17th June 2013 – Newsletter

Hello one and all. Hope you had a good Father’s Day yesterday. We did – Dan, Holly and I treated Mark to a day at Twin Lakes theme park, and had lots of fun. Rides, slides, icecreams – Mark had a great time. Kids liked it too. There were tough moments when we longed for Campbell to be with us, like we always do, but we got by.

Onto charity news – in order to keep in touch with the marvellous health-care professionals who look after children with metabolic disorders, we’ve started sending out newsletters. The first one went out yesterday and we hope that doctors, nurses, health-workers, hospice staff, will read it, see what the Trust is about and what we can do to help families in need.

The first newsletter can be found here. Newsletter 1. Please feel free to have a read and pass it on. And if you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive a newsletter (every couple of months), please email bekki@campbellstrust.co.uk

Thanks, and have a good week.

Love Bekki and Mark xx

14th June 2013 – Three Peaks Challenge

Hello all. Wanted to share some fundraising news.

Friends and fellow Campbell-lovers at the University of Nottingham will be taking park in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge on Saturday 27^th July, in aid of The Campbell Burns Metabolic Trust.

My friend, Richard, has said that “the walk consists of a 24.5 mile circular route in the Ribble Valley of the Yorkshire Dales. It starts and ends in the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale and takes in climbs of the three highest points in all of God’s Own County: Pen-y-Ghent (691m), Whernside (728m), and Ingleborough (723m). The standard rules of the “Challenge” state that the course should be completed in under 12 hours. However, the presence of lovely pub serving finest Yorkshire brew and conveniently located about half way round may well result in a more leisurely pace on the day.”

Further details about the Challenge can be found at:
http://www.thethreepeakschallenge.co.uk/yorkshire-three-peaks-challenge/

We’re very grateful to our friends and we’re sure they’ll raise lots of money to help other families dealing with metabolic conditions. The group of hardy explorers consists of:

Richard Adams
Jane England
Matt Neville
Dene Sheppard
Richard Tew
Rob Thomas

All, apart from Dene, work in the Engineering Department at the University. Again, we feel so lucky to be supported by our colleagues.

There are a couple of Just Giving pages set up to raise money for this Challenge. You can donate through these pages, by clicking on either
http://www.justgiving.com/richardadams77
http://www.justgiving.com/matts3peakchallenge

Thanks again, Richard, Jane, Matt, Dene, Richard and Rob. We’re sure you’ll raise lots of pennies for the Trust and hope your legs can hold up!

Love Bekki and Mark xx

10th June 2013 – Charity Golf Day

Hello blog followers. Got some exciting news to share with you today about a big fundraising event we’re holding in August.

Charity Golf Day
23rd August 2013
Naunton Downs Golf Club, Naunton, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL54 3AE
http://www.nauntondowns.co.uk/

We will be holding a charity golf day on August 23rd at the Naunton Downs Golf Club. We’re delighted to have Naunton Downs onboard, supporting the Trust, as the golf course is one of England’s most beautiful and premier clubs. We hope you will join us for what will be a great fundraising day!

A round of golf on the 18 hold, 71-par course usually costs £25. We aim to offer the round to those taking part in the Trust’s charity day at approximately £20, so giving golfers a good discount.

There will be prizes, raffles and fun events throughout the day, making this a real family occasion.

If you would like to reserve a ticket, please email the event organiser, charity Trustee, and Campbell’s Uncle, Chris Pockett at chrispockett81@hotmail.com. Alternatively, you can sign up as “going” on the event created on the Trust’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/464276510325798/

Hope to see lots of you there!

Love Bekki and Mark xx

7th June 2013 – Facebook Drive

Hello everyone – can you help us?

We’d like to get the Facebook “likes” up, so we can share the Campbell-news with lots of people. It’s important for us to reach lots of families and lots of potential supporters, and Facebook is a great way of doing it. So, again, we’re calling on you to ask for your help.

Please could you share the Trust’s Facebook page and encourage your friends to “like” it? We’re at 341 “likes” so far – it would be brilliant if we could get that up higher, as far as it will go.

Thanks very much – you never know who might see it.

https://www.facebook.com/TheCampbellBurnsMetabolicTrust

Love Bekki and Mark xx

3rd June 2013 – Have A Gleg At These…

Hello everyone, hope you are well and had a good weekend. Ours revolved around food – had a BBQ on Saturday with friends and then went shopping yesterday. Oh, and we had a picnic in the park and watched Dan and Holly fall off their bikes (we were helping them learn to balance, right, but it was a bit haphazard).

Thought you’d like to know that we’ve been sending out some leaflets and posters about the Trust to metabolic departments and childrens’ hospices in the UK. We hope that hardworking health professionals will spread the word about Campbell’s charity and what it can do to help families. A photo of the leaflets is below:

Aren’t they brilliant? We should say that they were put together by our fantastic friend at the University of Nottingham, Karen Shale, who works in the Communications Team. Karen designed them in her spare time and we are very, very grateful. We were able to send them off to the printers without any concerns about the quality and count ourselves very lucky to have Karen’s support, and the equally fab Emma Thorne, who has written some lovely articles about Campbell for the University’s in-house magazine. Thank you, ladies.

In the meantime, as these leaflets filter out into hospitals, please continue to spread the word about the Trust. We are so, so keen to share the Campbell-love.

Love Bekki and Mark xx

31st May 2013 – Poetry Comp Reminder

Hello all

Well, we spoke too soon – the two days of summer were soon over and the rest of the week was wet and sodden. Never mind, we had a brilliant week away camping with the kids. Over-indulged on the chips, vino, fizzy pop and candy floss, but it was completely necessary. As was the excessive riding down the slides at the swimming pool and the nightly bingo – a typical British sea-side holiday. Loved it.

And now time for a reminder…

In association with Grace Dieu Writer’s Circle, Leicestershire, The Campbell Burns Metabolic Trust is pleased to launch a new poetry competition. The competition is open to all and we hope many visitors to this site will give it a go!

Poems should be 40 lines max, on any topic. One winner will be selected in October  2013 and will receive a £50 book token, as well as seeing their poem published on the Grace Dieu Writer’s website, the Trust’s charity website and the charity blog.

You can download an entry form and the competition rules on the Poetry Competition page on the blog (http://campbellburns.wordpress.com/poetry-competition-2013/) or the charity website (www.campbellstrust.co.uk)

We’re delighted to be working with Grace Dieu Writers on this project. Our friends in the group contacted us last year with their idea – the day of Campbell’s half-birthday, incidentally, when we were at Thomas Land with the Pocketts. Please, as ever, share this link and help make it a success. And get your entries in! Deadline is 7th September.

Love Bekki and Mark xx

27th May 2013 – Is It Summer?

Can’t believe it, summer might – just might – be here! It’s been warm and sunny, and we hope you’ve enjoyed it.

As you’d expect, summer makes us think of our little man – as does all weather, to be fair – because last year, we spent much of our time outdoors, BBQing with family, pretending to hold the Olympics in our back garden, and exposing Campbell’s fat, chubby skin to the sun. We miss him, rain or shine.

So here’s a photo from last summer, when we were lucky enough to still have Cam. It features our wonderful, handsome patron, Joe Gray – I’m sure you don’t mind.

Love Bekki and Mark xx