We miss you Doreen.

If you would like to share any memories or thoughts about Doreen, please do so in the comments box below. Thank you.

The 8^th of March saw Woodford take to Shrewsbury with hundreds of donated items to sell along with baskets of eggs, butter and flour, ready to offer the busy shoppers of Shrewsbury a tasty and freshly made pancake for a suggested donation, all in the aid of the First Official Pre-School For Deaf Children in Uganda .

This was our first ever event for Pancake Day and also our first event to be held in the Shrewsbury market square. Nerve racking stuff, but we couldn’t have had a better team, and with class ingredients  donated to Woodford– free range eggs from Just-Eggs of Ludlow, flower from Bacheldre Mill and fillings and Milk from Sainsbury’s in Shrewsbury. All topped off with the kind donation of cooking gas from Millets of Shrewsbury.

It was a beyond fantastic start and the atmosphere was cheerful and a little frenzied as we scrambled for appropriate change and raided our packing boxes for carrier bags for the good people of Shrewsbury to take home their hauls in. We came across our first hurdle when we literally ran out of carrier bags, prompting a quick dash to market hall, where a lovely woman from a fruit and vegetables store saved the day by donating us a huge bundle of shopping  bags.

But soon enough the square was filling up with the smell of good quality pancakes, which were selling just as fast as we could make them.  As the day flew by the sun was shining, the pancakes were frying, the donation buckets were filling and items were selling left right and centre. Before we knew it 4.30 had come around, so we slowly packed up and enjoyed some lovely leftover pancakes.

As we totalled up we were thrilled to find our accumulated total of £630.44!!!

A big thank you to Graham, Felicity, Chris, Mai and Mary, without their help none of this would have been possible. And also to everyone who donated goods and items for us.

Also, a huge thank you to everyone who showed up at our stall and sampled a pancake or brought a book or trinket or an ornamental vase, every penny counts and it shall all go towards helping deaf children in Uganda to learn how to communicate with their families and communities, and go on to receive an education which without your help would not be possible.

If you are interested in joining the Woodford team, emailadmin@woodfordfoundation.org.uk or contact the office 01743 364644.

You can also read our most recent news letter here.

I recently visited Uganda to see firsthand some of the work that Woodford does to help deaf children and young people around the world, and to meet with our programme partners to develop new ideas and programmes.

This blog is basically my personal reaction to my experiences of seeing the programmes, meeting the people who work to improve deaf children and young people’s lives in one of the world’s poorest countries, and through my interaction with the communities.

Apologies for the shoddy camera work!

Son of the soil is a reference to someone who returns to their place of birth to work. Having been born in Shrewsbury and having lived in Shropshire until I was 19 years of age, my return to the Shire to work for the Shropshire based charity the Woodford Foundation, apparently means just that, as coined by a member of our programme partners in Uganda, I am a Son of The Soil (I realise that I probably didn’t explain this very well in the video).

I will be posting a new blog every couple of days about my experiences, so please give me any feedback and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate in getting in contact with me.

Cheers, I hope you enjoy!

Harry

It is said that Christmas is a time for giving, that could not be more true as people of Shropshire stuck many a lump in throats of Woodford Staff and Volunteers throughout the week building up to Christmas, through their donations to the Shropshire based charity to help deaf children and young people around the world.

Woodford

s Christmas appeal to raise funds for the first official pre-school for deaf children in Uganda raised a whopping £1,329.24!

Standing in the Darwin Shopping Centre for the ent

ire week before Christmas, volunteers of Woodford were met with warmth and generous giving that people in Shropshire brought in from the cold.

At a time which can get all too stressful, finding those last Christmas presents in time, the Shropshire communities big- hearted giving and thoughtfulness means that deaf children in Uganda can learn sign language and communicate for the first time with their families, including wishing them a merry Christmas.

Thank you so much to everyone who donated and to all those volunteering, you have made many a Merry Christmas.

In some of the communities that Woodford work in, deafness is not well understood and can be viewed with suspicion. Often we work with families where parents do not know how to communicate effectively with their deaf children and one of these places is Uganda.

Woodford works in Uganda to support the provision of services and access to education of deaf children so that they can go onto live full and healthy lives, by receiving an education and being able to communicate with society.

But all of this has to start somewhere, and in Uganda’s first official pre-school for deaf children, now at the end of the academic year, deaf children and their families will for the first time wish each other a Merry Christmas. You can help that to happen.

Having been lucky enough to be awarded the space in the Darwin Centre to raise funds for the Christmas appeal, to help deaf children in Uganda wish their families a merry Christmas for the first time, Harry Salter the Fundraising Officer at Woodford said:

“Christmas is a time for families and for communities. By making a donation to the Woodford Foundation you could transform a family or a whole community. Once deaf children are able to take a full role in society they can become part of the solution to moving that country out of poverty. You can help start that process by donating to our Christmas Appeal. Please visit woodfordfoundation.org.uk to find out more and to make a donation now”.

You can also follow us on Twitter @wfdeaf and through www.facebook.com/wfdeaf.

Woodford will be in the Darwin Centre all week prior to Christmas, so look out for us!

Merry Christmas

Woodford

The title is not that much of an exaggeration, at around -5 degrees this certainly proved to be my most arctic fundraising experience to date.

That said, I’m not an overly experienced street fundraiser, I’ve dabbled a bit and helped out with bits and pieces of fundraising in university. My first major experience of fundraising took place in Paddington station during the early morning rush hour. I remember it well, the vague feeling of horror and impending doom as busy commuters poured out of the turnstiles like spring time salmon rushing up stream and began flowing around my trembling stationary figure. It had not exactly been my choice to be there, the agency with whom I was currently interning with had volunteered my services to another charity for that morning. To say the least I was feeling pensive, but I was there, I had the T-shirt, I had the bucket and I had the grim determination so I wearily approached a suited man and my campaign began. My introverted terror somehow expressed itself in a very Dickensian style of street fundraising. “Can you spare a copper for the blind sir??”, “Can you spare any change miss??” Whenever I’m lost for words I always seem to find my vocabulary and mannerisms returning somewhat into the 19th century and that day was no exception as I found myself curtsying to generous old men and doffing my imaginary cap.

The morning came to an end and I found myself pleasantly surprised with just how kind and generous the Paddington public had been, and admittedly slightly smug in the knowledge that my Oliver Twist methods had earned me the accolade of “Wow, you’ve done the best out of everyone”.

So, returning to the present and the cold, cold, cold days in the run up to Christmas. The Woodford Foundation had got in touch with me about their upcoming Christmas Campaign and I had happily agreed to lend them my ‘knowledge’ and ‘expertise’. After my positive revelations in Paddington, I approached Woodford with a lot more confidence, but once again it was not all plain sailing, as the snow proved itself to be a formidable and uncharitable villain as it repeatedly hindered my passage into town. When I eventually made my way to the Darwin Shopping Centre, in Shrewsbury, I was greeted by a team of friendly faces and a most welcoming offer of hot tea and biscuits. Once I was settled I was able to put into practice the things that I had learned from that blurry morning in Paddington station, one such thing being that there is nothing more unappealing and unapproachable to passers by than a bored or grumpy looking fundraiser. At Paddington I had used ‘Oliver’ to make myself approachable but for my time with Woodford I aimed for a slightly more 21st century image, so I giggled and chatted with my fellow fundraisers, danced and twirled away to the Christmas music, smiled till my jaws ached and tentatively approached people and asked for donations. The latter was something I was a little unsure of doing, as you never know how people will react, but (something else I had learnt at Paddington) I figured that I was inoffensive and harmless looking enough to get away with it.

However, Harry (Woodford Fundraising Supervisor and general good egg) suggested that it might not be such a good idea to physically approach people and ask for donations whilst they were doing their emergency Christmas shops, I understood his concern as this was Woodford’s first foray into the world of ‘bucket fundraising’, and they very much wanted to avoid a ‘chugger’ (charity mugging) reputation and keep a positive image with the Shrewsbury public. But I was nevertheless slightly foiled as, even in those terrifying early hours in Paddington station, I’ve never been the type of fundraiser to woodenly hold a bucket and stare moronically at my watch. It was time to reintroduce ‘Oliver’ so it was back to the “puss in boots” style eyes and Victorian mannerisms as I tried to make compelling eye-contact and suggestively incline my bucket towards passers by. It was always a bit of a release when I caught sight of a friend, someone who I knew well enough to mercilessly accost, and who knew me well enough not to take me too seriously when I ran up to them with a raised bucket and an excited exclamation of “donate or die!”.

The days past by with ups and downs, the ups being the merry Christmas music that was constantly being piped into the centre – giving me many fun hours of “guess that song!”, the lovely friendly interesting people I was working with and the surprising generosity of the Shrewsbury shoppers, who on many occasions halted their phone conversations and wrestled with hundreds of shopping bags in order to dig out some all important pounds. The downs, however, being the chilly winter weather and the occasional sad realisation that the glamorous woman with her purse in her hands was not, in fact, staring at me with starry eyes and a huge grin but was alas actually looking right through me at the high end jewellery store that resided behind our stand.

By Christmas Eve, the atmosphere was electric and full of jolly merriment. We had had such a fantastic reception and generous donations from the Shrewsbury shoppers that we decided to really push the boat out on the last day of the season of good will. Harry had brought in the cavalry in the form of various family members and we were all feeling a little braver in regards to the direct approach. Shouting was even on the agenda, as cries of “Any spare change to help deaf children all around the world” rose above the hubbub. The shy petal that I am, I can barely raise my voice at the best of times, so I have instant respect for anybody who can stand in the middle of a busy shopping centre and actively try and draw attention to themselves and their cause. Sure enough our hard work and efforts were resulting in donations all over the place. Home time soon came around and I was amazed to hear that in those 5 days over a thousand pounds had accumulated from the coppers and pounds and occasional fivers that the Shrewsbury shoppers had generously dropped into our buckets and cans. It was great news indeed and the Woodford Foundation thanked us all for our contributions and our selflessness in giving up our yuletide time.

In all honestly, I almost felt as if I had been given a little too much credit. It had been no hardship at all and made for a fantastic build-up to Christmas. The mind numbing chilly winter air aside, it was always a lovely atmosphere and I met some really great people. Also, I had the opportunity to “to help deaf children all around the world” (a phrase that shall be forever etched into my mind) and make a real positive difference to someone’s life. In a way, I could enjoy my stocking all the more on Christmas morning in the knowledge that it had been well earned.

On a more personal level, I would recommend that every shy and retiring person out there who suffers from confidence issues should give ‘volunteer fundraising’ a try. It always surprises me just how pleasant and willing to talk to you people are. Equally, you also realise that, on the few occasions when your fears come true and people do just brush you off or give you a dirty look, it really does not matter at all. It is the positives that stay with you, I shall never forget how on that day in Paddington an elderly gentleman said to me “you are such a hero for the work you do, you deserve a medal”. I recall with embarrassment that my response was a curtsy and a mumble of “too kind, too kind sir”, but nevertheless it was a proud accolade that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

P.S. With regards to the second to last paragraph, yes I’m 22 and I still have a stocking, but if you can’t regress into childhood at Christmas then when can you?!

The event was held at The Abbey public house in Shrewsbury and was hosted by the landlord Gary Bellingham, who expressed his delight at hosting the fundraising night for deaf children in developing countries.

One quiz-goer Ben expressed his delight at being involved in the quiz:

“It’s great to be able to raise funds for such a good cause, after learning about what Woodford do, knowing that the money we gave to enter the quiz can help a deaf child in Uganda to wish their family a Merry Christmas is just fantastic!”

Woodford helps deaf children and young people around the world to get an education and access services which otherwise wouldn’t be available.

In Uganda, Woodford works with the first official pre school for deaf children which gives communication skills so that they can communicate with their families and teachers when they go to school.

A massive thanks goes out to all who entered, Gary and everyone at The Abbey, for hosting the event.

Gary wants to hold another one in the new year so keep an eye out to come and join in the next one, as always the brilliant food and drinks menu will be available.