Christmas in Connecticut

Meet Lisa and her brother Tommy-Lisa`s son Kyle and Tommy`s daughter Emma. They live in Branford, Connecticut , U.S.A. Lisa contacted me several weeks ago through facebook and bought several bands from me- My heart went out to her as she wrote that her brother Tommy who is 52 had been diagnosed with ALS/MND less than a year ago now-I think these photographs are heartwarming and sums up what Christmas is all about- don`t you ?
I love this photo-doesn`t it look lovely ? the fire is lit-the Christmas tree looks really pretty-presents are being opened- You can feel the love ! It`s obvious that this is a very kind , loving and supportive family .We need more families like Lisa`s to come forward and buy bands from us to help raise awareness of this very cruel disease- and by doing so help increase awareness and funding so hopefully one day a cure will be found. I started this blog because I wanted Andrew to feel loved and supported - but if other people out there like us- have a loved one suffering from this disease - maybe united we can make a difference-if you can, please help support this charity-it really does need your help,
This coming year will be a busy one !The Presbytarian Church are holding a hotpot supper in January to raise funds for M.N.D.A. We have a calendar to design and produce- not to mention a photo shoot to organize on top of a suitable mountain with the M.N.D made from human letters ! We still have to work hard selling bands and raising funds to meet our £10,000 target-I have written to Asda`s again requesting a fundraising day[January the 30th] and if possible another bag pack !
In march , Prestatyn Cons club have offered to hold a fund raising night- we will be holding another raffle-so if anyone out there has any unwanted Christmas presents please you know where to send them -we will be very grateful !
Finally a big thank you to cousin Karen-instead of writing Christmas cards-the money she saved she donated to Andrews charity, also to fellow blogger Diane who writes a lovely blog called heartshaped-your donation was really appreciated -thank you xx Thats it for now !
Wishing you all lots of love, laughter and good health and happiness for 2011- Jan and family xxxx

Andrew and Jayne`s favourite destination !

These pictures Andrew and Jayne took while on holiday a couple of months ago-at their favourite destination-they stay at the same holiday villa every time they go- they just love it there -I think you can see why ! On their last visit they went out on a boat trip-their villa overlooks the old harbour you can see in the photo, I will give you a few clues-It is a Spanish Island -37 miles long and 12 miles wide, it is situated 79 miles off the coast of Africa. Can you guess where Andrew and Jayne are in these photo`s and win yourself a free MND wristband ?

Christmas day !

Ann ,Andrew and me !
We had a lovely family day yesterday- as you can see Jayne did us all proud and set the table ready for our arrival-The table looked lovely ! here we all are chatting and eating and enjoying each others company ! All the men got together to supervise the lighting of the Christmas pudding- John warmed the brandy first [apparently vodka is better-it burns for longer -we didn`t have any though hence the brandy!] the lights were dimmed but it kept going out before we managed to carry the pudding into the dinning room ![for all the ooohs and aaahs ]



It took several attempts and three men and a quarter bottle the brandy to get the thing alight ! It went up with a great whoosh nearly incinerating Andrews hand and eyebrows !
After dinner we swapped pressies-above is Andrews mother in law Pat -wearing one of hers !
This one might interest youTracey ! -Tim had a set of willy wigs
John made a friend ! Andrew and Jaynes cat ! He sat for ages like that ! hope you are all enjoying your Boxing day !

Where is Lynda ?

Thank you Lynda for sending in this photograph which was taken in November time before all the snow arrived ! Lynda writes this village is best known for " The house in the clouds " which you can see in the photograph above- it is a converted water tower which is available for holiday hire, [ bet it has fabulous views !! ] This village was originally a small fishing hamlet in the late 19 C. However in 1910 a Scottish barrister bought the entire area and turned it into a private fantasy village, this small resort is purpose built around "The Meare " -a man made boating lake which is the focus of the village . So , where is Lynda ? any ideas ?
I would just like to take this opportunity on behalf of Andrew and all of his family to give a heart felt thank you for all the wonderful and supportive comments and words of encouragement we have received since starting this MND awareness blog - To those of you who have bought bands and have sent in photographs - thank you big time ! this blog wouldn`t have worked with out all of your input !
Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas from all of us in N.Wales xxxx to all of you out there ! xx

Keep the photographs coming !

Happy Christmas to Gwynnie and Mal ! Thank you for sending in this photograph taken just over a month ago now , can you guess the location ? a small clue -its taken here in the U.K. and is usually the first place [and last !] to get snow ! Please keep your photographs coming-especially those supporters who have had bands and yet to send their photo`s in ! I`am surprised I have yet to receive a photograph of a snowman wearing a band -so come on ! put all those kids to work and get them out from under your feet and lets have a competition for the best one !

Our bands really do get everywhere !

Our bands really do find themselves turning up in all sorts of places ! And here is one in Bermuda !
Dave Spragg sent in this photo of friend Mel Fitzgerald saying - "Mel is a great supporter of my charitable efforts and was more than happy to buy a band and take it halfway round the world "
What stars thank you Mel and Dave ! though not sure what Mel looks like she`s doing ?
Our next 2 photographs were sent in by Mal Torres who lives in Three Rivers, Texas. The above photo is of her daughter Lisa doing her farm chores wearing her band ! and the photo below Mal describes as old Tex spreading the word !
I would like just to say a big thank you to my old set of neighbours Don and Sheila Hatch and Glenys and Geoff Sturgess ! We still keep in touch [ even after 7 years ] , When we left our old cottage we were heartbroken at leaving them behind and had joked that we wanted to take them with us ! Both have popped into the shop where I work this week with Christmas cards and cash donations for Andrews charity- your kindness is very much appreciated ! Thank you so much xx
Big hugs to you both.

Third time lucky ! Guess Who`s back !

Look who`s back ! and still on the run ! this set of photo`s Viv has captioned ! " Can`t catch me -I`ll swim for it ! " and " oh ! oh ! " I think every one will need a little help on this one as there are no iconic buildings or clues in the photo Viv ! so here goes !
This is the youngest country on Earth -The last major land mast to be discovered , it has rich and facinating history many beautiful colonial buildings. It has spectacularly beautiful landscapes which include vast mountain chains , steaming volcanoes , sweeping coastlines , deeply indented fiords and lush rainforests , comparable in size to G.B. Colorado and Japan. Population 4 million making it one of the least crowded countries. A temperate climate makes it an ideal year round destination , sounds brilliant Viv ! You lucky thing ! oh -One last clue a blockbuster film was made here ! Good luck ! Win yourself the usual -a free MND wristband ! have a go !

And the temperature is 28 C !

And the clue is in the title ! Can anyone tell me where in the world Nia , hubby George and family are enjoying a day out on the beach ? Another clue -they won`t be bumping into Viv !
I`m pleased to announce Roly is the winner of our Coronation Street poster auction- it made the sum of £25 !! We are absolutely delighted- thank you Rol ! that was very generous of you and much appreciated . Not sure how many of you out there watched the Coronation Street disaster-
I was a little disappointed I must admit- considering it cost £1 million to stage-it was not exactly a blockbuster moment but maybe I`m just hard to please ! Anyone who guesses the correct whereabouts of Nia and family I will send them a free motor neurone wristband! So go on have a go !

Wedding photograph

Congratulations to Mike and Beverly [Bev ] who got married last weekend here they are pictured at their reception ! For those of you with a good memory I photographed Mike outside the shop where he works a few weeks back [E.Jones and sons in Denbigh ] the shop was kind enough to donate a prize for our raffle , Mike and Andrew worked together for quite a number of years , unfortunately Andrew was unable to attend the wedding but just to let Andrew know that were thinking of him they posed for a picture ,they have promised to take a few pictures on their honeymoon for our travelling bands competition. Hope you have a brilliant time , wishing you lots of love laughter health and happiness ! All of Andrews family xxxxx

Auction Time !

Coronation street celebrates its 50 th anniversary this week ! A few weeks ago I buckled down with pen and paper I got on with some letter writing- I wrote to The Princess Royal [as you all now know ] , Coronation Street , Eastenders and Hollyoaks . I was hoping to get some celebrity faces to add to our blog supporters site ! Eastenders sent me a very nice letter returning the bands [ which I thought very nice of them ] declining my request ,[ o.k.- big sighs but at least they wrote back !] Coronation street sent the above picture [ no sign of the bands ] also declining my request but as a softener please find enclosed ! A very nice picture souvenir of all the cast with autographed printed signatures ! A moment of madness passed over me- regarding a red felt tipped pen- and the urge to draw them all wearing mnd wristbands ! hmmm ! What on earth shall I do with this ? I know ! How about I auction it ?
For all you Coronation Street fans out there this week will be the hottest television event of the decade with one of the biggest stunts ever pulled off by a soap !The dramatic scenes took ten special- effects experts more than 250 days to film -costing £1 million , the most producers have ever spent on a stunt ! As well as killing off several well known characters the crash will create some exciting cliffhangers ! So grab the chance to get yourself this keepsake ! I will start the bidding at £ 3.00 [ just to cover postage costs ] ! You can email me a bid or better still write one in the comment box ! GOOD LUCK !

Viv is back !

Well, the wandering grey old geezer is back [ his words - not mine ! ] and he is going to give you all another shot at guessing his location ! Viv and his friend Betty are on their travels in a tough little four wheel drive camper van - they have nick named " the mouse "
Viv captioned this photo -Convict on the run ! Will they catch him ? will they `eck !
To give you a clue [ before you ask-Ann ! ] the beaches are famed for their driftwood ! Also a green type of gem ?
And now we have " THE SOFA CHALLENGE ! " Andrew put a message on his facebook wall the other day asking people to support MND and to purchase a band from us and one lady replied £2.50 is nothing to donate , I lose more than that down the back of my sofa ! [ thank you Sara ]
Yup ! you`ve got it- I want you all to check under your sofa cushions and any money you find donate to charity [ preferably this one ! please ! ] I have just found three quid , along with an empty crisp packet , an empty toblerone packet- [ not mine ! huh ? what ?] and hang my head in shame enough fluff to stuff a cushion with [ Lets not mention the biscuit crumbs ] Why not write in and let me know what or how much you found !
Remember you can donate or buy your band through our donate button on the right hand side of the page- it is totally secure and safe or if you live locally in the Prestatyn area email me and I will give you details of where you can purchase your band from.