Month: July 2023

“If music be the food of love play on” . . . next month Stratford-upon-Avon’s food and retail hub plays host to the first Bell Court Live event.

Music and performances from a variety of local artists will set the tone for the special free summer event in a collaboration between Bell Court and Stratford’s very own Global events production company The PS Events Group.

The showcase, on August 11^th, is headed up by an exclusive performance from Stratford Musical Theatre Company’s cast of Calendar Girls The Musical as well as live music from other local musicians and college bands, including Tora Wilson Vocal Academy and Louise Hatton’s Vocal Students.

It marks the first partnership between Bell Court and The PS Events Group who promise to set the scene for a magical evening of entertainment – and plenty of Instagram moments!

Rich Jones, Centre Manager of Bell Court, said: “It’s always exciting to be able to unveil something new for our visitors to enjoy, especially in the summer months when we can make the most of this beautiful outdoor courtyard food, retail and leisure space in the centre of Stratford.

“It’s a pleasure to work with another excellent local business in the form of The PS Events Group, to help make this happen and we can’t wait to see how they weave their magic for the staging of this showcase, which will be a wonderful celebration of local talent.”

Established in 2010, The PS Events Group prides itself on taking the concept of virtual experiences to innovative new levels.

Their client list involves some big-hitters including Warwick Castle, numerous blue chip companies, A-Lister celebrity parties and last weekend saw the execution of their eighth year as the primary entertainment and theming/styling provider at The British Grand Prix.

Its two further divisions of the company offer one-stop shops for decor, props, theming, entertainment of all types including bespoke creation and endless celebrity contacts.

The PS Events Group CEO Lucy Nicholls said: “We work in elite settings delivering private, corporate and public events using the most highly skilled professionals in the entertainment and events industry. We are both thrilled and proud to bring our skill set to a local audience and give a flavour of what we create and the experiences we deliver to both the audience that will attend, and more importantly, the local artists who deserve a fabulous platform to showcase their talents.”

Stratford Showcase is a free event running between 7.30-9.30pm in Bell Court on August 11^th.

Visit: https://www.bellcourtstratford.com/

And https://thepseventsgroup.co.uk

The team behind Coventry Foodbank have issued a fresh appeal for support ahead of a predicted spike in demand over the school holidays next week.

The city’s 14 food banks are bracing themselves for increased demand at the same time as a forecast 25% drop in donations as the summer break leaves more parents than ever struggling to put food on their table.

Since being established in 2011, Coventry foodbank has supported families and individuals across the city to access emergency food parcels, giving out over 100,000 three-day emergency food parcels to over 250,000 people.

The impending summer struggle comes in the wake of concerning findings by the Trussell Trust, ‘The State of Hunger report’ *– the largest ever study into hunger and foodbank use in the UK – which suggest that one in five people in the country has gone without food over the past year on a regular basis.

The report also states that food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network distributed 61,000 emergency food parcels in 2010/11, rising to 2.5 million in 2020/21 and that, compared to this time five years ago, the need for food banks has increased by 128%.

Gavin Kibble, Founder of Coventry Foodbank said: “This year we have seen donations plummet, yet demand for our service has risen exponentially. Put quite simply, people are no longer in a position to support us in the way they did due to the current cost of living crisis.

“This is a very worrying time for everyone, demand this year has outstripped supply so that on an average week we were giving out a ton of food more than was coming in. Since the start of the year we have used our cash reserves to purchase over 20 tons of food to supplement our food offer.

He added: “Through 2023 we have continued to experience unprecedented demand for Foodbank support, significantly outstripping donations of food. Many parents will turn to Foodbank during July and August faced with the cost of providing additional food to their families.

“If we could all buy one extra item when we do a supermarket shop and just drop it in the Foodbank supermarket collection box, we could easily support the needs of many families living in crisis at this time.”

A foodbank user from Coventry said: “I am really concerned about the impact of the summer holidays. As a family we rely on free school meals during term times, with that gone, I worry about having enough food for them.”

To find further information about how to help through food and financial donations or volunteering, visit here

A Coventry mum is hoping to top previous fundraising at the second Gala Dinner she has organised in memory of her late son.

Sharon Luca-Chatha established The Luca Foundation after her son, Luca, was stillborn at almost full term in June 2012.

Since then the charity has raised thousands to fund the purchase and repair of refrigerated CuddleCots for maternity units, neonatal intensive care units and paediatric wards. Sharon is driven by her vision to fund enough cuddle cots to service every maternity unit throughout the UK and then turn her attentions to cuddle blankets, for under 18s.

Through the charity she also works hard to raise funds to provide resources, facilities and research to reduce infant mortality and support bereaved parents.

Special guests at this charity year’s Gala Dinner, on September 30^th, include award-winning actress and producer Kayleigh-Paige Rees.

Rees was best known for her role as Julia Beaufort in the ITV adaption of Jane Austen’s Sanditon, as well as starring in her own sitcom All About Casey on Amazon Prime. She also created Raspberry Films production company and founded Cotswold International Film Festival and uses her platforms to shed light on mental health issues. Just last week she won a National Film Award for her work Keep Calm and Carry On.

She said: “I’m so proud to be working with and supporting The Luca Foundation. What Sharon has been able to achieve since starting the charity and is so driven to continue pursuing, is so vital for all of us and how grief does and will impact our lives in the future.

“Sharon is creating an open and impactful dialogue about what we all experience and helping us along the way. I’m lucky to call Sharon a friend, and I am inspired by the work of The Luca Foundation.”

Also attending and showing her support for the Foundation will be Jess Impiazzi, partner of former Liverpool FC player Jermaine Pennent. It’s a cause close to Jess’ heart after losing her nephew when he was just a toddler.

The CuddleCots act like a refrigerator to keep the body cold which allows the parents to have up to a week with their baby and, if they wish to, even take them home with that equipment. Each cot costs £1,750 to purchase and between £100-£750 to repair.

Sharon, 47, said: “A parent’s worst nightmare is to lose their child. We were beyond devastated, our world had fallen apart. From the moment Luca died on the Monday inside my womb, to the Thursday when I gave birth to him, everything was in a daze.

“We were not ready for the next blow – the limited time we had with him, knowing we would then never see him again. After holding onto Luca as long as we could – just a few hours – we had to hand him over to be taken to the mortuary. This caused us such trauma. We just cried uncontrollably.

“As I look back I realise that was the defining moment when I decided I wanted every parent to have access to a CuddleCot.”

Sharon, who has since been diagnosed with PTSD, has also gone on to write two books on the subject of child loss, Angel Warriors and an illustrated children’s book Why Did Grandad Die? which is available in schools across Coventry and Warwickshire.

She added: “The growth of the Luca Foundation has completely exceeded my expectations. As soon as we registered the charity, Covid hit us and stopped so much from happening but we’ve still achieved so much. I’m very proud of that and proud of the fact that, despite getting more than 10 repair requests every month, we’ve been able to fulfil all of them so far.”

Sharon hopes to top the £6,000 raised at the inaugural dinner. Tickets for this year’s Gala, at Birmingham’s Park Regis Hotel, are £65 and include a welcome glass of fizz, three-course meal and dancing to a DJ.

A raffle and auction on the night will help further boost funds, one of the top prizes including a private dinner for four people cooked in your own home by 2021 Masterchef winner Dan Lee, from Birmingham.

For further information about the Foundation or to purchase tickets to the Gala Dinner, visit here

Headline sponsor for the event is DRD Capital in Birmingham. Any businesses that would like to donate a raffle or auction prize or get involved as a sponsor, can contact Sharon at: sharon@thelucafoundation.org.uk