Category: News

A brand new event spotlighting the inspirational stories of 11 women has raised £2,300 for three Warwickshire charities.

Ninety people joined Leamington Spa Soroptimists’ sold-out inaugural Raise Up Conference on Sunday (Sept 29^th), to hear from leading lights in the worlds of business and charity in south Warwickshire.

Their deeply personal tales touched on a host of topics, from physical and mental health challenges, through to bullying, addiction, grooming, misogyny and physical abuse.

All proceeds from the day supported Warwickshire-based charities The OurJay Foundation, Esther Project and New Futures Nepal.

The event is the latest passion project of Soroptimists President – and Leamington podcaster and author – Catherine Williamson, whose Gobsmacked! Podcast is also dedicated to celebrating inspirational life stories, and has now been heard in more than 113 countries.

Of the conference, she said: “Since our inception just 15 months ago, we’ve been dedicated to making a difference, not just through our fundraising efforts for women-focused charities like The Esther Project WOW and Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC), but also by actively engaging in our community. Hosting this conference was a natural step in our journey.

“Despite the tight time frames, we pushed forward with a vision to create something special. On Sunday, that vision became a reality as 11 inspiring women took to the stage to ‘Raise Up’ their voices, delivering powerful messages to over 90 attendees. The energy in the room was incredible, and we were thrilled to see 36 places sponsored by other women for women.

“This conference aimed to provide attendees with inspiration, hope and practical insights through the personal experiences of our speakers. It shone a light on how we can triumph over adversity; our speakers’ stories raising up our own lives with insights, hope, wit and wisdom.

Compered by Catherine, inspirational keynote speakers throughout the day were:

Julie White, from Coventry – MD of D-Drill & Sawing with branches across the UK; Dayle Adams, from Leamington – a Reiki Master, Holistic Therapist, and Psychic Medium with a passion for end-of-life planning and spiritual growth; Tessa Morton, from Leamington – who runs the Tessa Morton Partnership as well as being a qualified cognitive behaviour therapist and passionate advocate for the autistic community; Tamar Groeneveld, from Leamington – a Wellness Expert, Personal Trainer, and Mind Coach of over 20 years; Hannah Simnett, from Sutton Coldfield – the Founder and CEO of Cherished, a Birmingham-based charity dedicated to empowering and supporting young girls in her community who feel marginalised or bullied; Lianne Kirkman, from Leamington – CEO of The Esther Project, a new initiative providing gender-specific supported accommodation for women affected by trauma and abuse; Sally Bee, from Stratford – who, despite living with a potentially fatal heart condition, channels her experiences into positivity, sharing life tools through her bestselling books, TV shows and online club; Dr Mandy Barnett, from Leamington – who has worked for over 30 years in the NHS and as an Associate Clinical Professor at Warwick Medical School; Nicola Enoch, from Leamington – who established charity The Ups of Downs and support network Positive about Down syndrome.

Other guest speakers on the day included Zelda Wilson, from Hampton Magna and Saorise Welland, from Leamington. Zelda recently returned from her latest adventure – a 500km cycling trip on a fold-up bike over the Alps – despite still battling Grade 4 terminal cancer!

Saorise found sobriety three years ago at the age of 26 and is now in the process of writing a book exploring her turbulent past with alcohol, drugs and an eating disorder.

Part of the proceeds from the day have funded a defibrillator for The OurJay Foundation, established by Naomi Rees-Issitt following her son Jamie’s death aged just 18. Naomi, from Rugby, has dedicated the last four years of her life to the charity, installing nearly 300 defibrillators across Warwickshire and Coventry. She has achieved huge national awareness with her campaigning and it’s her ambition to have defibrillators installed on every street corner in the country.

Naomi said: “We’d just like to say a huge thank you to Catherine Williamson and everyone who took park in Sunday’s Raise up Conference. We hope we can get a location sorted very soon for this accessible defibrillator to be installed. It’s truly amazing how everyone came together to raise the funds for the defibrillator and we look forward to getting it installed and emergency ready for another community.”

Some of the money will also fund a disabled wheelchair for The Nirmala Foundation, which provides essential equipment for aspiring young athletes in Nepal, including the Young Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team.

The conference, held at The Fold in Leamington, proved so popular, Catherine is hoping to repeat it next year.

She added: “A special thank you to the companies and individuals who made this event possible: Tekton Billing, PLMR Advent, Act for Autism, The Cycling GK, Flick Learning Ltd, Aesthetics Event Staff Ltd, D-Drill (Master Drillers) Limited, and Gareth Evans and his team at The Fold for their incredible support.”

For more information about Leamington Soroptimists visit HERE.

Soroptimists International

Founded in 1921, Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement with a network of just under 65,000 club members in 118 countries.

Advocating for human rights and gender equality, at the heart of Soroptimist International’s advocacy is its work across seven UN Centres, where UN representatives ensure that the voices of women and girls are heard. The membership work on grassroots projects that help women and girls achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in communities worldwide.

The principles of Soroptimism are to strive for: The advancement of the status of women; High ethical standards; Human rights for all; Equality and development and; the advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace.

Lofty ambitions paid off for a kind-hearted holidaymaker who took time out of his 40^th wedding anniversary road trip to support a Warwick children’s charity.

Jonathan Smith, from Evesham, raised £750 for Molly Ollys by scaling one of the world’s tallest sand dunes, during the long-anticipated three-week wild camping holiday in Namibia with his wife Cathy.

But it was the company of his ‘other’ companion on the trip that most motivated him to complete the gruelling 350m ascent to the top of the so-called Big Daddy Dune – Molly Ollys mascot Olly The Brave!

It took the 62-year-old just two hours to reach the summit of the Dune, despite 30 degree heat and almost impossible conditions under foot.

Jonathan said: “I have never attempted anything like this before but, as we were in Namibia celebrating our anniversary and visiting this incredible area on our Namibian Roadtrip, the opportunity was one not to miss.

“Just getting to the site was a challenge as the route includes a very difficult 5km drive through very soft sand requiring the lowest gearing on the 4×4 truck. The hardest part of the climb itself was the last 100 meters where the slope was steep and the sand very soft in the heat. I was taking three steps forward and two steps back!

“I made sure I had plenty of stops as I needed to catch my breath but the views across the area were just breathtaking. It took just over two hours to get to the top but only 15 minutes to descend down the steepest slope into the Deadvlei – a large dry pan that has a forest of 800-year-old dessicated trees. A unique and fascinating area.”

Warwickshire-based Molly Ollys works to support children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families and help with their emotional wellbeing. As well as providing wishes, they donate therapeutic toys and books to both children directly and to hospitals throughout the UK.

Olly The Brave forms part of an Olly The Brave pack that has now been handed out to more than 70 hospitals or health centres, along with a set of books from the charity’s exclusive Olly The Brave series. The mascot has his own Hickman line and a detachable mane which helps to explain and normalise the effects of chemotherapy.

Part of more than £4m raised to date, has also been used to fund the first Molly Olly consultant in paediatric medicine at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Founder Rachel Ollerenshaw said: “This has to be one of the most unusual challenges that we have had and with the most dramatic and stunning photos. Jonathan and his wife, Cathy have been very supportive for many years, and it is very kind of Jonathan to do the Big Daddy Climb. Thankyou to Jonathan and everyone who has donated to help make a difference.”

The Big Daddy Dune is by far the tallest among hundreds of square miles of dunes in the Sossusvlei area – a salt and clay pan in the world’s oldest desert, the Namib.

Jonathan, whose Talk Business network has supported Molly Ollys for several years, added: “I’m delighted to see how much money people have raised for the charity so far. We have enough money to fund one wish for a child with a life-limiting illness, which costs £500, but it would be great if we could reach enough for two wishes!

“It’s just as important to raise awareness of the charity and people have really enjoyed following Olly through social media on his special challenge!”

Further donations towards Jonathan’s JustGiving page are welcomed. Visit HERE

Fifty cyclists have raised more than £80k for Warwickshire children’s charity Molly Ollys after battling downpours and punctures to complete a gruelling 190-mile bike ride, ending in south Warwickshire.

Months of training culminated in the hardy fundraisers saddling up in Brighton town centre on Friday (September 6^th) and setting off on the three-day ride to The Durham Ox in Shrewley, stopping overnight at Winchester and Witney en route.

Among the local riders taking part was Tim Ollerenshaw, from Hatton Hark, who established the charity with his wife Rachel in 2011 following the death of their eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer.

Tim, 66, was proud to be able to join the fundraisers after battling back to rude health following a heart attack and subsequent triple bypass operation just two years earlier.

He recalls: “I had just had a test which shockingly had resulted in my being unreleasable from Warwick Hospital, pending a bypass operation. These were scary moments as I hadn’t even realised I’d had a heart attack.

“I wrote letters to all my kids in case the surgery did not work which is emotional high stakes in itself. Initially after the operation it was a major struggle to even walk very far but much sleeping and recovery later, gingerly starting playing hockey again.”

Tim nearly never made the start line however after suffering chest pains again the day before the ride, a scare that, thankfully, turned out to be muscle strain – and so the trip was back on.

“I had to be more cautious than I would like to be especially as I was in hospital the day before thinking I was having another heart attack! Fortunately, it wasn’t.

“Day one presented us with the worse weather I have ever cycled in and no one would have chosen to cycle that day but to do it for Molly and other children like her who face much worse, was paramount in my mind and for the duration of the ride. It is humbling that we have raised so much. Thank you to all our donors.”

Molly Ollys works to support children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families and help with their emotional wellbeing. As well as providing wishes, they donate therapeutic toys and books to both children directly and to hospitals throughout the UK.

Mascot of the charity is a therapeutic toy lion called Olly The Brave who has his own Hickman line and a detachable mane which helps to explain and normalise the effects of chemotherapy. It forms part of an Olly The Brave pack that has now been handed out to more than 70 hospitals or health centres, along with a set of books from the charity’s exclusive Olly The Brave series.

Part of more than £4m raised to date, has also been used to fund the first Molly Olly consultant in paediatric medicine at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Molly’s mum Rachel said: “This year’s cycle ride was probably the most challenging, mainly in part to the weather conditions. When we left Brighton on the Friday morning it was wet and grey and just got progressively worse, even the most seasoned of cyclists said it was tough.

“The night before I had talked about our work, the children we support and shared individual stories.  Many of the riders said this helped to keep them focused and spurred them on when they were cold and aching.”

The cyclists received a lot of support en route, including New Horizon Logisitcs, in Warwick, Oakland International Ltd, in Redditch (who also entered 17 cyclists); Affordable Warm Solutions, in Solihull; John Cleary Photography in Leamington; Leonardo Hotels; Premier Inn; Travelodge UK; The Golden Lion Pub in Winchester and Pizza Express.

“As always, the welcome home is massively emotional for all and there were many tears when all the cyclists rode in together. The emphasis for the whole weekend is about working as a team, so we ride in as a team. Together we are stronger. We are incredibly grateful for their strength and dedication.

“Molly Ollys work with other charities and health professionals to get the best support to the children that need it. These cyclists working as a team raised a phenomenal amount. I cannot thank everyone involved in all aspects from start to finish enough. What a brilliant achievement all round that will enable us to help many children.”

Donations in support of the cyclists are still welcome HERE.