Volunteering for The Joseph Foote Trust

Without our volunteer network we would be unable to offer the services we do or perform the fundraising activities that are so vital to brain tumour sufferers. Volunteers are our eyes and ears in and around our local communities and perform a vital role in spreading awareness and raising money.  

Distribution firm UPS donated time to help us collect vital funds in Coventry City Centre

We have many different jobs available for our volunteers from administration and phone assistance to event organisation, street collections and awareness campaigning. 

The best thing about volunteering for The Joseph Foote Trust is that we welcome suggestions for new initiatives and volunteering schemes so that together we can capture imaginations and help raise vital funds for brain tumour sufferers. 

We understand that everyone has unqiue reasons for wanting to volunteer. We want to recognise your needs so that we can create the best environment for you to be productive and can ensure that working together brings mutual benefit. So whether it is making friends, building your CV, filling spare time or motivated by a personal experience of brain tumours we can create a role to suit you. 

Our volunteer Anna speaks passionately about her experience with the charity:

'When I first heard the shocking statistics associated with brain tumours I decided I wanted to fundraise for The Joseph Foote Trust to help the charity pay for patient support, awareness and research to find a cure for this terrible disease. 

I started fundraising for The Joseph Foote Trust by hosting charity coffee mornings at my house. Organising these events was very easy; I would send a text to all my friends and bake a few cakes. On the morning I would ensure I had a collection bucket and some charity information and ask for small donations towards the charity. As all the cooking is done in advance, I find that these events are ideal for a good natter and catch up with friends. 

My experience of the coffee mornings has spurred me on to become more involved with the charity. I now help with bag packing and general administration in the office. I have found that by offering my time I can make a notable contribution to the charity and in my own way I can help those in need. I simply love it!'

For further information please call Sarah at the office (0121 744 1444) or contact us via email.  

© 2009-2012 The Joseph Foote T

Guest blog: From the shallow end of the swimming pool to Island hopping!

Hi! 

You may or may not remember me from the run blog that I wrote for the Joseph Foote Trust to try and inspire folk to run for charity whilst improving their health and fitness along the way.

I'm the forty something unfit mother of 4, the plain Jane that somehow ran the great north run by accident. Then 4 years later found myself swimming 6.5km across the open sea -again by accident!! A series of events followed my great North Run adventure which came about when I turned 40. 

One year later, at my son's swimming lesson, and very much tongue in cheek, I just happened to say to the swimming instructor, "Hey, do you reckon you could teach an old dog new tricks? Do you reckon you could teach me how to swim? My parents could never afford swimming lessons when I was a kid. I have my own self taught version of a cross between doggy paddle and my version of breast stroke and I've always admired those folk that glide through the pool beautifully doing the front crawl."

He said it was never too late to learn, indeed he'd recently taught a 65 year old widow how to swim. It had turned her life around. She went to Florida and swam with dolphins whereas before she didn't even have the confidence to leave the house.

"Well!" I thought, "If a 65 year old can learn how to swim, then so can this 41 year old, after all, I can run now, right?"

So, I pinched about 8 of my sons swimming lessons and I persevered and eventually I could swim properly. It was a tremendous feeling. I loved it. Then, a girl at the running club said, "Hey Jane, Why don't you try a tri?" I thought she was completely bonkers. It was one thing jogging along merrily - but to swim, then ride your bike (without even getting changed in between!) and then run - now that was completely barking! Anyway, despite my fears and questioning of my sanity, I entered my first triathlon. It was exhausting but I completed it and was extremely proud of myself. Whilst training for triathlons I then discovered open water swimming or 'wild swimming' as it is sometimes known. Wow, this was when I turned my life around. This I loved - the freedom of being in the icy cold north sea (In a wetsuit - I’m mad but not that mad). Coming across seals, jellyfish, fish, big bouncy waves - I had discovered what makes me tick!! I couldn't get enough and at every opportunity, whatever the weather, I’d be in that North Sea.

Then came another strange occurrence in my sequence of events. I joined Facebook and met up with an old school friend, David. He and his wife and two kids love scuba diving. It is especially incredible for them because their autistic son loves it. He has the freedom and enjoyment and it is something fantastic they can do as a family together. Anyway, what's David got to do with my chain of events? He was visiting Northumberland and needed somewhere to park his boat - my house had room so they parked at mine. In fact we had a lovely weekend together, I met his family, he met mine and everyone got along brilliantly even though I’d not seen him for 20+ years.

Now, David knows I wild swim and he asked if I fancied doing a Robson Greene style swim. I said I’d love to but you need cover boats, knowledge of the sea etc etc... He said he had a boat and he and his family were holidaying in Eigg (a tiny Island off the west coast of Scotland in the August. If I wanted, he'd give up a morning's diving and be my cover boat - I could swim to the Isle of Muck (6.5km across the sea!!!). I said I would love to and he said why not do it for charity - it's an amazing thing to do. I actually said 'no' initially. I'd already done the Great North Run twice. I live in a small town and it was the same people I was asking to sponsor me. I didn't want to create the situation whereby people would see me and say "Quick, Hide!! Here comes Jane with another sponsor form". However, very tragically (and this is where Joseph Foote fits into the sequence of events) a little boy in our town, Matthew Philips tragically lost his battle with a brain tumours. He was almost two when they discovered it. His mother Vicki went to the same toddler group that I took my son to. I couldn't imagine what that family were going through. I have 4 kids of my own and I do not think I would have the strength to cope with such a blow. However, they did everything they could to prolong his little life but sadly he passed away. He was just 5. I took the phone call to say he'd lost his fight about 30 minutes after my phone call with David when I'd said I wouldn't swim for charity. Everything changed. My whole body was covered in Goosebumps. I would never even begin to imagine their pain - but I could swim for charity - and we did. 

It was August 1st 2011, exactly 6 months since Matty passed away. Everything was on our side and in our favour. The sea was flat like glass, still, crystal clear and there were no currents. Off we went. I swam with 4 friends, Rebecca Hoskins, Caroline Findlay, Sarah Moor and Sam Swain. The sea was cold - about 11'c but we swam and we swam and we swam. We saw some of the most beautiful jelly fish - fortunately they were deep enough that no one got stung. We were joined by a solitary baby seal that curiously swam amongst us playfully and magically - I believe Matty probably organised the seal as we were getting cold and tired when it appeared - then, just as it suddenly appeared and lifted our spirits, it vanished and we swam on.

We made it!! It was amazing. We were cold and exhausted and elated at the same time - who'd have thought? Three years previously I couldn't swim. Now I'd swum 6.5km across the sea!!!!!!!! On the boat ride home we were joined by porpoises, Minky whales, and dolphins - all splashing along the way - were they cheering? Did they know what we'd just done? They were truly beautiful, graceful magnificent creatures and a pleasure to see. 

We raised £1400 for the Joseph Foote Trust.

I'm still wild swimming whenever I can, I feel honoured that I am able to do it.

The end xx

Blog written by Jane Hardy. 

Febuary update

Welcome to our first monthly update blog. We have lots happening at The Joseph Foote Trust this year and we want to tell you all about it.

THE BALL

It is hard to know where to start as we have huge amounts of exciting activity across the entire charity from policy to fundraising and everything in between. The annual charity ball is always on our supporters lips, and with  less than 6 weeks until kick off we are all getting very excited. Ticket sales have been unbelievable this year, with  more tables being sold by Christmas than ever before. We have over 700 confirmed as attending already with this number rising ever hour as our supporters ring in to the office to reserve a place. It is set to be another fantastic night with a star studded line up, great food and as always a fantastic cause as its focus. Check out the video of last year's ball and see what all the fuss is about! 

You can book a ticket by calling the office on 0121 744 1444 between 8.30 - 6.00 Monday - Friday. 

EVENT SUCCESS

Our events programme has been going from strength to strength over the past 12 months and this month has been no different. On Saturday 7th of January 250 Joseph Foote Trust supporters attended our event at Worcester Warriors Rugby Club's Sixways Stadium Upper Charity Lounge for the game between Worcester Warriors and Gloucester. It was a fantastic day with great rugby, food and fundraising all rolled into one! We raised £5,220 on the day which will be spent on pioneering brain tumour research at Nottingham University. We are hoping to hold similar events at sports clubs in the future as a result of such a successful day. Watch this space. 

VOLUNTEERS

Much of the success of our events program can be attributed to our growing number of volunteers at the charity. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds help the charity on a regular basis with everything from marketing, administration, fundraising collections and awareness campaigning. This Christmas a team of volunteers raised over £2,500 through two separate supermarket 'bag packs'! Not only that but we managed to distribute newsletters and talk to hundreds of generous donors. If you would be interested in joining us and doing your bit for our brain tumour cause then please do get in touch. 

THE EVER SUCCESSFUL £1,000 CHALLENGE

We have been busy in the office with our £1,000 challenge scheme which has taken off a storm. We have raised we over £40,000 so far through an incredible variety of different events, challenges and activities. Recently Anne Chmelewsky contacted us hoping to join the £1,000 challenge scheme as she had written a solo opera script and wanted to raise money for us. Anne's event ran so well that she has released new dates. Find out more about Anne's event here. Don't worry, not every challenger has a script when they call us up. We are here to support you and can give you advice on jumping out of a plane, baking cakes and just about everything in between. Just get in touch. 

OUR CAMPAIGNING

Less than 1% of the NHS cancer research budget is spent on brain tumour research despite brain tumours now killing more children and adults under 40 than any other tumour. This is totally unacceptable and we are striving for change. Together with other brain tumour organisations we have created the Brain Tumour Consortium whose focus is to work together to campaign for improved brain tumour policy and services in the areas of support care and treatment; patient involvement and choice; and research. To learn more about the Brain Tumour Consortium or to download information packs, the Brain Tumour Manifesto presented to Government or advice about lobbying please visit the website. 

OUR SUPPORT

Our growing support network is now reaching more families affected by brain tumours than ever before. We aim to offer a helping hand through the entire brain tumour journey by providing resources, advice and a warm embrace. Our support offers a vital lifeline to many families who don't know where or who to turn to. We are proud of the progress we are making in this area and will continue to push forward, reaching more families desperate for our help and providing them with the support they need to fight against this terrible disease. 

Thank you for reading this update. If it has given you any ideas or if you can offer us feedback please comment or phone us on 0121 744 1444. We would love to hear from you and work with you to cure this disease. 

Guest blog: My first running experience...

About a month ago, Rob (from The Joseph Foote Trust) asked me to write a blog to encourage people to take up & enjoy running. Hopefully to help raise funds for the Joseph Foote Foundation and to help continue to increase awareness of just how many of our youngsters are affected by these dreadful brain tumours.

I experienced a couple of emotions when Rob asked me:

1) Wow!! What a compliment! Me? Write a blog? &

2) Will I be able to? Will folk be interested? I'm just an ordinary person, certainly not an elite athlete!

  

To get started, let me tell you a little more about myself:-

I'm a 40 something mother of 4 (a bit of a plain Jane actually) who, literally, quite by accident, has taken up running (then swimming, then cycling - but the running came first). I say I started running by accident because that's quite literally what I did. One summer BBQ four years ago and after a couple (or 3 or 4) of glasses of wine, a friend and I were discussing how well our kids had done at a recent school sports day. We laughed and joked and took the glory saying our kids had inherited our genes - they had to - look at the husbands over there - ha ha ha ha ..... (you get the picture). My friend picked up the local newspaper & said, "Look! There's 40 last minute places up for grabs in the Great North Run. We should apply and we can show the men where the kids get their sporting ability from! Tipsily we filled in the forms and sent them off thinking, there's no way we'll get selected. However, 2 two weeks later and twelve weeks before the Great North Run, we got our places. Except my friend went abroad which left me on my own - to run a half marathon - GULP!!! 

My place was to raise funds for Marie Curie cancer Care (min £250).

Panic struck - How was I? Unfit mother of 4, plain Jane, 40 something, fading slowly into an elephant - ever going to run 13.1miles?!

I grabbed a pair of trainers and the dog lead, dog attached, and set off running - and then after about half a mile, I had to stop. I couldn't breathe - I COULDN'T RUN!

I went home really frustrated and upset and called my fit friend (I call her that because she runs and bikes and does lots of outsidey things). She told me: "Jane! Don't just try and run 13 miles, that's impossible! Break it down, jog and walk at first, increase your distance gradually..." and that is exactly what I did. I walked for 30 seconds, then jogged for 30 seconds for a few minutes.

The next time I went out I walked for a minute then jogged for a minute for about 10 minutes and so on..... everyday, gradually increasing my time and distance.

If it wasn't for the fact that I'd pledged to raise £250 for Marie Curie Cancer Care I would have probably given up. However, I was overwhelmed with support and encouragement from family and friends - there was no way I could give up. Everybody told me I was doing an amazing thing, offering me sponsorship, telling me I was fantastic. I started to feel fantastic. Weight was dropping off me (2 stone and 2 dress sizes - what a complete bonus!!)

I trained 5 days a week for 12 weeks and the sponsorship kept coming and coming. I'd raised £1200 and I hadn't even run yet - there was no stopping me now!

The day of the Great North Run came - and I can honestly say it was probably the most exhilarating day of my life. At the start line I realised just how truly blessed I was. Here was I, 40, running - by accident - & probably because I was having a mid life crisis!

All around me were people wearing T shirts with photos of loved ones.

"I'm running for my little hero, my little angel...". "I'm running for my mum". The girl in front of me was wearing a Cancer Research T shirt. The words she'd written herself, "I'm running for my mum, I miss you xxxxxxx"

Words cannot explain the raw emotion I was experiencing. There were 60,000 people running and I honestly believe I was the only one doing it because I was having a mid life crisis. The other 59 999 were all wearing T shirts for charities and loved ones close to their hearts. We truly are amazing human beings at times.

I completed the run - physically and emotionally exhausted and at the same time ecstatic, carried along by the crowds. It took me 2 hours 20 minutes - so definitely not an elite athlete but not that bad either for a 40 year old mother of 4 who couldn't run to her road end 12 weeks previously.

Please, If you think you can't do it, think again. Believe in yourself. Like I said at the start, believing in yourself is half the battle.

Below is a little training programme which should get a complete beginner running comfortably for half an hour over a 12 week period:

Week 1. 3 sessions of run 1 minute / walk one minute (x6)
Week 2. 3 sessions of run 1 min 30 seconds / walk 30 seconds (x8)
Week 3. 3 sessions of run 2 minutes / walk 30 seconds (x10)
Week 4. 3 sessions of run 3 minutes / walk 1 minute (x10)
Week 5. 3 sessions of run 4 minutes / walk 1 minute (x8)
Week 6. 3 sessions of run 5 minutes / walk 1 minute (x8)
Week 7. 3 sessions of run 10 minutes / walk 1 minute (x3)
Week 8. 3 sessions of run 15 minutes / walk 1 minute (x2)
Week 9. 3 sessions of run 20 minutes
Week 10. 3 sessions of run 25 minutes
Week 11. 3 sessions of run 30 minutes
Week 12. 3 sessions of run 35 minutes

A couple of things though - 

First and foremost - make sure you're okay to run. Especially if you're 40 something, have an underlying medical condition (eg diabetes, high blood pressure etc...) please let your GP know your plans and get the go ahead first. Secondly, invest in a decent pair of running shoes. Visit a specialist running store to get expert advice even if it is cheaper to go to a high street retailer or to buy off the wibbly wobbly web. Make that initial trip. Try on the shoes wearing the socks you'll be running in too so you're sure your comfortable. When you've done that, you're ready to rock and roll!

Good luck everyone! Enjoy your new fitness, and happy fundraising too.

(If this is an interesting read and you're interested, then I'll tell you Chapter 2 (when I swam 6.5km across the sea for the Joseph Foote Foundation (by accident!))

xxx

(Written by Jane Hardy)

The £1,000 challenge

The Joseph Foote £1,000 challenge was launched in January 2011 in a bid to continue to momentum of fundraising at the charity and help fund pioneering research at the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre (CBTRC) at Nottingham University. The initiative is a charming one due to its simplicity and ability to enable participants express themselves.

So what is the £1,000 challenge?

The challenge invites anyone looking to fundraise for the charity to take on the goal of raising £1,000 that will directly fund breakthrough brain tumour research. Interestingly, there are very few restrictions on how this money can be raised. This ensures that those looking to fundraise in an exciting, quirky or unique way are only restricted by their imagination. Participants have come from every walk of life, and each has harnessed an interest, fear or passion in order to raise money for brain tumour research.

As a consequence of this fundraising freedom, over the past ten months we have seen more weird and wonderful forms of fundraising than you would care to believe. From the conventional coffee morning, bike ride, marathon or bake sale, to the slightly more random tree camping, pyramid lunches, abseiling down castle walls, and powerboat racing. We are fast discovering that the beauty of the £1,000 challenge is its ability to harness the dreams of those wishing to fundraise for us.

£1,000 Challenger Sam 

The timing of this initiative has coincided with the increasingly full force of the economic recession. It has meant that the charity sector has become even more competitive as disposable income levels have declined in the face of job losses and rising costs. The £1,000 challenge is allowing us to break the mould and create a fun environment that enables us to continue to attract fundraisers despite to poor economic outlook. 

How successful is the challenge?

We have raised £40,000 over the past ten months through the scheme and have harnessed the energy of over 100 fundraisers who have completed or are looking to complete their challenges in the coming months. Exposure has been fantastic with participants featuring in the local and regional press far too many times to count. We have also had an encouraging number of participants choosing to take up a second £1,000 challenge having enjoyed their experience so much the first time round.

We have been blown away by the response to the £1,000 challenge. Its ability to harness the passion, enthusiasm and excitement of our fundraisers has been refreshing. We believe that the challenge can continue to grow with the help of individuals, families, groups of friends, small businesses and community groups that are joining us every day to undertake the challenge. 

If you would like to be part of the fun and help raise money for brain tumour research then please get in contact. Further information can be found on our website. 

The Silent Killer

As a member of staff at the UK based brain tumour charity ‘The Joseph Foote Trust’ I am constantly fighting a battle with the public, health professionals and government officials to educate and inform them of the extent of the brain tumour problem. Sadly, it is the case that unless you know someone who has been directly affected by a brain tumour you are more than likely will not know the scale of the disease.

When out on the street fundraising, we often pose the question to people; what do you think the five year survival rate is in the UK for brain tumours? Their answer; a shrug of the shoulders or perhaps a distant guess. They most definitely do not expect to learn that the five year survival rate in the UK is 15% or that more children and adults under 40 die of brain cancer than any other cancer in the UK. They are simply unaware of The Silent Killer.

So what is the consequence of this lack of awareness?

For the 48,000 families that are affected by a primary or secondary brain tumour in the UK every year, not knowing anything about brain tumours prior to diagnosis serves to compound the desperation and angst in the immediate aftermath of receiving a diagnosis. It makes the disease feel mysterious and alien. Families are not aware of treatment possibilities, survival rates and the support available. They often feel alone, trying to confront this strange disease that perhaps a week ago they knew nothing about. I am sure this is a feeling that many carers may relate to.

Once families come to terms with diagnosis, they face yet further frustration with the lack of brain tumour awareness. As a result of poor public, government and health professional awareness, those caring for a brain tumour sufferer must come to terms with the fact that less than 1% of the NHS (National Health Service) research grant is directed towards brain tumour research. Put simply, they must come to terms with the reality that as a result of poor awareness of the disease the prognosis of their loved one is likely to suffer greatly. It is at this point they realise they wished everyone in the world knew about the scale of brain cancer suffering; about the lack of funding for research, treatment and support.

What can we do to bring about change?

We must all understand that this really is a case of every little helps. Bit by bit everyone can make a difference. Whether it is telling your family and friends about the disease, putting up posters in public places, writing to your local government representative or simply sharing links and information on social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. Together we can slowly start to chip away at the problem.

If we think smart rather than hard we can make an even greater difference. Do you or someone you know have connections to the media, a minor celebrity or a local business? By communicating a message to someone with the capability to speak to the masses your message can be broadcast to a wider audience. In the UK we have recently seen the case of a wonderful young boy Harry Moseley (aged only 11) from Birmingham who through his use of the media and celebrities has significantly raised the profile of The Silent Killer in the UK. Before his recent death, Harry was frequently featured in the press, on the TV and radio and used his twitter account to communicate with high profile celebrities on a daily basis. He has made a fantastic contribution to the brain tumour community through his work.  

So what do we tell people?

This is the simple part. Together we can tell people the things you would have liked to know when you were first thrust into the brain tumour world. Is something being done about the disease? Am I or my family alone or are there many others like me? Could the signs of the cancer have been spotted sooner? Who is available to help? Where can I seek advice, support and care?

Together by generating brain tumour awareness, we can do our bit to combat The Silent Killer.