25/05/09 Tesco Guildford collection It was good to see some new faces among the collectors at this year’s collection at Tesco in Guildford. The street collections are a vital part of the MSTG(G)’s fundraising effort, and taking part can be a rewarding exercise in more ways than one. Whether it’s a pensioner or a hairy biker putting their hand in their pockets, it restores one’s faith in human nature to see that so many people are prepared to help those less fortunate than themselves. Unfortunately, the green shoots of recovery seen at the collection at Dorking a fortnight ago appear to have withered on the vine, as the takings this year were well down on last year. However, the collection did raise the sum of £539.41, a sum not to be sneezed at! As usual, our thanks go to all involved, and especially to organiser Carol Kitching. 23/05/09 A warm MSTG(G) welcome to the new Centre Manager The success of the Samson Centre has resulted in the creation of the new post of Centre Manager, and Monday 18th May was the first official day at work for the post’s first incumbent, Jayne Bruguera. She spent the rest of the week settling in, getting to know her way round, and trying desperately to remember everyone’s names. Luckily her first week was followed by the half-term break! We all look forward to getting to know her properly. Follow this link to read her potted biography. 12/05/09 A final engagement by the outgoing Mayor of Waverley! The Samson Centre was privileged to host a visit by the outgoing Mayor and Mayoress of Waverley, Len and Merrill Bate (above), together with Len’s PA, Alison Burrows. Len, Merrill and Alison were given a tour of the centre and its facilities before chatting over sandwiches and cake to the large number of people who were present to welcome them. Click here for a full report of the visit, and more photos. 12/05/09 Recent MS Trust chatrooms The MS Trust regularly runs interactive online chatrooms, which give people affected by MS the opportunity to ask questions of health professionals with expertise in particular topics, and to share experiences and problems with others in a similar situation. Their most recent chatrooms were on "Cognition issues" (28th April) and "Partners and MS" (30th April). If you were unware of these events, or simply missed them, the MS Trust has now made full transcripts of both sessions available online – just go to http://www.mstrust.org.uk/interactive/chatrooms/. 10/05/09 Dazzling Dorking! Are we seeing the green shoots of economic recovery in Dorking, of all places? Although every little helps, last year’s collection in the town centre amassed the rather disappointing total of £596.31. No such problems this year – takings were up a massive 36%, taking the total to a very healthy £811.55. Once again, pride of place went to MSTG(G) Chairman John Hambly, who collected over £100 in his two hours at the crease. At the risk of mixing my sporting metaphors, rumour has it that there is to be a stewards’ inquiry into the strong-arm tactics he obviously employs to get people to feed his tin. Samson Centre physio Helen Brodbin reports that it was freezing during her early morning stint – her first donor felt so sorry for her that he felt compelled to bring her a cup of tea! Well done and thanks to all concerned – and especially to Carol Kitching for all her hard work in organising the roster. 08/05/09 Sweet success! Fundraising has begun at a young age for Millie Woodham. Wanting to help her mother Alison, who started to benefit from the MSTG(G) earlier this year, Millie, aged 11, decided to raise some funds for the Samson Centre. For her school she devised a "Guess how many sweets in a giant jar" competition and made a poster which, with the help of teachers, was displayed all around Woolmer Hill School in Haslemere. Millie then encouraged children and teachers to buy "guesses" at 20 pence each, and raised £75.60. That’s a lot of guesses! The picture above shows Millie (left) presenting the donation to MSTG(G) Committee Member Pene Jelley at the Centre recently. Also pictured are Chairman John Hambly, proud mum Alison, the Centre’s Ruth Elliott, and Millie’s grandmother Maureen. Congratulations and a very big thank you to Millie! 04/05/09 Farnham collection It was a gorgeous day on Saturday 2nd May, and Farnham Town Centre was the place to be if you fancied a couple of hours in the sun, collecting tin in hand, watching the world go by and raising funds for the Samson Centre in the process. As has so often proved the case in Farnham, the bottom of Lion & Lamb Yard was the most lucrative spot – Mary Fardell (£109.00) and Fleur Crowther-Smith (£150.78) both did well in their couple of hours there, but MSTG(G) chairman John Hambly outshone them both with a massive £272.35 during his three hours there, which has to be a record for the group. The overall total came to £788.93 – down on last year’s total of £836.29, but a very healthy sum nevertheless. As always, our thanks go to the collectors, and to the generous shoppers of Farnham who supported us. 04/05/09 Strike up the band! The Samson Centre continues to benefit from having been chosen as the Surrey Chief Constable’s Charity for the year, the latest in a long list of fund-raising events being a superb band concert in aid of the Centre which took place at the Garrison Church of St. Barbara at Deepcut on Sunday 5th April. Andrew North (Musical Director) and the PUMB inside the church In a very polished performance, the Police Unity Memorial Band (PUMB) played a varied programme of fine music which included Light Cavalry, a selection from Les Misérables, The Dam Busters March and much more. The concert raised £290, and PUMB chair Lesley Cook and Secretary Sue-Lee Fullick, both of whom are musicians in the band, visited the Samson Centre a couple of weeks later to present the cheque to MSTG(G) chairman John Hambly. Lesley Cook, John Hambly and Sue-Lee Fullick Our heartfelt thanks to the band, and of course to the Chief Constable! 04/05/09 Reach for the sky (or should that be the ground?)! The imaginatively-named "Two Gingers and a Giant", all three of whom work for Accenture, took part in a sponsored tandem skydive in aid of the Samson Centre on the 2nd April. Here’s how Alasdair Conroy described the event: "Some have said that sky diving isn’t as tough as running a marathon……but if it all goes wrong, the consequences are a lot worse than blisters and nipple chafe! With this in mind, Alasdair Conroy, Gareth Jones and David Cullen-Jones all took to the skies on 2nd April in order to raise money for the Samson Centre, a charity who do amazing work with, and for, those living with MS. Fortunately, the worst that happened on the day was a dislocated shoulder and a rather large dry-cleaning bill! So far the jump has raised nearly £1,500, but there is still time to contribute at www.justgiving.com/twogingersandagiant" A fantastic effort, guys, and much appreciated by all of us at the Samson Centre. 17/04/09 Flushed with success! The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes is a society of men who meet weekly and raise money for various charities, and the MSTG(G) is lucky enough to have been nominated as this year’s charity by the society’s Queens Royal Lodge. They have already held a quiz night that raised over £300, but last Wednesday night’s poker evening, held at Guildford’s Rowbarge pub, a few doors down from the Samson Centre, put this to shame. The exact figure has not yet been finalised, but MSTG(G) member and Buffs supporter Andrew Sandford, who was there, reports that it exceeded £1,000! Click here for more details of the Buffs themselves, their plans for the coming year, and of the poker evening. 12/04/09 Cranleigh Town Centre collection It was a cold and damp day in Cranleigh on Easter Saturday, but were the 13 people who gathered throughout the day to collect for the Samson Centre outside the Co-Op, Marks & Spencer and Sainsburys downhearted? Of course they weren't! Was it all enormous fun? Of course it was! Am I lying? Of course I am! However, despite the horrible weather, a very respectable £802.05 was collected – £40 down on last year’s total at the same venue, but still pretty good in view of the credit crunch and the miserable conditions. Our thanks go to our collectors for their fortitude and stoicism, and to the shoppers of Cranleigh for their continuing generosity.