A Royal Refusal ! but a nice one !

The other week I decided I would write a letter to HRH The Princess Royal, She is patron of the motor neurone disease association , so with that in mind I thought it about time she received an up to date and very sexy mnd charity wristband ! My sister and I did have a giggle writing the letter with all the things you could write but dare not ! Like a request for a photograph wearing the band- maybe send in a photo of just a wrist ?- you could turn your ring round or take off your watch if you do not want to recognized was one comment we came up with [ I know we are sad ] or could you leave a message of support for Andrew was another it would be lovely to have the first royal blogger [huh ?] We knew we would get a very polite refusal- but one that arrived in an envelope marked and stamped Buckingham Palace ! that alone was worth the effort-I smiled to myself as I bent down to pick it up off the hall floor wondering what my cheeky chap of a postman made of that envelope, mission accomplished ! An M.N.D. band made it to Buckingham palace !

Spectrum Show

From left to right sister Ann, Peter , hubby Ned ,twin John ,Chris and Debbie
From left to right Tracey, Ann . Jan and Ned


Well , what a wonderful show ! The girls were fantastic ! I really don`t know how on earth Shelly managed to put a show like that together- it must have been a huge amount of hard work -Shelley I take my hat of to you ! Our " team " arrived about half past six and started to set our table up immediately - the dancers and familys had already started to arrive, we had a prime position right outside the main entrance way, looking back I think it must have been a little intimidating as as I don`t think many people actually made it past us without buying a ticket ! I did manage to catch the first part of the show-The old smoke machine was going , setting the scene-you could feel the excitement growing ! the whole thing was very fast paced and smooth-girls of different ages [and some boys ] all coming on to do a set, some freestyle and some hip hop dancing to Alexander Burke, Pixie Lott , Cheryl Cole and many more ! The costumes were brilliant [ you must be very proud of you mum Shelley ] and the lighting effects and fire works - superb !
Tracey and I went backstage to deliver the raffle tickets to the compere who was drawing them at the second half- what an eye opener ! I walked down what seemed like miles and miles of corridors with rooms packed full of girls all having their hair and make up done- Imagine having to control that lot ! On the whole things ran quite smoothly- I did manage to leave a few of the raffle prizes at home and had to hotfoot it back to collect them- arriving just in time before the end of the show ! phew ! Every commented on what great prizes we had -a huge thank you to every one who donated a prize- not forgetting the gentleman from Marine motors who made a last minute donation of a free car MOT -the lady who won it was delighted !
and to Delyth for the beautiful hand made cushion which we have decided to keep for our next raffle !
We made £ 327.00 !!! Special thanks to our team -Tracy, Peter , Debbie , John ,Chris , Ann ,Tim and Ned xxxxxx

Happy thanks giving holidays !

This picture arrived today sent in by a lady who lives in Texas USA. Mal and her family are currently enjoying their thanksgiving holidays- she wrote a lovely piece on her blog (http://saenzmom.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-love-holidays.html) about our fund raising efforts promoting our awareness campaign as you can see the bands I had sent her had arrived that morning ! Thank you Mal ! Hope you and your family have a very happy thanks giving holiday Any one wishing to donate or buy a wrist band, just look for the donate button on the right hand side of the page- payment can be made by pay pal and is totally secure and safe.
I spoke to Shelley from the Inferno dance class last night for some last minute instructions regarding the raffle, poor girl was sounding a little stressed ! Her compare for the show tonight had cried off sick, one of the younger dancers had sprained her ankle and one of the older girls had tonsillitis - its a real shame as these girls have spent three years rehearsing for this show -I feel so sorry for them-Having said that I`m sure it will be a roaring success ! I have had a sneak preview of the girls costumes [Shelleys mum makes them all ] they are divine ! Looking forward to the show- see you there !

Where in the world is Viv ?

Thank you to Viv for sending in this photo of himself [wearing his band ] - but where about in the world is he ? Viv comes from Cardiff originally and wrote in before he set off on his travels - I will be gone for about three months [lucky devil ! ] but I will be in touch and send you some photos ! and this is the first - Viv himself in an` impossibly skinny racing surf ski -which has tipped him into the water several times `-he signs himself off as the wandering and grey haired old geezer !! One who is a very good sport apparently !! Take care Viv - and thank you- we will all look forward to seeing what you`re up to next !
We are now all set for Saturday`s raffle ticket selling frenzy ! Many thanks to brother John`s father in law Richard for donating the monster box of crisps , John and Chris for the Cava , Ann for the fantastic hamper and Debbie and Peter for the lovely smelly things ! the raffle prizes seem to have taken over my front living room I can`t move in there ! every where you look there are boxes , banners , buckets and balloons [ need to remember to blow those up ] sashes ,wristbands , mnd car stickers along with all my own junk !! If I ever manage to sort it all out wish me luck !
Andrew and his band Resistance are playing Saturday night [ will be sorry to miss his gig ] at the Cottage Loaf in Llandudno , please pop along and support him if you are in the area- the trusty bucket will out collecting funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association ! please donate or buy a wristband and support our awareness campaign !

On their travels again ! can you spot where they are ?

Mal and Gwynnie are on the road again ! Can you spot where they are this time ? and no ! I will not be giving anybody a clue - its easy ! Have a go and win yourself a car sticker and a free wristband ! memo to Mal and Gwyn stop moving around the country so quickly I can`t keep up !
Seriously though -thanks for being such good sports and joining in the fun- take care lol xx

Surprise Donation

A few weeks ago I mentioned our curate rev Kate`s Sunday school class called the early birds, the class were holding a harvest early birds breakfast. [ at the Prestatyn Parish church school rooms ] The breakfast Ann and I went to was a great success and was well supported ! [all the bell ringers stopped by for a yummy tea cake and a cup of tea ! ] Ann and I really enjoyed ourselves, everybody made us feel very welcome, we were thrilled to bits when Kate popped an envelope in to us containing the sum of £20 ! Turns out the £20 was to pay for the motor neurone bands she had sold ! The talk Kate gave to the class was about Leprosy and Motor neurone disease- the kids then went on to make a collage , [see photo`s ] the amount they raised for MNDA and Leprosy was split and we now possess a cheque for the sum of £75.00 ! Thank you all so much for all your hard work- I can`t begin to tell you how much we appreciate it, its feels great to have so many supporters and people who care out there giving up their time to help us ! I think you will agree the kids have done a grand job !
We are now selling MND wristbands on Ebay ! Andrew and Jayne spent most of yesterday sorting it all out-you can check it out , item no 220699576026. I think we have all the angles covered now ! If you haven`t already bought your band please do so now ! and send in your photo wearing it ! We love receiving your photographs - we will include them all on this blog, we plan to send them all on to the MNDA for them to use in a U.K. awareness campaign

Raffle prizes

Well, we are nearly coming to the end of our raffle prizes ! Sister Ann is making up a hamper [her speciality -it will be fabulous ] Brother John is donating several bottles of wine and I think there are a few nice smelly things to come ! .A great big thank you to the lovely lady who donated the set of bathroom scales [see above ] her name is Ann Tatham, I met her the other day in my sisters shop, Ann and her friend also bought some MND supporters bands from us-thank you so much-and to my neighbour Gwyneth who donated the body wash /spray and the mug with the chocolate covered spoons and truffles . yummy ! You know just what us girls like ! The teddy ? well I could not resist- he`s looking for a good home [hope you noticed he`s wearing his band ! ]

On which summit are they ?

Many thanks to Dave Spragg and his family for supporting Andrew and sending in this photo !
Can anyone tell me on which summit have these group of walkers arrived at ? The photo`s were taken on the 25th of October on what looks like to be a beautiful day ! I love the photograph above with just the hands -nice to think of people united together and joining in to help us raise awareness of this disease . Just look at the views in the back ground ! breathtaking ! well worth the trek.

Raffle prizes- All the way from Australia !

This lovely raffle prize came all the way from Australia - courtesy of Linda ! the girls from the dance class will love this one Linda , clever lady ! We have had it wrapped all in cellophane and added a big bow- it was quite hard to photograph as the light bounces off the cellophane but believe me it looks gorgeous ! It comprises of all sorts of gorgeous things- a cuddly kangaroo with a baby in its pouch, a koala bear , clip on koalas, a bag ,notepads ,wrappping paper, a boomerang and cards ! Linda wrote apologizing that she had taken a few things out because of the postage costs [ around $72.40 ] and wrote it wasn`t one of my brightest ideas-I could have sent you a donation -!! on the contrary I think it will make a fantastic centre piece on the night and attract lots of people to buy our raffle tickets ! Well done and thanks Linda you`re a star !

Anna and Louisa

Thank you to our official photographer Stuart Lewis for sending in this photograph of his daughter Anna and her friend taken last Sunday, Anna works as a keep fit instructor at All Saints in Meliden, she completed the Delamere hell raiser run -it is between 10-12 miles and comes with the warning- beware ! there will be everything from running tracks and trails to water filled areas [ by the looks of things I think Anna found them alright ] and plenty of steep hills-expect to get very wet [ Anna ,why do you look soaked and your friend bone dry ? ] It will be nature at its toughest !
According to Anna`s mother her running clothes are still soaking in a bucket [ Anna fell into a bog !!]
Thanks girls for being such good sports and for wearing your supporters bands and sending in your photo !! Well done to the both of you !
Any one out there got a similar photo ? send it in !

Help Gethyn give MND the boot !

A welsh actor is among a team of celebrities who have agreed to help raise cash in memory of a popular Bangor man Iolo Owens who died aged just 50 from motor neurone disease. Llyr Evans -see pic [brother to actor Rhys Ifans ] and fellow celebrities from the S4/C programme Rownd@Rownd are playing against the HSBC bankers.
The match has been organized by bank manager Gethyn , in memory of his father, it will take place at
Y Felinheli Football Club Bangor on the

Sunday the 28 th November 2010, there is a half time raffle , with some fantastic prizes

Villa in Spain-sleeps 6 for a week

signed Jonathan Davies rugby shirt.

Signed Wales and Arsenal Footballs.

Stadium Museum Tour for 4 at Liverpool football club.

Sunday lunch at Signatures Conwy for 2.

2 tickets for the panto at Venue Cymru

Raffle tickets £1 each-donations to G.Owen, 2 Mostyn Terrace ,Bethesda, Gwynedd LL57 3AB

TEL 07738022313


Wishing you lots of success with this event Gethyn, I think its absolutely brilliant what you are doing ! hope to see you there on the day !

Raffle prizes

Our next raffle prize has been donated by Beauty by Hayley, 167, High Street, Prestatyn.
Proprietor Hayley is pictured above on the left with her mum Theresa . I hope I win this one ! Its for a neck, shoulder and back massage ! I can`t remember the last time I had one of those , What a luxury ! Thank you- to both of you for supporting our MND campaign and for wearing your bands !
Contact details for beauty by Hayley -01745 888988
Oh by the way -the affilliated link I was after is now on the official MNDA web site-shop [just after mnd lovely ladies ] -thanks Susan x www.mndassociation.org

Raffle prizes

Many thanks to Sammy seen here standing out side her shop on what was a freezing cold day wearing her supporters band ! The things I get people doing ! Appreciated-thank you !
Her salon has kindly donated a Free cut and blow dry to one very lucky winner of our dance inferno raffle prize draw ! A great prize for all those special parties and other occasions coming up! Also a big thank you to Aunty Judy for adding a bottle of whiskey to our list of prizes and to Doris Mc Gowen a regular customer of Ann`s who dropped off a tin of quality street and a bottle of sherry ! I can`t believe how kind and generous people are ! Thank you to you all !

More traveling bands -guess the location ?

Well , here we have some more traveling bands ? can any one tell me where these two characters are ? Yes ! you`ve guessed it -win yourself a free MND band and a car sticker-so come on have a go ! I have been in contact with the MNDA last week after having visited their site to order my christmas cards and have asked them to give us a affiliated link on their web site which they have agreed to do- I feel it gives us more of a official status ! So I`am feeling pretty positive about that ! A big thank you to a Mr Ian Wray for the fabulous donation of a bottle of Glenmorangie whiskey for our forthcoming raffle , it turns out that Ian knew Andrew through the Clwyd Vale Motor club many years ago when Andrew was a keen rally car navigator ! Ian had seen our request in the local paper for raffle prizes and decided he would like to support us ! Thank you so much ! I will be listing more raffle prizes this week.

Photo call !

Well as you can see we got our photo ! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole night , we arrived early as requested , had our photo taken with Frazer [who was charming ] then we skipped off to the pub for a large glass of wine before returning to the Scala to watch Frazer`s show. It was very entertaining and I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone thinking of going !
After the interval [and another glass of wine ]there was a question and answer part of the show, the audience had previously been given slips of paper on which to write down any questions they wished to ask Frazer. Ned and I filled all the slips- putting aunty judys name on all of them [sorry jude- you know i`m shy !] I thought you handled yourself really well when they called out your name [not once but three times ]!!
Frazer did talk candidly and with humour of his own battle with illness and in doing so gave us a plug about raising awareness for Andrew and mnd [ he was wearing a cancer charity wrist band aswell as Andrews mnd band]
At the end of the show brother in law Tim sneaked off and bought me Frazer`s book called
"Hines sight "and presented it to me signed by the man himself. A wonderful keepsake of a very enjoyable night-I won`t be forgetting soon !
Thank you to our very own official photographer Stuart Lewis for taking the pictures x
For more info or to buy Frazer`s book www.frazerhines.co.uk

Starstuck

I met the actor Frazer Hines today , he walked into the shop where I work, what a lovely man ! He is touring the country with his one man show and is appearing here in our local Scala this Sunday. He is best known for his appearances in Doctor Who [playing along side the second doctor ] and for his role in Emmerdale farm as the gorgeous Joe Sugden [ he is still gorgeous- how come some men don`t seem to age] He was only too happy to support my brother Andrew awareness campaign and bought a wristband from me. " Have you got your camera with you ? You can take a picture now if you like ?" - Can you believe it ,the only bloomin time I didn`t have the camera on me [the language in my head was slightly stronger -I`ve toned it down a tad now !] Making a complete idiot of myself I found myself saying- " I used to have a crush on you when you were in Emmerdale " he replied laughing they all say " use to "- I replied back
well-you`re not in it any more !
duh ! you would have thought I could have come up with something better than that ! after he left the shop I found myself rooted to the spot wondering did that just really happen ? ok who to phone first sister Ann , while texting Andrew- followed by hubby Ned ! !
Frazer is celebrating 50 years in showbiz- his show is full of entertaining stories, he has worked with some of the best Charlie Chaplin ,Michael Caine ,Michael York and Omar Sharif to name but a few, he will be talking of the highs and lows of showbiz life-I`am sure it will be a fascinating insight into his world, hurry some tickets are still available ! I know where I`ll be- Frazer has promised me that all important photograph wearing his supporters band !! One of my favourite sayings- You`re a star ! well now I`ve met a real one ! and he was lovely !
You can check out other tour dates via Frazer`s facebook pages
http://www.facebook.com/pages/frazer-hines/89759313678 and the following blog
http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/10/frazer-hines-on-tour.html

A special thank you to cousin Carol and to Sam Stone- http://sam-stone.blog.com/
or google Sam`s Lair

Raffle prize

Here we have the manager of E.Jones and Sons -Mike , pictured outside the shop in Denbigh high street, they have kindly donated a hairdryer for our raffle ! Andrew worked here with Mike a few years back now, good luck with your forthcoming wedding Mike-looking forward to seeing the photos ! and thank you for sorting out a raffle prize- !

Raffle prizes

Well , as promised I have made a start in listing all the prizes kindly donated to us for our up and coming raffle at the Rhyl Pavilion Spectrum dance show on the 27th November. We have some cracking prizes !! The first I`m listing today is from La Belle Femme , 55, Marine Road ,Prestatyn
It is for an Indian head massage ! Just the ticket -with the lead up to christmas , what better way to de-stress and relax than this ! bliss ! Pictured above- outside her shop is proprietor Charlotte [on the left ] and Emily wearing their motor neurone supporters bands .
contact details for Belle Femme 01745 851044