| 22/12/08 |
Happy Christmas to all from all at the Samson Centre! The Christmas Cake pictured above was made by Jimmy Ashton’s wife Heather and brought into the Samson Centre on Wednesday 17th December, just before the centre closed for the Christmas break. Those lucky enough to sample it assure us that it was delicious! It just remains for us to wish all the MSTG(G)’s members, staff, volunteers, friends and supporters a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. |
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| 06/12/08 |
Another Treble Clef success Back in February this year, the MSTG(G) and St. John’s Church, Milford, were joint beneficiaries of a superb charity concert by the Treble Clef Choir, under the baton of their Musical Director, Christine Best. The choir obviously enjoyed themselves (or are gluttons for punishment!), as they paid a very welcome return visit to St. John’s Church on Saturday 6th December, when they once again treated those lucky enough to have a ticket to a fabulous evening full of their rich harmonies. The choir are to be doubly commended because their numbers had been severely reduced by a combination of illness and other commitments, which meant that the top sopranos were 6 strong instead of the normal 22! The six who did make it sang lustily and more than made up for their missing colleagues, the only hint that all was not as it should be being that one of the numbers on the programme, the carol "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day" had to be omitted due to the absence of a key member of the choir. As in February, the choral singing was complemented by guest soloist Aidan Carroll of the Weybridge Male Voice Choir, whose singing reportedly moved MSTG(G) chairman and former rugby hard man John Hambly to tears at one point. The programme was an eclectic mix of spirituals, songs from the shows, ballads and Christmas Carols, ensuring that all tastes were catered for. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the choir, as well as to the members of the church who worked very hard to organise the evening and keep the audience (should that be congregation?) supplied with wine and mince pies in the interval. We look forward eagerly to the next concert! |
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| 05/12/08 |
Now that’s more than Fayre! The MSTG(G)’s annual Christmas Fayre was held on Saturday 29th November at Milford Village Hall. Despite some early problems on the Friday night, sterling work by the set-up team meant the hall was ready for the eager throng on Saturday morning – in fact, so keen were some punters that they had to be let in well before the advertised start time of 9:30am. Once in out of the cold, attendees were faced with a bewildering array of stalls ready to part them from their money – all in a great cause, of course! And spend they did: takings were well up on last year, and once expenses have been taken into account the event will have raised nearly £1,650 for the Samson Centre. Our thanks go to all involved, whether as stall-holders or as customers! 
Click here for Graham Jelley’s account of the day’s proceedings.
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| 30/11/08 |
Waitrose Godalming comes up trumps We reported back in October (see below) that Waitrose no longer allow street collections on their premises, instead opting for a scheme where they donate £1,000 per month, split between three chosen charities in proportions determined by their customers. The Samson Centre was one of the nominated charities at Waitrose's Godalming branch in November, and we have been advised that the Centre has been awarded £460 under the new scheme. Although it has to be said that the Samson Centre typically did rather better under the old scheme of street collections, every little helps and we are extremely grateful to Waitrose for the money. We are also gratified to note that we obtained the lion’s share of the £1,000 on offer, for which we must thank Waitrose’s customers! |
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| 27/11/08 |
She must work for the Flying Squad! ……or was it a Drop-in Clinic? Whatever her motivation, Surrey Police’s Sonya Nicholas, a front counter officer based mainly in Staines, obviously thoroughly enjoyed the tandem skydive she did in aid of the Samson Centre. Here’s how it went: "Woke up nice and early for the journey to Kent; nice clear day, but cold. Arrived at 8am, registered then went to the briefing, which was really interesting…all the things not to do! At 9:30 they loaded up the first lot, I was no. 12 of 20! As they taxied to the runway the wind got up and they were turned back! Everyone groaned at the thought of waiting, but friends of mine came to wait with my hubby while I did it, so we caught up on gossip with coffee & cake! At 2pm we were told if we wanted to reschedule we could as the wind was not slowing down and it was doubtful as to whether anyone would dive…lots of groaning from everyone, and some went home. Keith and I went and looked at the board and found I was now no. 4, so we chatted and decided to wait till 3pm…if no flight by then, then it would be time to rebook & go home. At 2:55 (just in time!) a crackled announcement came over the tannoy, and people started to go out to the training area, so I tagged along…next thing my name was being called and it was time to go, but we had to go straight away as the wind was getting up again! Next thing you know I was strapped into my harness and sitting on the instructor’s lap being pushed out of the plane! But it was fun……and yes, I am doing it again! Many many thanks for the opportunity." And thanks to you, too, Sonya, for falling out of the sky in aid of the Samson Centre! |
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| 27/11/08 |
Fancy a break? Anyone thinking of taking a break away from the crowded South-East might like to consider the St Annes Hotel in St Annes on Sea, Lancs., described as the UK’s first fully accessible hotel. This luxurious hotel has 26 rooms and suites furnished to a high specification with deluxe en-suite facilities. The shower rooms are fully adapted, all with level access showers. Door widths are widened, and many bedrooms and some shower rooms are fitted with ceiling track hoists. Furniture is easy access and there are high/low electric profiling beds with pressure relief mattresses available. The hotel also offers a hydrotherapy pool and play room, internet café bar and restaurant. For further details, visit the hotel's website (www.st-annes-hotel.com), or contact the reservations team, who will be happy to discuss any requirements or questions you may have. Contact details:
Please note that the information above is offered in good faith. However, the hotel has not been visited, vetted or approved by the MSTG(G). |
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| 20/11/08 |
These boots are definitely made for walkin’! Most people would have been happy to put their feet up after walking Scotland’s Great Glen Way in June 2007 in aid of the Samson Centre, feeling that they had done their bit. Not so Samson supporters Allister Macdonald and Steve Perrott, who once again donned their hiking boots to help the Centre, this time taking on the 95 mile length of the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Fort William. The event actually took place in May this year, but is only now being reported as we have just received the final cheque from Allister’s employers, the Royal Bank of Scotland, as part of their "Community Cashback" scheme, bringing the total raised by this intrepid pair to £1,520. We at the Samson Centre are very grateful to you both, and hope that the blisters have healed by now! |
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| 17/11/08 |
Up the creek – with a paddle! The MSTG(G) shares its Samson Centre premises with the Wey Kayak Club, and we were very grateful when the club announced that they had decided to nominate the MSTG(G) as the beneficiaries of their annual Triathlon, held on the 19th October. This testing event consisted of a 5.5km canoe/kayak race (the Debenhams Dash), followed by a 14km cycle ride to Woking and back, and a 5km run in Stoke Park to round things off. Despite this, it attracted around 100 entrants fit (or mad!) enough to test themselves in these three gruelling disciplines. The sponsorship money is still pouring in, and it may be a while before the final total raised is known, but already the intrepid triathletes have raised an amazing £3,331.95 between them. Well done, and a big thank-you, to all concerned - we salute your stamina! |
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| 01/11/08 |
Christmas Cards on Sale Don't forget that Christmas cards in aid of the Samson Centre are currently on sale at the centre. Cards measure 5"x5" and are sold in packs of 10 at £3 per pack, and there are 5 designs available. Click on the links below to see the different designs:
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| 30/10/08 |
Helen’s happy band Samson physio Helen Brodbin recently got together with others of the "Set of ’68" to celebrate an incredible 40 years since their training as physiotherapists. The photo above shows that they all seem to be thriving in their chosen profession – even if their combined age is a closely guarded secret! |
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| 21/10/08 |
Waitrose - new policy regarding collections As you may or may not know, Waitrose are no longer allowing charities to collect outside their stores. This is a big blow to the MSTG(G), as we always did very well collecting at Waitrose. They now have a new system: each month each store donates £1,000 to charity, and selects 3 local charities as that month's beneficiaries. A collecting box is provided for each charity at the store’s exit, into which customers put tokens given to them at the checkout. At the end of the month, the £1,000 is shared between the 3 charities on a pro-rata basis, based on the number of tokens in each box. The good news is that Waitrose at Godalming has chosen the MSTG(G) as one of their three charities for the month of November. So if you are able to shop at Waitrose in Godalming during November, please make sure that you accept the tokens offered at the till and put them in the MSTG box on your way out. |
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| 18/10/08 |
Secretts of Milford 12 hardy souls turned out for the annual collection at the Secretts Garden Centre and Farm Shop in Milford (does that make them hardy annuals, I wonder?) and between them amassed the very respectable total of £567.64. As always, our thanks go to Secretts for allowing us to hold our collection on their premises, and to the stalwarts who gave up an hour of their time to help swell the group’s coffers and ensure that the Centre can continue to meet its operating costs and provide the excellent facilties it does. |
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| 02/10/08 |
Long-service awards – and they’re all still smiling!
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