Sunningdale Carnival Cash Distributed

Representatives from Holy Trinity Church, Thames Hospicecare and the Ascot Horticultural Society  met at the Broomhall Recreation Ground (where the Sunningdale Area Carnival is held) , to receive cheques from the Carnival Committee, on January 28, 2010. The money was raised at the Carnival in September 2009.

Joint Chairman, Barbra Scoins - Arden  said the committee was delighted to  be supporting the THc Family Days   ( held at Paul Bevan House for recently -bereaved, single parents and their children), the AHS Summer Show and the project to restart the Holy Trinity Church tower clock (with multiple working faces and chimes). Rev. David Uffindell said the clock would be fully functional shortly. Thames Hospicecare said that the Family Days are held several times a year and money for this year's events had been running short.The AHS Show is a glorious date in the Summer calendar, held at Racecourse Car Park, at the top of Ascot High St.

Mrs Scoins-Arden also thanked Sunningdale Parish Council Chairman, Cllr Chrisitne Gadd, and Clerk to Sunningdale Parish Cuncil, Mrs Anne Martin, for use of the Recreation Ground for the Carnival.

This year's Sunningdale Area Carnival will be held on Sunday September 19. Information on how to take part will be distributed shortly. Visit www.sunningdaleareacarnival.co.uk

All three organisations are hugely grateful for the donation which will enable them to give back to the community in their own way.

Thames Hospicecare Family Days

Thames Hospicecare are putting their donation towards running Family Days which they have set up with the East Berkshire Macmillan Palliative Care Team. The day offers support to families with young children where one of the parents has died. The family days are held three times a year.

The Family Days programme was established following a series of focus groups with families where a young parent had died. The team at Thames Hospicecare & the Macmillan Palliative care team, offer a therapeutic space for children where art and crafts and teams games form part of the day. Just knowing there are other children who have lost a parent is often therapeutic in itself. The parents have a group session where they are able to talk about issues in a safe environment with other parents. This session is facilitated by two of the teams counsellors.

Each family day has on average has 7-10 adults plus children aged from 0-16 years. The families are drawn from a wide geographic area.

The day is well received and of great importance to those who attend.  The next Family Day is to be held at the end of January.

The cheque will be received by Claire Sugg, Community and Events Fundraiser for Thames Hospicecare.

For more information on Thames Hospicecare please visit: www.thameshospicecare.org.uk
If you would like to make a donation to Thames Hospicecare, please contact:
Claire Sugg in Fundraising on 08456 128812.

Ascot Horticultural Show 2010

The Ascot Horticultural Society is using the donation towards the 2010 show. The society has been in existence since about 1927 and has had a show in Ascot every year except the war years when the cups and other equipment were stored in Ascot church crypt.
It is not just a horticultural show but an event for all the family. The society are trying to continue this tradition albeit on a smaller scale to promote gardening to both young and old, together with education of healthy eating and way of life. The society link in where possible to the allotment groups and other community organisations to help raise funds for their charities and causes where possible.  
The funds will help the society to put on the show this coming year. Ascot Horticultural Society is a non profit making society and any funds raised are ploughed back into the show / society for the following year.
The cheque will be received by Mrs Pat Meehan, Chairman of Ascot Horticultural Society.
For more information on The Ascot Horticultural Show or to make a donation please contact:  The Secretary Mr. Peter Cleare on 01344 622086.

The Tower Clock in Holy Trinity Church Sunningdale

The donation from the carnival will be used to kick start the appeal to fix the tower clock in Holy Trinity Church Sunningdale. The tower clock was manufactured by Dent of London, the same firm that manufactured the clock in the Palace of Westminster and it is about the same age. It is a good example of an original clockwork time keeper, driven by weights and regulated by a pendulum.

It is an important village landmark and when in good working order the clock keeps good time and also strikes the hour, which is traditional in a rural area when no one had a pocket watch! Unfortunately over the years, two of its three faces have had to be disconnected from the clock, due to faults in the driving mechanism.

A project to restore the clock has been started and the target amount to raise is £7,500. The plan is to repair and restore the church clock and to fit an automatic winding system.

The cheque will be received by Revd H David Uffindell, Vicar of Sunningdale.

For more information on the project or to send a donation to help the appeal, please contact: Revd H David Uffindell on 01344 621886.