weekly club nights thatare so important to them.

Tony WilliamsonBasildon PhabTony of Basildon Phab is not

only their Treasurer but alsoperforms the vital role of drivingthe club’s minibus, enabling themembers to attend the meetings,enjoy excursions and longer trips.

Tracey JennerEldon Phab CroydonAlthough Tracey re-joined Eldon

Phab Club in Croydon only 2years ago, she was a juniormember over 30 years ago. She isnow very much part of the day today running of the club as ClubSecretary, involved in fundraising,running the kitchen, collectingsubs and helping members inwhatever way is required, alwayswith a cheery smile and anabundance of kindness andpatience. She has undertaken vitalrelevant training includingsafeguarding and first aid, thelatter being of incredible benefitwhen she saved the life of EldonChairman Graham Earl when hecollapsed at the club last summerwith a cardiac arrest. Doctors andparamedics who arrived at thescene agreed that it was down toher quick actions and skill thatsaved his life.

Mike and Tony were unable toattend on the day and their awardswill be presented separately.

Ken CollierTrowbridge PhabKen has been the Chairman of

Trowbridge Phab club, which hasaround 40 learning disabledmembers, for 32 years. He is notjust a leader but a father figureand guides his members in socialand life skills, taking them onregular holidays and weekendbreaks. These activities havemade a huge difference tohundreds of disabled people overthe years.

Elaine LushLeatherhead SwansElaine joined the Leatherhead

John with Mark, Ed Stewart andLord Lloyd

Swans Club 39 years ago as a 12year old assisting the disabledswimmers to get ready for thepool. This was part of her RedCross training and she was askedto attend for an hour a week forjust a few weeks. Well she neverleft.

Today the Swans is one of thelargest multi-activity organisationsfor disabled people in the SouthEast with over 100 members.Elaine has been, and continues tobe, its driving force as Secretaryand Fundraiser in Chief. She hasexpanded the club’s activities overthe years to include gym sessions,bowls, table tennis, kurling and10-pin bowling and backed by ahardworking committee and smallarmy of volunteers has expandedthe club’s horizons with day trips,activity holidays and competitivesports events with similar clubs inSurrey, Sussex and Hampshire.Leatherhead Swans have recentlyaffiliated to Phab and we are veryproud that they are now part of thePhab family.

Louis Goldberg Award The Louis Goldberg Award is

awarded in memory of the lateLouis Goldberg, a devotedsupporter of Phab, and ispresented each year to a Phabvolunteer aged 25 or under.

This year there were threenominees. Unfortunately ShaunaClare from Oldham Phab was notable to attend and her certificatewill be presented to her at theClub.

It was decided this year to makea joint award to two young peoplewho have made an exceptionalcontribution to their respectivePhab groups.

Kirsty GrinhamBirmingham Phab Camps6 years ago, Kirsty’s sister Kaye,

who has profound disabilities, tookpart in a holiday organised byBirmingham Phab Camps. Whenthe organiser visited their homeKirsty, who was then only 14, took

great care to ensure that theorganisation knew every tiny detailof her sister’s care before she waswilling to let them take her awayon the holiday. As soon as shewas 18, Kirsty became a volunteerat the Birmingham Phab Campsprojects, and within 2 yearsbecame Camp Leader. She joinedthe management committee andwas quickly promoted toSecretary. She helped set up afundraising committee and lastyear literally walked across hotcoals in a fire-walking event toraise money for the Charity!

She is an active member of therecruitment committee and trainsother volunteers. Never missing ameeting or fundraising event sheis caring, capable andenthusiastic, putting her heart andsoul into every single thing shedoes. While doing so she stillmanages to continue her full-timeuniversity studies as well as caringfor her sister at home, coping witheach new challenge with amaturity way beyond her years.

Mathew BuckleLeeds Phab ClubMathew has been intensely

involved with Leeds Phab Club forover 12 years, volunteering on allweekend and week-longresidential holidays and thesummer play-scheme, as well asall weekly club nights.

Through further education Mattprogressed through youth socialcare and then a nursing degree.He is now a paediatric nurse at StJames’s Hospital in Leeds.

Tracey and Mark receiving theirawards

Ken with Elaine receiving theirawards

Kirsty receiving her award

Mathew Buckle receiving his awardfrom Rebecca Hargreaves on a

club night

Awards continued on page 4

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The Holiday Inn Coventry was agreat hotel to hold this event as itwas quite easy for those memberscoming some distance as it is justoff the M6 Motorway.

One hundred and four membersand staff sat down to an enjoyabledinner on the Friday eveningfollowed by ‘Getting Acquainted’musical quiz and dancing.‘Embody’ Tiger Feet ran a danceand exercise to music sessionwhen lots of members joined inand was very popular.

On Saturday we held a‘Welcome’ session when

Midlands Fun Weekend - October 2014

members met Suummit Housestaff and then joined in theinteresting workshops such asBoccia, Horse Racing, Arts andCrafts, Reptiles, Line Dancing, atalk and demonstration by BodyShop and a Wine Tasting Sessionand a Cookery demonstration.Also a Safeguarding session andat short notice a talk about GuideDogs.

On Saturday evening there wasa ‘Guys and Dolls’ Fancy DressCompetition and dancing to ourdisco. Phab members wereinvited to entertain.

Sunday morning saw a lot ofmembers attending the Worshipsession and a Team Buildingworkshop when groups had tobuild a monument or famousbuilding out of cake and cakedecorations.

The weekend finished afterlunch on Sunday but a lot ofmembers said they didn’t want togo home, which to me meant theymust have had an enjoyable time.

All in all it was a great weekend.

Heather Clarke.Midlands Development and

Support Officer

Despite his full timeemployment, Matt uses his holidayto head up the nursing role at theClub’s summer holiday at theCalvert Trust activity centre inKeswick taking a group of 30members including many withvery complex needs; and againduring the Club’s summer play-scheme for up to 40 of theyounger members.

Matt is currently organising awheelchair-push fundraiser,following his successfulsponsored walk of 30 miles fromSkipton to Leeds.

Within the last year Matt hasbeen a major player in the creationof the club's electric wheelchairfootball team - Phab United -heavily involved in the fortnightlyteam training. He completed botha coaching and referee coursewhich aided the team’s success inwinning the Yorkshire FA Cup andfinishing 3rd in the league in theteam’s first season. Manycongratulations to everyoneinvolved in that.

Unfortunately, Mathew could notattend, so Kirsty received theaward on behalf of them both.Other awards were presented to:

Mel LloydA special mention and thanks

went to Mel who has this yearcelebrated 25 consecutive yearsin the role as one of our mostexperienced volunteers. Mel, wasinvited to receive a small gestureof our appreciation for her hugeand continuing contribution to ourspecial Phab projects.

continued from page 3

Don’t forgetthat we canoffer your cluban excellentt e m p l a t e for a clubwebsite. Formore details

please contact Matthew Joyce at Summit House on 020 8667 9443 or emailmatthew.joyce@phab.org.uk

Mel Lloyd receiving her award fromJohn Corless OBE Chairman and

Vice President of Phab

continued from page 1excerpts from J S Bach’sChristmas Oratorio. A feature ofthe evening was a beautifully sungsolo – O Holy Night – fromsoprano Kirsty McLean. Therewere of course much-lovedtraditional carols for the audienceincluding O Come All Ye Faithful,Hark the Herald Angels, Once inRoyal David’s City and The TwelveDays of Christmas.

More than four hundred peopleenjoyed the evening which waspresented by Phab President EdStewart and Chairman JohnCorless OBE and featured

readings from well loved actors:Anita Dobson (T’was The NightBefore Christmas) James Bolam(Carol Ann Duffy’s The ChristmasTruce - further enhanced by thetenors and basses of the Choirsinging Stille Nacht softly in thebackground); Finty Williams(Snow Flakes by Clive Sansom);Tobias Menzies (Minstrel’s Songby Ted Hughes) and the finalreading by Sian Phillips CBE wasa magical passage from DylanThomas’ A Child’s Christmas inWales. Thank you to all ourperformers who so generouslygave their time to this wonderfulcharity event.

Anne JoyceChief Operations Officer

With special thanks to NigelPacquette www.nigelpacquette.com for the photography

Bill Thompson retires as Chairman of the

North regionBill was invited to receive to

receive a special award. Bill hasretired as Chairman of the Northregion and a Trustee of Phab aftergiving over forty five years ofdedicated support to the Charity.Together with his wife Jean, whomhe met at Huyton Phab in 1969,he has made an enormouscontribution to Phab at both aregional and a national level, firstestablishing a club in St Helensand later in 1980 when theymoved to Runcorn, taking over therunning of the Halton Phab Clubwhich is a thriving club today.

In addition, both have found theunlimited energy and time toorganise a hugely successfulfundraising operation contributingmuch needed funds towardsPhab’s work with the clubs andyoung people’s projects.

Bill and Jean Thompson receivetheir award from John Corless

With thanks to Trevor Williamsfor the photography.

Phabʼs Holiday Homes at Weymouth

Websites

Phab havetwo, well-a p p o i n t e dh o l i d a yhomes atf i v e - s t a rWa t e r s i d ePark inWeymouth.

Members can enjoy the leisureand spa facilities, wonderfulweather and stunning coastalscenery.

The holiday homes are fullyequipped and maintained to avery high level with large deckingareas, garden furniture and arefully accessible.

The resort opens at the end ofMarch right through until 1stNovember 2015 and we are takingbookings for this season now. Socall Jan at Summit House to checkavailability. Contact Jan Clifford on0208 667 9443 or email:jan.clifford@phab.org.uk

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Spring 2015Charity No 283931

Virgin Money London Marathon

Phab at Bendrigg Lodge - October 2014

continued from page onesupporters and wish them,together with our UK runners, thevery best of luck for race day andthanks for their much valuedsupport.

We are also pleased to say thatIan Tilley will once again berunning on Sunday April 26th, his18th consecutive LondonMarathon for Phab and JamesWalton, who flies in each yearfrom Singapore to run as part ofthe Phab team, will be running his17th London Marathon for Phab.

Our special thanks go to Ian forhis dedicated support of Phabover the last 17 years. Phabwishes Ian, and his wife Ruth, allthe very best on the occasion of

Ian Tilley

his retirement. Ian has worked forthe past 40 years in the powerindustry and will be retiring at theend of March from Radcliffe PowerStation, whose support of Ian withhis fundraising over many yearsfor Phab has been so appreciatedand valued.

A specialmention also forGuy Watt – youmay recallhaving readabout Guy inprevious issuesof KIT and onour Facebook

page – Guy wasdue to run in the

2014 Virgin Money LondonMarathon but was involved in avery serious car accident inJanuary 2014. Guy sufferedmultiple injuries and after the longroad to recovery Guy will berunning the marathon on 26thApril. We wish him the very bestfor what will be a huge personal

endeavour and achievement; amountain he thought he wouldnever climb! Thank you Guy forsupporting Phab.

Finally I would like to bring toyour attention that Phab haveguaranteed entries for thePrudential RideLondon-Surrey100 to be held on 2nd August andthe Royal Parks Foundation HalfMarathon to be held on Sunday11th October. Anyone who may beinterested in securing one of theguaranteed entries in either eventshould visit www.phabkids.co.ukor call Madeleine on 01572823332.To follow phabKids on Twitter –phabkids@phabkids

The children and young peoplestarted to arrive from 3.30pmonwards with a mixture of nerves,excitement and anticipation. Onceeveryone had made their beds,had drinks and been introduced tothe people they would bespending the weekend with weheaded down to the sports hallwhere we played table tennis,basketball and bowling.

After a delicious dinner wetackled the indoor cave. This isbuilt underneath and behind theclimbing wall and is made up of aseries of tunnels – some narrowerand darker than others! This isgreat fun and a brilliant icebreakerand like all activities at Bendrigg,fully accessible to everyone.

We woke on Saturday morningto the most wonderful view overthe Lake District mountains andwe had a range of activities toexperience today. The tube slidewas extremely popular and therewere some ear piercing screamsas we whizzed down the hill. Wethen went on to try our hand at

archery. After some coaching andpractice we decided to hold acompetition with each arrowscoring up to one million points! Itwas brilliant fun and a very closegame but Team Extreme came outon top! Well done to them!

After a quick drink and a biscuitwe were ready for the veryexciting Zip Wire. We put on ourharnesses and waited for our turn.For one girl this activity wasextremely scary but with a lot ofencouragement from the wholegroup and a whole heap ofcourage on her part, she did it!She was so proud of herself andwas pleased she could say shehad tried everything.

That evening the group decidedto hold a disco. Music wise therewas something for everyone;Coldplay, Jessie Jay and evensongs from Mary Poppins and theLion King! There was a greatatmosphere and some brilliantdancing and it was clear from thesmiles on everyone’s faces that

the day had been a resoundingsuccess!

We were treated to beautifulsunshine on Sunday morningwhich made it a perfect day forcanoeing. We rafted the canoestogether to make them stable andensure that they wouldn’t capsizeand took along the most amazinghoist which enabled the childrenwho were not able to transfer toget in the boats safely. We playedlots of games on the way and bythe end of the morning there werea lot of very wet people!

After lunch every child waspresented with a certificate ofachievement and had theopportunity to say what they hadenjoyed the most during theweekend.

It had been a fantastic weekendand it was lovely to meet so manywonderful children and offer themthe opportunity to try somethingcompletely new and exciting.

Here are a few comments from

the children and parents:I enjoyed being outdoors and

learning new skills. I was braveenough to try new things.Emily (14 years)

Since coming home I havedefinitely noticed an increase inher self-confidence. (Parent)

The Phab staff were preparedfor everything and everyoneʼsneeds. They were calm, helpfuland nothing was too much trouble.(Carer)

I found the first night really scarybut the Phab helpers were reallykind and helped me a lot – I willmiss them. I think it has helpedme get to sleep quickly on myown. Charlie (12 years)

I made lots of friends and therewas a lot to do. I donʼt have manyfriends at home so it was nice tomake friends. Rachel (18 years)

I really enjoyed the slide and thedisco – it was fun! Karl (14 years)

There were lots of specialmoments; James really enjoyingpushing the boundaries –especially the Zip Wire, watchingHolly gain in confidence andseeing so many smiling faces.The camaraderie was fantastic!There was a great team bond andthis definitely helped the childrenget as much as possible out of theweekend. (Phab Volunteer)

James Walton

Guy Wattwith

daughtersBailey and

Bronte

Paul Stewart raising funds for Phab

We would liketo thank PaulStewart who isstarting a yearof fundraisingfor Phab andR o n a l dM c D o n a l d

House in Bristol.This is what Paul said "These

events will range from my boxingdebut, the Bristol half marathonand end on my birthday inDecember whereby instead ofpresents, donations will be giveninstead. I pick a different charityfocus each year and this year wasan easy choice. In November Iwas introduced to Phab by afriend who has a connection to thecharity. They motivated me to stepinto the boxing ring and moneyraised from the fight ticket saleswas donated. I took the ball andran with it as after looking at someof the great work Phab do I relatedto the overall mission and wantedto do my bit to help" To support Paul, please visit:-uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SomeoneSpecial/inspiration

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Club News • Club News • Club News • Club News • Club News •

Epsom PhabEpsom Phab can be relied on to

make the best of a bad situation.During a 2 year campaign to savethe club, when threatened withclosure due to the demolition ofthe centre they met in, they did nothave time to prepare and performtheir bi-annual show. However,now safely installed at a fantasticnew venue, the kids fed theirexperiences of the campaign intoa brand new musical ‘We PredictA Riot’ perfomed at the EpsomPlayhouse on 6th December2014. Written and Directed byyoung volunteer Luke Giles. Thesynopsis reads

‘We Predict a Riot’ sees a youthclub for everyone (like Phab) haveits future jeopardised as thecouncil sees money to be made.‘Davis and Son’, a local propertydevelopment company, offer a lotof money to re-develop the landinto housing. The kids of the YouthClub don’t take to the news kindly!They decide to organise a march,little do they know there is a spy inthe club. James has been sent byhis Father to find out what theyhave planned. UnfortunatelyJames gets sidetracked by aBeautiful girl called Grace. Whenthe march is unsuccessful, theydecide there is only one thing forit, a show!!!

‘We Predict A Riot’ wasproduced by Courtney Giles, withZoe Giles and Sophie Golding

directing alongside Luke andassisted by Amy Ayers. It is thelatest in a series of shows writtenand directed by the youngstersand builds on the success of‘What A Feeling!’, ‘CountdownCafe’ and ‘It’s A Kind Of Magic’.

Choreographers were called into work on the variety of dances.Former member Aisling Knightcreated a memorable dance to theMichael Jackson song ‘They Don’tReally Care About Us’ whichallowed some fantasticexpressions of ‘attitude’ from thecast. The dance to ‘I Predict ARiot’ was created by currentmember Phoebe Dukes, anexperienced dancer herself but afirst opportunity to choreograph.From the reaction of the audienceit is clear she demonstrated a realtalent.

Solo dancers included PhoebeDukes, Grace Giles, Jess Dean,Sophie Golding and Andrew Self,showing great confidence andability. The singing was fantastic,from duets such as ‘Love Is AnOpen Door’ from Frozen to ‘You’veGot A Friend In Me’ from Toy Story.A group of Cheerleadersperformed to ‘Cruisin for a bruisin’whilst another group of girls were‘Walking On Sunshine’. The boyshad everyone smiling to theirfighting performance of ‘Eye Ofthe Tiger’ whilst the youngestgroup stamped and rocked to‘Revolting Children’ from Matilda.

During the interval the OneDirection track ‘That’s What MakesYou Beautiful’ was played as atribute to Emily Hodder andSharon Perks who sadly passedaway earlier in the year. Emily wasa Phab member who lovedperforming in shows and Sharonwas a dedicated committeemember for many years.

Epsom Phab were fortunateonce again to have the support ofStephen Capel and his team ofvolunteers from Point SourceProductions to ensure aprofessional standard show fromlighting and staging to sound andstage management. Stephen, whois a former club member, alsoenabled youngsters from the clubto learn about the behind thescenes roles and perform them onthe night.

It was great to have the widerEpsom Phab family back togetheragain – as the current membersperformed on stage they weresupported by a team of over 20volunteers back stage. This wasmade up of young volunteers whohad produced and performedprevious Phab shows, many ofwhom had returned fromuniversity to help out.

The club were delighted that theMayor of Epsom, Cllr RobertFoote, was able to attend and wasvery impressed by the show.There was not a dry eye in thehouse as scene after scene, ineach of the 20 songs, the Phabkids put everything into theirperformance, enthralling andentertaining, bursting withenthusiasm. And at the end, whenit was all over for another yearthere was one question oneveryone’s lips: ‘when’s the nextshow?’

If you would like to order a DVDof the show, at a cost of £12including p&p, please emailphab@phab.org

Article written as a joint effortfrom the Committee Epsom & Ewell Phab

Southport PhabFebruary half-term saw a party

of 60 members of SouthportPhabkids, including helpers,descend on the Lake DistrictCalvert Trust on the banks ofBassenthwaite. The weather waskind and the children and youngfolks were eagerly awaiting theirannual visit. For many it was theirfirst time at Calvert Trust and acertain amount of trepidation wasfelt by them – they needn’t have

worried because, as usual, thestaff were marvellous in puttingtheir minds at ease. The weekendwas full of activities from themoment they finished lunch on theSaturday until they started theirlunch on the Monday.

Activities this year includedcanoeing on Bassenthwaite, yes –in February, climbing andabseiling, horse riding, a huge zip-wire (new to us), caving, archery,orienteering, stream walking,swimming, nature trail includingsurvival techniques and roastingmarshmallows over our own fires.

Phab and the Calvert Trust gavemany children the opportunitythey may well never have had. Butthis was more than just having theopportunity to do things, it gavethe children (and adults) anopportunity to grow in confidenceand thrive in a challengingenvironment surrounded by peersand friends.

Now the planning starts for ournext Calvert Trust and to allowthose that missed out this time toexperience the opportunity.

Southport Phab are extremelygrateful to their main sponsor forthis Calvert Trust visit, PeterDavies, who raised over £2,000from a Golf Tournament heorganised for us.

Alan HughesClub Leader

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• Club News • Club News • Club News • Club News • Club News

Epping Forest PhabEpping Forest Phab celebrated

their second birthday on the 16thof February at Bancrofts School,in Woodford Green.

An evening of traditional gamestook place – including ‘Pass theParcel’, ‘Pin the Tail on theDonkey’ to mention a few.

The members enjoyed a disco,and buffet.

Hollywood Superstarsupports Chester

Phab ClubChester Adult Phab celebrates

gaining a second Patron namelyUK’s “biggest” export HollywoodSuperstar Warwick Davis knownto millions for his roles in StarWars, Harry Potter and Willow.Warwick has most recently beenseen on our TV screens in Life’sToo Short, Weekend Escapes andpresenter of Celebrity Squares.

Chester club members andvolunteers travelled onWednesday 17 December 2014 tothe Opera House, Manchester tosee Warwick Davis perform andalso meet him. Warwick starred inSnow White and the Seven DwarfsPantomime. Warwick was sofriendly; members were thrilled tomeet such a well-knownHollywood star.

Warwick is also joining the castof Star Wars Episode VII. Thecasting will see the 44-year-oldactor sharing the big screen withreturning stars Harrison Ford,Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.Warwick Davis also supportedChester Phab with PR

photographs for the club’sredesigned website.

Lynda, Chair of Chester Phabquotes “we are overjoyed Warwickhas agreed to support our club weare looking forward to workingwith him, we hope his support willencourage more people to joinChester Phab, an amazingorganisation transforming manypeople’s lives, including my own”.

Lynda HeskethChairperson

Fairfield PhabWe have always enjoyed quite a

busy schedule at Fairfield Phab. Inthe past twelve months we’vegone from having two projects tofour projects, so we areanticipating our busiest year todate. In fact, we have 128sessions booked for 2015, andthat’s not including anydays/nights out too! Our mainsession is Phab and we enjoyedour annual Christmas meal atFrankie and Benny’s. OurChristmas meal gives us a chanceto recognise the hard work andcommitment by everyone atFairfield Phab and we had ourawards night. Our Phab Memberof the Year went to Julie Murray,who literally has been a joy tohave around. Julie is one of ournewer members, and always, and

we meana l w a y s ,brightens upour PhabSession. OurTeam Memberof the Yearaward went toE m m aBoswell, who

completed ourmost daring

fundraising event, when skydivingfrom a whopping 15,000ft. At thebeginning of December we onceagain took to the streets ofLiverpool during the Santa Dash.It is a morning we look forward toeach year and is a greatfundraising event for FairfieldPhab.

Nick Maloney left, Trustee of Phaband Treasurer of Epping Forest

Phab, with Janine Williams,National Club Development

Manager, Christian McDonald andKaren Chittock

Julie with hercertificate.

Our phabulous Santa’s!

Club members meet Warwick Davis

PHADS is our 2nd project and isour dedicated drama session andis an acronym for Phab AmateurDramatics Society. In December2014 we took part in the Secret atChristmas event at St George’sHall. The event was organised byIn Another Place, who are a localCharity that offer large creativearts projects. Pictured is GarySouthern who played an UglySister. We are currently inrehearsals for anotherperformance written by our veryown Stephen Hunt. On Tuesday24th March we will be performing‘A Phab Timewarp’ at StoneycroftSalvation Army, Liverpool. It willbe the second time that we haveperformed ‘A Phab Timewarp’, thefirst performance took place inOctober 2014 during our 80’snight.

Phabbies is our 3rd project thatofficially opened in July 2014.We’ve had lots of fun at Phabbiesand in December we held our veryfirst Phabbies Christmas Party!Phabbies originally ran once amonth but during 2015 we will berunning every other week! We’reall prepared for lots of fun andgames! Although Phabbies runson a Friday it didn’t stop us fromcelebrating pancake Tuesday!

In January 2015 we weredelighted to open our 4th project,Choices Sport. We are working inpartnership with GreenbankSports Academy, Liverpool, to

Our Timewarp cast

provide a sports session for anyperson with a disability aged 14 orover, and their family and friends.Fairfield Phab Choices Sportssession runs every Saturday from10am to midday at Jubilee SportsCentre, Liverpool. We are workingclosely with the local CountyFootball Association to providetraining sessions and we are alsosetting up our very own footballteam and hope to make ourcompetitive debut in September2016.

Phil PeelClub Leader and Chairman of the

North Region of Phab

Littleton PhabsailLittleton Sailing Club and

Phabsail were amongst thenominees at Spelthorne SportsCouncil`s annual awardsceremony held at SheppertonStudios on the 21st October. Inattendance was the Mayor ofSpelthorne, and a number ofSpelthorne Councillors, as well asOlympic swimmer and medallistSteve Parry.

No less than six members ofLittleton Sailing Club and Phabsailwere honoured with the followingawards:Young Sports Team of the YearRunners-Up: Toby Mizzi and TomCallanDisability Sports Award Winner:Ros LambOutstanding Service Winner:Vanda JowettVolunteer of the Year Winners:Mark and Mel Harris

Members and staff from ourChoices Sport session

Ros Lamb pictured with LittletonSailing Club Commodore,

Ian Sandell

continued on page 8

8

South East FunWeekend

The South East Phab Clubs areholding a fun weekend at theChichester Park Hotel from Fridaythe 19th November to Sunday the21st of November 2015.

All Phab clubs are extremelywelcome, please contact JanineWilliams for cost and availability.There will be a wide range ofactivities on offer all weekend,including workshops, or you canjust enjoy the wonderful hotelfacilities.Janine Williams, National ClubDevelopment ManagerJanine.williams@phab.org.uk01825 749826

Caitlin is Seftonʼs Shining Star Personality

The Sefton Shining StarPersonality Awards took place at aglitzy gala night at Bootle TownHall in the presence of the Mayorof Sefton and the High Sherriff ofMerseyside.

Caitlin, who is eleven years oldand a member of SouthportPhabKids, was presented with theaward for her outstandingdetermination and sunnydisposition. Alan Hughes (ClubLeader) told us…“Caitlin lights upthe room as she enters it. She hasa marvellous personality andnever stops smiling. She is afighter and has never lets herdisability get in the way ofanything. She is paralysed downone side but that doesn’t stop herswimming, rock climbing, going onnature trails, canoeing or horseriding. Even when she wascanoeing with our Phab Clubrecently at the Calvert Trust shefell into Bassenthwaite Lake andemerged laughing and smiling andwanting to do it again! She is anabsolute inspiration to everyonearound her and is daunted bynothing." Congratulations toCaitlin on a much deservedaward.

I was very thrilled and excited tohave been nominated for theSpelthorne Disability Award onTuesday 21st October eveningand went along to SheppertonStudios not knowing who wasgoing to win.

The speaker then explainedeach person’s achievementsbefore saying who the winner wasand I was the second person to beannounced. As soon as they said,‘she has been volunteering forover 15 years…..’ I knew it wasme!

I was presented with a shield –which will be kept in the receptionarea of Spelthorne Leisure centre,a personal trophy and £100(immediately went out and treatedmyself to a new life jacket!) by EdSpitzer the Vice President ofEnterprise Holdings who hadsponsored the Award.

After that it just appeared to meas if Littleton Sailing Club wassweeping the floor and winning allthe awards. Each time LittletonSailing Club won an award we allgave a big cheer. It was a reallyfun time for everyone, and wewere all very proud and thrilled tohave our achievementsacknowledged.

After photos were being taken ofus – I could get used to all thelovely fuss and attention - Ichatted to Ed Spitzer who said hewould like to come along and helpget the PhabSail boats out of thewater and would like to donate apressure washer to PhabSail –both of which he did!

Ros LambActivities Co-ordinator

Littlleton PhabSail

Club News • Club News • Club News • Club News • Club News •

Hounslow Phab Duke of Edinburgh

AwardSix young people from

Hounslow Phab competed theirDuke of Edinburgh's GOLD awardlast Summer and were presentedwith their award at the HounslowAnnual Award Evening inFebruary 2015.

The expedition section of theaward took two years to prepareand undertake. The group didtheir expedition on the riverThames in horrendous weathercamping in some of the worststorms we have had. One nightthey were on an island in theThames.

A member of the team becameill with a chest infection butrefused to give up and later wasdiagnosed as having pneumonia.

The group undertook theresidential at Dukes Barn inDerbyshire camping in the sportsfield and again the weather wasso bad that one day they cameback from a trip to find the tents alltaken done and they were'camping' in the pool room. Icouldn’t spend another nightwaiting for them to come in wetand horrid and needing to drysleeping bags etc.

Well done to the team whosupported them through the time ittook to complete. They are nowworking with this year’s youngpeople towards their gold andsilver.

Lorna Stephens MBEClub Leader

The Lynch Mob Phab Club Celebrates

25 yearsWe are a social club in Clacton

area in Essex, and are namedafter a former member

Our age range of membersvaries from 20 to 90.

We are so looking forward to our25th year as a Phab club, andhave a wide range of activitiesplanned in addition to the normal

club activities of entertainment,raffles, supper nights and manyoutings. We have many speakerscome to the club and pictured isthe fireman’s talk at the club.

For more information contact - Carol 01206 393845 oremail jaggers333@btinternet.com

Carol JaggersClub Leader

Ros Ward awarded a BEM

Congratulations to Ros Wardfrom Sevenoaks Phab, who wasawarded the BEM in the NewYear’s Honours List.

We are delighted that Ros hasbeen recognised for her devotionto Phab, and her achievements inRomania.

Congratulations to any of ourother leaders and volunteers thatmay have been awarded anHonour – please let us know.

What can Shakespeare Phab get up to in six

months?Shakespeare Phab follow the

national Phab motto of “makingmore of life together” by enjoyingan array of activities to suit allmembers’ different interests. In thelast six months alone we have hada fun, action-packed programmeas we aren’t a club that is satisfiedtwiddling our thumbs!!

For those who like dancing andmusic we went to a nightclubevent in Evesham, to a local musicvenue (who open and have a bandperform especially for us). For thefoodies amongst us we have hadthemed nights where we cooksome different dishes fromdifferent countries as well asenjoying meals out and even acheeky takeaway evening!Everyone at Shakespeare Phabalso enjoyed our games nightswhich ranged from quizzes tobingo, bowling to virtual horseracing, pool to table tennis andeven indulging the big kids withinus on a bouncy castle! We did find

Marjorie StamObituary

We were saddened to hearthe news of the passing ofMarjorie Stam. Marjorie waswell known for her work asLancashire Phab Secretaryand had passion andcommitment to the Phab aimsand philosophy. After retiringfrom Phab she moved toSaltburn to be nearer herfamily. Her funeral took placeon the 23rd February and wasattended by a number of Phabfriends.

Coming Soon: Nazeing (Essex) West Bridgeford (NottinIf you run an existing disability group and would like to be part of Phab, please c

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Spring 2015Charity No 283931

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New Clubs

chance to wind down on a fewevenings in the past six monthswith some more relaxed filmnights, visits to the pub and someevenings where we werepampered to perfection!

As a charity we also understandhow important it is to help othersand have spent some nightsraising money for MacmillanCancer Support and packing upshoeboxes for the Samaritan’sShoebox Appeal (we sent away 16shoeboxes filled to the brim withtreats). We have used everyholiday as a reason to celebratewith a Halloween disco and lots ofactivities around Christmasincluding: meals out, Christmasthemed games, quizzes and aChristmas party at a local club.

All in all, Shakespeare Phabhave had a fun six months andlook forward to our next calendarof events to enjoy!

Kirsty McEveneyClub Leader

ʻThe 60ʼs, 70ʼs and 80ʼs Show ̓

Shineʼs Christmas Concert 2014

For the third year running, weheld a hugely enjoyable concert atour club venue, Blurton Club inStoke on Trent.

The 2012 show was Mama Miaas everybody loves Abba! One ofthe choir, Dot, entered the ‘Stoke’sGot Talent’ competition to sing anAbba song. The judges voted herout but this was extremelyunpopular with the audience whobooed until she was reinstated!

In 2013, after receiving fundingfrom Stoke City Football Club, weemployed a professionalchoirmaster, Matthew of theSingalong Choir, who coached ourchoir for the show. We advertisedthe event and were packed out onthe night.

The atmosphere was fantasticand the performers were higherthan the ceiling at the close!

This year, three volunteers,Jenny, Mandy and Laura took overthe choirmaster’s role andsuccessfully trained the choir toan even bigger and better show.Practising started in August atJenny’ house and continued untilChristmas.

As it was the WW1 anniversaryin 2014, a selection of the oldsongs were included with severalof the choir resplendent inuniform!

All the audience were givenUnion Jacks and they joined inenthusiastically.

Percussion instruments werehanded out for yet more audienceparticipation and the show closedto rapturous applause!

The club members also enjoyregular arts and crafts evenings

We are an 18+ group and meeton Monday evenings at 19.00 for two hours. All are welcome. For further details, please see ourwebsite shineatblurton.blogspot. co.uk

Frank SimpsonClub Leader

Kenilworth Phabʼs Katie Smith selected

for Great Britain Special Olympics Kayaking Team

Katie Smith is a very activemember of Kenilworth Phab andhas been a committee member fora number of years. She iscurrently Deputy Chair.

Katie is a great ambassador forPhab and never misses theopportunity to tell people about

Members at the Christmas concert

The fun craft evenings

Pictured are some of themembers with Jane Torvill OBEand the Mayor of Uckfield Cllr

Ian Smith

the Phab organization. However,Katie also has a very active life inaddition to her involvement inKenilworth Phab.

Katie has been selected to bepart of the Great Britain SpecialOlympics Kayaking Team and willbe competing at the World Gamesin Los Angeles in July 2015.

She is 32 years old and hasbeen Kayaking since the age of12. She started Kayaking throughGuides but most of her Kayakingexperience has been with a clubcalled 4As (Adventure Activitiesfor All Abilities) on the river inLeamington Spa each week,monthly racing regattas inNottingham and occasionalweekend training sessions inWales where the head coach lives.She has represented the WestMidlands at the National SpecialOlympic games in Glasgow 2005and Leicester in 2009.

Katie was part of the GreatBritain team in the SpecialOlympic World Games inShanghai in 2007. She also actedas a Special OlympicsAmbassador after the worldgames, attending fund raisingevents to gather support forSpecial Olympics.

Gwen PeatClub Leader

Jane Torvill OBE presents Uckfield Phab

with trophies

Uckfield Phab took part in aspecial ‘it’s a knockout’ on Sundaythe 8th of March at St. Bede’sSchool in East Sussex.

This annual event is organisedby the Lions organisation in thearea and encourages people withdisabilities to get involved in anafternoon of sporting games.There is also a disco.

On the day there were over 20teams, with 5 of those being fromUckfield Phab, Four of the teamscame in various positions at theend of the afternoon, however oneof Uckfield Phab teams came firstand was presented with a trophy.

The whole Phab group also wonthe best banner competition andthe ‘Sense of Achievement’ Trophywhich was awarded by the schoolto the teams that promotedinclusion the most on theafternoon.

Jackie OrrClub Leader

Exeter University Phab ClubWe are pleased to announce

that a Phab Club at ExeterUniversity has been opened bythe Students Guild. The club onthe University site will be forchildren and youth and will be runon Saturday afternoons.

The volunteers at the club offeractivities such as arts and crafts,sporting activities, and as the clubbecomes established will alsooffer trips off of campus.

Part of the training requested bythe volunteers was DisabilityAwareness Training, and Phabwere able to provide this, usingfunding from the MTSUP Fund, afund which is jointly supported byPhab and Merchant Taylors’School for development andtraining.

For details contact Ami Gibsonon 01392 725061 or email esv-phab@groups.exeterguild.com

Volunteers on the training day

PhabFriends@Colchester Phab Friends was formed after a

group of people met at MerseaIsland ( See page 12) – The groupis led by Anna Coates and theyregularly meet for days out andgets togethers – for details contactAnna Coates on 07711 011 086

ttingham) and an inclusive drumming group in the North. se contact Janine Williams on 01825 749826 or email Janine.williams@phab.org.uk

10

Welcome to our new Board Members

A warm welcome to Phil Peeland Nick Maloney who havejoined the Phab Board asTrustees. Their energy,commitment and enthusiasm willbe of huge benefit to Phab.

Phil has succeeded BillThompson as Chairman of theNorth Region. He is leader ofFairfield Phab, shortly to berenamed Phab Liverpool, andcurrently has three other clubsoffering different and excitingactivities under the same banner:Phab Choices Sport; PHADS(Phab Amateur Dramatics

Association) and Phabbies (forunder 16’s).

Nick is a teacher of Economicsat Wallington County GrammarSchool, Surrey. He has a hugeinterest in the youth section ofPhab and established a PhabWeek at Wellington College inBerkshire after being inspired bythe long running WestminsterSchool Phab Week where hevolunteered for several yearswhile teaching there. He alsoestablished and supports EppingForest Phab Club in Essex.

Dennis Clarke

Warwick YouthPhab Club

Run by volunteers from WarwickUniversity, Warwick Youth Phab isa relatively new group inLeamington Spa. 18 months onfrom the opening night, the club isgrowing rapidly, with around 18regular members attending on aweekly basis and more than 25committed and dedicatedvolunteers.

Warwick Youth Phab is runentirely by both postgraduate andundergraduate students at TheUniversity of Warwick, this uniqueset up has permitted theestablishment of relationships andcollaborations with a number ofUniversity societies such as BakeIt Up, Warwick Salsa, WarwickDrum Society, Warwick IndianMusic Ensemble and many more,who have devoted their time and

Dennis William Clarke 1927 - 2014 Obituary

Dennis wasborn on 2nd May 1927 inH a n d s w o r t h ,B i r m i n g h a m .After leavingschool he went to work atJoseph Lucas

and because he was interestedin figures worked in the AccountsOffice of which he was later put incharge.

Dennis then moved on to aBrass Foundry in Birminghamagain working in accounting butalso sales. The company, whichmade very small precision metalparts for industry, awarded him aprize for topping the sales chartsin one particular year: the prizewas a family holiday in Holland.

Dennis’ next move was to a wellknown Belgian carpet companywhere he eventually becameBritish Sales Manager. He wasvery interested in sales and oftentravelled abroad organisingexhibitions and salesconferences.

Dennis got involved with Phabthrough his wife Heather whowas working in the MidlandsOffice at the time and theTreasurer of the PAC left. Heathersuggested that Dennis may beinterested – it all started fromthere some 24 years ago.

Apart from his family, and Phab,Dennis’s greatest love was stamp

Phil Peel

Nick Maloney

collecting which he started as ayoung boy. He enjoyed buyingand selling stamps of the world,and would not miss a StampAuction whatever happened! Heended up with a really greatcollection which was his prideand joy.

Dennis’s fourth love wasaccountancy, not just as a career,but also the excellent servicewhich he enjoyed providing to theclubs over a period of manyyears. He was most particularabout this and keen to explain tothe treasurers of Phab Clubs thebest way to go about keepingtheir accounts in order: from whatI hear they were grateful for thisadvice!

Dennis was also quite besottedwith Football and Cricket whichhe would watch at any and everyopportunity.

Dennis loved holidays abroadand travelled with his wife tomany countries around the world.Barbados was his particularfavourite and they went there anumber of times. He mentionedlast year that he would like to goto Barbados “one last time”, butsadly this never materialised.

Dennis is survived by his widowHeather to whom he was marriedfor 51 years. They had a son,Paul, who tragically pre-deceased them.

Martin Holdsworth (friend andcolleague for almost 22 years)

talents to Warwick Youth Phab,providing members with new andexciting opportunities and activitiesthat may have otherwise not beenaccessible to them.

In the past year Warwick YouthPhab have run themed club nightsincluding Lego Night, Movie Night,

Princess’ and Pirates, ValentinesSpecial, Dance Night, Music Night,and a Christmas Party. These clubnights have been praised bymembers, parents/carers andvolunteers alike with a wide varietyof activities ranging from sports tocrafts guaranteeing there issomething for everyone.

Anna YorkClub Leader

Connie Waugh MBE Obituary

I am sorry to say that ConnieWaugh, once a member of thePhab Board, and the founder ofPhab in County Durham,organiser of many Phab holidaysand a friend to many, passedaway in March at the age of 94. Iam sure there are many folk fromthe early years that will have fondmemories of Connie. I was luckyenough to accompany her to the40th birthday celebrations inLondon (where we were taken tothe main event in a car with Ed"Stewpot" Stewart who we failedto recognise till he spoke), andlater to drive her to the 50thbirthday party here in CoDurham.

She was also on ourhoneymoon trip to the HongKong Phab centre in 1982, alongwith Margaret and RoyBraithwaite, sadly Roy alsopassed away recently. Margaret

Braithwaite acted as nurse onseveral international trips withPhab in the late 1970's and1980's, Greece, Israel, andAmerica to name but a few.

I met my husband Tony on thePhab American Dream trip of1981, which was a wonderful wellorganised trip, on which wecaused a stir on many occasions,as we travelled on theunderground, and took over thehotel disco one night, and I'llnever forget the reaction we gotfrom the locals on the Hong Kongtrip when we went to China forthe day on the train. I am surethere will be many happymemories of Connie Waugh,amongst those who knew her.

Linda Flowerpreviously of Chelmsford and

Abbey Phab Club Durham.

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Sainsburyʼs Inclusive Community Training

A wonderful opportunity for ourPhab Clubs. Sainsbury’s InclusiveCommunity Training, part of theActive Kids For All scheme hasbeen created for those whodirectly support people withdisabilities (of all ages) within thecommunity. Through this trainingthey aim to boost confidence sothat the support network in theclubs can be advocates to

introduce physical activity andsport.

The face to face workshops arepractically delivered drawing on arange of examples and notfocussing on any particularimpairment, reinforcing the focuson ability as opposed to disability.

Sainsbury’s would need to traina group of 15 volunteers at a time,and if enough clubs wereinterested, we could maybe askthem to run a session or two forus. Or if individuals from clubs areinterested then I could collate allthe information to see what couldbe delivered by them.

Initially could you please email me to let me know if you areinterested in receiving sportstraining.

Janine WilliamsNational Club

Development ManagerJanine.williams@phab.org.uk

Join the Phab Party in the Park with non-stopentertainment at the bandstand.

• Enter your club in the ‘’MUSICALS’’ themed fancy dress competition

• Make the BEST BANNER and win a prize• All participants receive a Phab Heartbeat Hike medal to

mark the occasion.• FREE PRIZE DRAW• Fun games at the bandstand • Magic and circus skills

There is no Registration Fee, however we do need toknow the number of participants. We will send you aHeartbeat Hike booklet for each participant, givingdetails of all the arrangements for the day plus furthersponsorship forms if required.

If Phab Club or affiliated project, whatever you raisegoes towards your club’s funds.

All individuals, schools or youth projects are invited totake part in the Heartbeat Hike and raise funds forPhab's valuable work in the inclusion of disabled andnon-disabled people.

All enquiries to Janine Williams (National ClubDevelopment Manager) on 01825 749826Janine.williams@phab.org.uk

Heartbeat Hike 2015Sunday, 7th June 2015 - Hyde Park, London

Official opening by Ed Stewart, President of Phab at the Bandstand at 11.00 am

Merchant Taylors ̓Casino Night

Friday 20th of March saw a veryspecial fundraising event atMerchant Taylors’ School. Theevening was called CasinoRoyale, and was the idea of AmarShah who is volunteering as ahost on the joint residential PhabWeek in Merchant Taylors’ Schooland St Helen’s School in April2015.

The evening was a black tieevent , and we arrived to a redcarpet and excitement all round.After a meal we were given avoucher we could exchange for‘chips’ to play on the Roulettewheel, or Blackjack.

The hosts who will volunteer thisyear duly acted as our waiters forthe evening.

It was good to see DominicHowell who was the former PhabWeek leader at the school, attendthe event, along with NickFeingold, who started as a Phabhost at Merchant Taylors’ and wenton to form Nottingham PhabSociety – a club based withinNottingham University.

Janine WilliamsNational Club

Development Manager

Rev. Dan Bond, Leader of PhabWeek at Merchant Taylors’ School

with Amar Shah whose fund raising idea it was.

Janine Williams pictured with theMerchant Taylors’ hosts for 2015

Keith Creasey Retirement

Keith joined Phab in 1988 tomanage our Payroll andAdvertising Divisions which inthose days were both substantialundertakings.

When I joined Phab in January1994 Keith was already anestablished figure and wasparticularly helpful to me duringmy induction process.

I have always enjoyed workingwith Keith who has a very widerange of skills which havebenefitted Phab considerably.

Keith retires this month after27 years of loyal, unbrokenservice and will be greatlymissed by all.

Martin HoldsworthChief Financial Officer and

Company Secretary

Martin Holdsworth, Keith Creaseyand Anne Joyce

(Charity No 283931)

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Charity No 283931

Phab Head Office: Summit House, Wandle Road, Croydon CR0 1DF Tel: 020 8667 9443 Fax: 020 8681 1399email: info@phab.org.uk www.phab.org.uk Published by Phab Limited 2015. KIT is compiled by Janine Williams and edited by John Corless.

The next edition of KIT will be published in Autumn 2015. Please send your club news and articles to Janine Williams at janine.williams@phab.org.ukCopy deadline 25th September, 2015

This August the 35th MerseaIsland Festival will be taking placeon the coast of Essex. And inaddition to the camps in Augustthere’ll be a similar camp on thelate May Bank Holiday weekend –MIF MayFest.

The August Festival is a populardestination for Phab membersfrom all over the country withclubs or club members fromChichester, Westminster,Southend and Oxford. Those withand without disabilities cometogether with a team of volunteers– making about 300 people on siteduring the week taking part in lotsof different activities in the day andan evening programme of discos,live music and a talent show.

Mersea Island Festival

On site there is climbing,adventure courses, archery,drumming workshops, a large arttent and trampolining. There’s lotsplanned but it’s often theunexpected that makes theFestival that bit more special –with some amazing bubblemaking last year – and somereally big kites – that then tried toget away. Off-site in August thereis fishing, pitch and putt, crabbingand water skiing at a local lakeprovided by Skiability. Eachevening the main hall is the venuefor some great entertainmentincluding the regular CampConcert where anyone can get upand do their thing – sing, dance,tell a joke or juggle.

South East Arts and Crafts DayDebut novel from Fred Smithformer North East Chairman

The Festival in August runs fromSunday 23rd to Friday 28th thenFriday 28th to Monday 31st and onthe last night of each camp there’sa fancy dress party. People oftensay they have a magic time at theFestival and for 2015 that’s ourtheme. We’re hoping to seewitches, wizards and all thingsmagical on the dance floor.

The MIF MayFest, from Friday22nd to Monday 25th May, will besimilar to the August camp withlots to do onsite and a 1970’sdisco on the last night. Theweekend will be running next doorto a local community event withlive music in the day as well as lotsof local food and entertainment.

We’re looking forward to seeingboth old friends and new Festivalgoers in May and August and ourteam of volunteers will be on handto make sure everyone has agreat time. Here’s what some ofour previous visitors have said…

"Was the programmeappropriate? Abso-blooming-lutely!! I wasn't sure what toexpect but both my boys (onespecial needs and one not) havehad an excellent time here! :-) "

"I think that the best thing aboutthe camp was the people. Theinteraction between everybodywas brilliant and really made theexperience that much better."

For more information or to book your place at this year'sFestival visit the website:www.merseafestival.org.uk orcontact the centre on 01206383226

Phil AgerFestival Leader

Hounslow Phab once againkindly hosted the South EastRegion Arts & Crafts Day onSaturday 14th February. Thefollowing clubs attended fromOxford, Uckfield, Woking andUnity 70.

Lorna Stephens, Club leader,along with her team of wonderful

Jordan Muggeridge with VolunteerSarah McGill from Uckfield Phab Members enjoying themselves

volunteers provided a vast array ofactivities to choose from, thisranged from jewellery making, eggcraft, hama beads, sewing, tomention a few.

Former NorthEast Chairman,Fred Smith, haspublished hisdebut children’snovel, TheTreasure of theU n i c o r nZephyr. A taleof bravery and

courage, inspired by hisgrandchildren, follows an untypicalleprechaun in his quest againstdark forces to protect the King’sRoyal Emblem.

Do you believe in the littlepeople? Michael Finnigan, is notyour typical leprechaun. He is theBearer of the King’s RoyalEmblem and has the enormousresponsibility of keeping the little

people safe from attack by evilforces. Those forces, however, willstop at nothing to catch Finniganand get hold of the emblem.

On a dangerous quest, he mustfight the evil sentinel Gecko,evade the wolves in the forest, andsolve the mystery surrounding thegreat wizards at Castle Cabal.Along the way he finds friends inunexpected places. He may besmall, but is his courage greatenough to see him through?

Order from www.amazon.co.ukSimply search ʻFred SmithUnicorn Zephyrʼ.

Also available to order atWaterstones and other majorchain book shops.