I know, I was going to stop at 92, but I’ve been invited to the SATE Anniversary party today.

Iwas part of the team that record and distribute Talking Newspapers for a couple of years or so. Loved it, but when I became the Early Show Presenter at Bbc Radio Solent for about 5 years, an awful lot of things had to be sacrificed for that 3.00 am wake up call. I helped work on a database for them, too, Chris and I spent hours with a bloomin’ “if, then, else” statement!

I love these guys and what they do, it would be rude to go without a cushion!

Bobby wasn’t too impressed!

The Ark costs £3,500 a day to run, so every penny the cushion makes will be put to good use. They plan to raffle it at several events, I’ll let you know where when I have details.

Sheila Price and her team, based at Shirley Baptist Church, Southampton, are passionate and hard working in their support for Childsplay Romania who support young people in Romania, in all aspects of their welfare (health, education, etc). They’re going to have a special event later in the year when their cushion will make an appearance.

The last few cushions are on black velvet, there was just enough to take me through to the end of the project! It’s been lurking in the cupboard for years. I had made a pair of posh trousers from it, and had to patch them up when I was bitten by a dog in a pub! It put me off using the rest of it for clothes!

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Somewhere in this heap is the 92nd and final cushion! Just got to scuttle about delivering them and then hope all the amazing people who work so hard for charity can turn them into loads of pennies!

There’s a very special MG cushion at the New Forest Run of the Southampton and New Forest MG Owners club. This year Club members have chosen two local charities to benefit from the Run – Brendoncare and the Society of St James. Brendoncare are based in Winchester and have 10 care centres and about 70 social and friendship clubs. The care centres provide a mixture of residential and nursing care, and the Clubs which are spread across Hampshire and Dorset have around 1,600 members and 400 volunteers. The Society of St James support those who are homeless, they have a drug and alcohol recovery programme, have specialist supported accommodation and give support in the home.

Wessex Heartbeat is such a precious charity, not only do they run Heartbeat House at the Southampton General Hospital (where families of seriously ill patients receiving cardiac care can stay) but they are continuously fund raising for other reasons. Here’s why the asked for a cushion:

“Put simply Wessex Heartbeat’s driving ambition is to help achieve the very best care for people with heartbeat conditions. Wessex Heartbeat is a well-known local and Wessex-wide charity of 20 years . It exists to support the improvement of cardiac care at the specialist Wessex Cardiac Centre based in Southampton General Hospital. Large and small projects benefit more than 20,000 people every year.
How would you use a cushion?: We are hosting a Mid-Summer Ball in Romsey on 28th June and it would be an auction prize on the evening”

Tickets for the midsummer ball are £55 each and it sounds like a wonderful evening. The cushion will be part of the silent auction.

Trevor Clements and his family have a very personal reason for helping the Mission for Seafarers, Bournemouth (like so many of the cushion recipients), and are hoping to swell the coffers with as many pennies as possible.

They are going to sell tickets at several events, the first one is Tuesday June 3rd at 10.30am at a coffee morning at 58 Haven Road, Canford Cliffs.

It would be great if you could pop in and support him. There’s a Labrador puppy cushion waiting for a new home!

We need to pop down to Poole with a cushion for the Mission to Seafarers, Bournemouth and then onto Wool with one for Cancer Research UK, before taking a sneaky peak at the cygnets at Abbotsbury!

More deliveries during the week…..now, which ones to take today?

I know, I’ve gone a little overboard with puppies, but I just love them!

I forgot to add the West Wight Sports Centre, who have lost their council funding and are desperate for help!

Cushion 91!

Requested by the Southampton and New Forest MG Owners Club who gave a New Forest run and fund raising event in June, the funds are split between the Society of St James, who care for the homeless and those suffering from alcohol and drug dependency (I’m so pleased to be supporting them, there are too many folk struggling like this) and Brendoncare (they looked after my Dad for the last two weeks of his life last year and of course they’ve had a cushion already, but I owe them so much, they were truly fabulous in his care).

The last few cushions requested are for the Stubbinton Ark (animal rescue), Many Tears, who rescue dogs (they’re based in Wales but find homes throughout the country), Wessex Heartbeat,
Cancer a Research Uk, Childsplay Romania, All Saints Gurnard and Bournemouth Mission for Seafarers.

I’m off to do some sewing!

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