Untitled

Page
3 Welcome to MACS!
4 Make some noise!
4 All aboard!
5 MACS’ adventurers go wild in Cumbria
6 Running London...
7 Fun and frolics at the Family Weekend!
8 What’s in a gene? Investigating the cause of MACS conditions
10 MACS Grants Scheme
11 Thinking about education?
11 Go green and recycle for MACS
12 Introducing Tina; your
Regional Co-ordinator
13 Summer fun!
14 Dates for the diary
15 Fabulous fundraisers
This issue is packed full of information and
news about what’s been going on at MACS
over the last few months and what’s to come!
Thanks to all families who have taken part
in MACS events, supported our marathon
runners and attended our Family Weekend.
MACS has been joined by lots of new families
recently and we are now reaching out to
over 500 members. Welcome to you all!
It’s wonderful to know that more and more
families who need support, are finding out
about MACS.
If you haven’t yet attended a MACS event or
activity, then I hope some of the stories you
read here will inspire you to join in. We would
love to meet you and have the opportunity to
share support and have fun together.
I hope you enjoy the read.
Barry Stickings, MACS Chairman
Social media is a great way to develop
awareness of MACS and our presence on
outlets like Facebook and Twitter is growing
every day. Facebook page is a particularly
utilised resource and a great place to find
out about what MACS is up to. Our main
Facebook page has now reached over 1,000
Facebook likes, and 180 Twitter followers,
made up of MACS members, supporters and
fundraisers from all over the world.
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While this online support is fantastic, we
know that many MACS members may want
to use Facebook as a way of seeking advice
or support about personal issues. In response,
MACS is creating a closed group specifically
for MACS members and overseas based
families. If you are on Facebook, you will
receive an invite soon!
A message from MACS: Alan and Teresa
Barmby have asked us to share the sad
news that their daughter Michelle passed
away at home on 31st March with her
family around her. We hope you will join
us in sending our sympathy and thoughts
to the family.
MACScharity and MACSTheMonkey
@macsthecharity
2
Robbie Crow, Observer &
Youth Events Co-ordinator
T: 07734 954 976
E: [email protected]
Barry Stickings, Chair
T: 07790 432980
E: [email protected]
Amy Ottaway, Ambassador 2013
E: [email protected]
Gary Murphy, Treasurer
T: 07921 999552
E: [email protected]
Non-Committee Members
Victoria Samuel,
Charity Development Manager
T: 07734 954 977 / 0800 644 6017
E: [email protected]
Lynda Rhodes, Family Liaison
T: 0800 169 8088
E: [email protected]
Allison Winegarden,
Regional Events Administrator
E: [email protected]
Jenny Lupton,
Marathon Co-ordinator
T: 07872 552205
E: [email protected]
Amy an
d
her fam
ily
Mabel
Tina McKinstry,
Regional Co-ordinator
T: 07860 778160
E: [email protected]
Gemma &
Tyler
Alex
Fern
Suzanne Hiley, Observer
T: 07734 659521
E: [email protected]
Stephanie Sergeant from North
Worcestershire is a new adult member.
She has congenital Cataracts and bilateral
Microphthalmia and has a guide dog called
Adele. Stephanie teaches visually impaired
people to use computers, so get in touch if
you need a hand!
We are pleased to introduce some of
MACS’ newest members.
The Nightingale / McKenna family are from
London. Baby Alex was born in June and has
unilateral Microphthalmia and Coloboma.
The Sime family and baby Mabel are from
Tyne & Wear. Mabel was born in May and has
bilateral Microphthalmia and Coloboma.
The Derbyshire family is from Braintree in
Essex. Their daughter Amy is 12 years old
and has bilateral Cataracts, Microphthalmia
in the left eye and Oculofaciocardiodental
Syndrome (OFCD).
Gemma Oliver and Tyler are from Cardiff.
Tyler is 7 years old and has unilateral
Microphthalmia, Coloboma and Charge
Syndrome. They are looking forward to
meeting other MACS families!
Gary & Lynsey Rainey live in Northern Ireland
with baby Fern is 10 weeks old who has
unilateral Anophthalmia. Lynsey has already
agreed to become the Regional Supporter for
her area.
3
Emily was careful to give each child lots
of individual attention and made sure that
the children were able to try out a range
of instruments. The children learned about
listening, taking turns, working as a team and
using sound imaginatively.
July saw MACS hold a pilot music therapy session
for 4-10 year olds in South East London. Six lucky
youngsters were treated to an hour long session
with specialist music therapist Emily Gresty from
the Oxleas NHS Trust.
It was a fantastic session and everyone parents, children and observers, left with a
smile. We were lucky enough to be joined
by representatives from the Barbara Ward
Children’s Foundation who later made a
donation of £5,000 to MACS!
Songs were sung, drums banged, symbols
crashed and horns tooted! All the children had
an amazing time making music, and lots of
noise, together!
The London sessions will now continue on a
monthly basis from Saturday 21 September
and those interested in their child attending
should contact [email protected]. MACS
also plans to run similar sessions in other
regions, depending on interest, the numbers
of age appropriate children and therapist
availability. Please contact Victoria to express
your interest.
The calm of the Cumbria countryside
was disrupted in July by a group of
MACS youngsters. Courtesy of MACS,
and funders such as Children in Need,
the group were spending a weekend at
The Bendrigg Trust; a Kendal-based activity
centre specialising in courses for disabled
people.
Over two days, the young adventurers
sampled a range of activities, designed to be
enjoyable, but also to push them out of their
comfort zones! Expert carers and activity
supervisors provided one to one and group
support and ensured that the adventurers felt
safe at all times.
Friday evening saw the youngsters ease into
the weekend with group games and the
chance to go tube sliding before bed. After a
night of much talking and a little sleeping, the
group awoke tired, but happy, and ready for
the day’s events.
their ability to deal with heights! Later,
canoeing on the lake was the perfect activity
for a warm summer’s day and the spirit of
competition between the two sets of boats
quickly set in! At the end of the day, everyone
‘walked the plank’ (voluntarily, of course) and
jumped into the lake to cool off.
The wall climbing and zip wiring activities
were great fun. Many of the group were
surprised by their upper body strength and
Now in its fifth year, MACS’ sailing programme
has produced notable differences in the lives
of more than 50 young people so far.
This summer, two groups of novice sailors
stepped aboard a 70 foot yacht, the Alba
Venturer, at Greenock, Scotland to set sail on
life-changing, week-long voyages around the
Scottish coast.
All of the young people participated as
fully involved crew members; taking part in
cooking, cleaning and night duties, as well as
navigation, steering the boat, communicating
with the coast guard and learning to hoist
and change the sails.
Than
ks to
all of
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oung
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rts.
Here’s some of the images from the
second voyage!
4
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14
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An amazing day ended with dinner, singing
around the camp fire, milkshake making and
a water fight. Sunday’s activities included a
rope assault course, abseiling and archery; all
thoroughly enjoyed by all.
This was a jam packed weekend full
of activities and fun, but with lots of
opportunities for the youngsters to socialise,
make new friends and develop their
independence and confidence. We hope that
the young people taking part in September’s
activity weekend at the Calvert Trust have just
as much fun!
5
At MACS, we are incredibly grateful to our annual
troop of dedicated and generous marathon
runners. Each year, our runners summon all their
strength to focus on supporting MACS; pounding
the streets throughout the winter with the aim
of completing that arduous 26.2 mile trek around
London in the spring.
We do our best to support our runners before,
during and after the event. And with the help of
training tips and motivational emails; roadside
cheerers who spur them along the route; and
well deserved sports massages at the end of the
course, our runners get all the support they need.
It’s the least that we can do. We remain in awe
of these individuals and their achievements and
what their donations allow us to do at MACS.
Here’s a few images of this year’s amazing
runners from both London and Brighton.
• 88 Lond
on runners
raised over
£1,250
• To date
over £251,0
00 has bee
raised to d
n
ate via Lon
d
o
n 2013
• 66 runn
ers have alr
e
a
dy signed
up for Lond
on 2014
• 10 runn
ers particip
ated in
Brighton e
vent raisin
g over
£2,000
Back in May, 79 families descended upon the
Park Hall Hotel in Lancashire for our annual
Family Weekend. It was fantastic to see so
many families and friends attend to meet up
with friends old and new.
As usual, a great time was had by all. From the
child focused activities such as Laser Quest,
ice skating and circus skills, to a group trip to
Blackpool and evening entertainment, there
was something on offer for everyone.
A supervised crèche and other activities
enabled members to participate in the charity’s
AGM. Parents were also able to visit the wide
range of business stands in attendance, which
provided useful information about resources
for the visually impaired.
Also speaking at the AGM was MACS
Ambassador, Amy Ottaway. Amy shared some
inspiring insights into how she feels about,
and copes with, being blind. Taking a positive
attitude, and seeing the funny side of life, has
been essential in helping Amy to achieve her
goals and the families present enjoyed hearing
about her experiences.
This year’s keynote speakers included Loraine
Stewart, Education Manager at the National
Blind Children’s Society and Camila Gabriel,
Genetic Research Counsellor from Great
Ormond Street Hospital. Both speakers sparked
a huge amount of discussion among the
families present. Research and educational
issues are clearly topics that continue to
interest MACS members and are both areas in
which we aim to develop our activity – please
see pages 8 and 9 for further information about
research.
The Family Weekend is a fantastic way of
receiving and sharing emotional and practical
support. Families with babies and small children
have access to others who have gone before
them, and are happy to share their thoughts and
advice on health, education and a host of other
issues. They also get to meet older children and
young people, like Amy, and get to see that,
despite certain struggles along the way, life for
their children can be happy and fulfilled!
As one mum said: “When we come to the
Family Weekend, we feel like we can breathe. It’s
like we are all in a lovely bubble. Our children are
all accepted and we don’t have to worry about
being stared at or bombarded with questions.”
Places are
currently
available
the 2014
for
Brighton
and Lon
Maratho
d
on
ns. Plea
se visit M
website
A
C
S’
for furth
er inform
and app
ation
lication fo
rms or e
running
mail
@macs.o
rg.uk.
Join us for the Family Weekend in May
2014 and help us to celebrate MACS 20th
Anniversary. We promise it will be a good one!
Visit www.macs.org.uk for a booking form.
6
7
Yet again, we had some very worthy
winners. Congratulations to:
Thomas Batten (pictured below left) who won
1st place in the ball, hoop and ribbon events at
the Rotary Welsh Schools Disability Gymnastics
Championships.
Rachel Berry who never lets her disability get in
her way and buddies up with other children to
help them with reading, grammar and maths.
Grant 2:
Specialist eye consultant and geneticist
Professor Nicola Ragge has worked with MACS
for over 10 years and, with fellow researchers
around the world, has been responsible
for the discovery of many genes linked to
Microphthalmia, Anophthalmia and Coloboma.
potential to significantly improve our ability
to understand why a MACS condition has
occurred and identify any associated health
conditions linked to the disease.
Researchers now need the help of MACS
families who may be prepared to participate in
a study aiming to confirm that the MEGA test
works correctly. If successful, it is hoped that
the test will be used in the future on a national
basis as a standard diagnostic test.
Her research is continuing and she has recently
become interested in some new genes
involved in the Vitamin A pathway. This could
be an exciting area for future therapies.
Josh Price (pictured top left) who sat and
passed his Grade 4 music piano (practical) and
his Grade 5 music theory. He also achieved a
grade B in his GCSE music exam 3 years early.
How is MACS helping?
MACS has recently agreed to make two grants
that we hope will assist our members to find
out more about the MACS eye conditions.
Having a child with a MACS condition can
be devastating. However, with the help of
organisations like MACS and the support of our
family and friends, we do the best we can to
come to terms with our child’s condition and
give them all the love and support that they
need to live in a sighted world.
Grant 1:
Assisted with funding from MACS and others,
researchers at the UCL Institute of Child Health
(ICH) aim to discover the underlying causes
of the congenital eye problems that lead to
blindness or visual impairment.
Sadly, the question that most parents continue
to struggle with is ‘why?’ We want to know
why has this happened to our child and if it will
affect any other children we, or they, may have
in the future.
Researchers have already identified around 85
genes that are known to be linked to inherited
congenital eye defects however until now,
testing for the presence of all of these genes
in individual families has proved a significant
challenge.
MACS conditions are likely to be caused by
a disruption in the way the eye develops in
the baby during early pregnancy. This can
be due to an alteration in an important gene
for eye development, environmental factors such as drugs or infection in pregnancy - or a
combination of the two. However, while some
families have been given a genetic diagnosis,
others are no closer to knowing why their
child has been affected by MACS and its related
conditions.
That’s why the newly developed MEGA
test or Multi Eye Gene Assay test is a major
breakthrough. The test, which is able to
simultaneously screen those 85 genes, has the
8
MACS has agreed to support Professor Ragge’s
work by funding the costs of a part-time
Family Co-ordinator based at Oxford Brookes
University. This role will be responsible for
recruiting and liaising with families involved
in the research and keeping them up to date
on progress and findings in relation to their
specific cases.
Professor Ragge is currently operating a genetic
advice clinic for patients with MACS conditions
at Birmingham Women’s Hospital. Patients will
be given advice about the condition and the
recurrence risk, and further investigations can
be organised at the visit. Interested families can
be referred for appointments via their GP or
another doctor (eye specialist or geneticist).
We will keep you informed about any other
opportunities to get involved with her research
in the next newsletter.
Professor
e
th
is
n
de
d
Jane Sow
iology an
B
l
ta
n
e
pm
ading
of Develo
who is le
H
IC
e
th
at
Genetics
e says:
study. Sh
h
rc
a
e
s
this re
t will
at this tes
th
l
fu
e
p
o
there is a
re
“We are h
e
h
w
h
s
establi
s.
condition
help us to
S
C
A
M
on
ause to
informati
genetic c
is
th
e
iv
e
ill rece
cess to th
Parents w
c
a
e
v
a
h
nd will
l help
quickly a
g that wil
in
ll
e
s
n
u
o
decisions
genetic c
d
e
m
r
fo
ake in
them to m
g.”
y plannin
il
m
fa
d
n
arou
MACS is developing a resource of scientific
papers relating to the three conditions. This
will be launched on the website in the near
future.
Do yo
u wan
t to ta
Inside
ke pa
this n
rt?
ewsle
a leafl
tter, y
et. Sim
ou wi
ply co
in ful
ll find
l and
mplet
return
e the
provi
form
it to t
ded.
he ad
dress
9
MACS has recently reviewed and updated its
grants policy and application form. Why not
take a look? You can download it from the
members’ section of the website at www.
macs.org.uk or contact [email protected].
uk for a copy. New grant requests will be
considered at the next Executive Committee
meeting on 17 November 2013.
Talking mobile phones are often crucial to
helping blind and visually impaired people get
“Dear MACS, Thanks for the grant you gave me
for my lovely iPad. I have found it invaluable
for my homework. It has helped me so much
and will benefit me greatly in my future studies.”
Laura Eggins
“Thank you for the amazing laptop that you
gave me. I love reading and writing on it and
recently wrote ‘Arooj’s Magical Adventure’
which has been published in a Young Writer’s
Anthology!” Arooj Nawaz Aukatar
around. As such, the Executive Committee
will respond to these requests outside of the
standard grants schedule. The type of phone
purchase will be at MACS’ discretion. Please
contact [email protected] for further
information and for a Talking Phone request
form.
For any queries or if you need assistance
completing the application forms, please
contact Victoria.
Unfortunately, MACS is unable to use its grants
scheme to support travel and other costs
associated with hospital appointments. We
know that this can be a real financial burden
so if you are on a low income, the following
information may be of help:
• The Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme
An NHS hospital can normally give you
a refund for travel costs if you have the
necessary proof of entitlement with you. If
this is not possible, ask your hospital for a
HC5(T) refund form. You can print a copy
of the form from www.nhs.uk/healthcosts
or order one by phoning 0845 610 1112.
Members in Northern Ireland can find out
more by visiting www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/
hc11_help_with_health_costs.pdf
• Other grant providers:
The Family Fund at http://www.familyfund.
org.uk and The League of the Helping Hand
at http://www.lhh.org.uk may also be able
to help with travel and other costs.
my new
n
o
e
m
r
of
can stee
picture
a
d
a
is
D
is
e
h
s
“T
t.
cau
If your journey to your specialist eye hospital is
the fron
t
great be
a
’s
it
t
I
s
.
n
e
bik
I ca
e
t
u
m
b
s
a long one, you may want to consider finding
e
d
behin
it mak
d
n
a
it
it from
out if the hospital you are visiting provides any
t on
oing fas
g
e
v
lo
I
family accommodation. Ronald McDonald
!
h
g
u
Houses are also located all around the UK and
la
e.”
it for m
g
in
y
u
have been used by MACS families.
b
CS for
A
M
u
o
y
Find out more here: http://www.rmhc.org.uk
“Thank
n
e
d
10
k
al
Ellie W
It’s the time of year, where schooling is upmost
in the minds of most parents and children.
While blind and visually impaired children
can be supported to thrive in mainstream
education, there are also specialist options
available.
MACS has launched a simple, new fundraising
scheme and we need your help to make
it work! This newsletter includes a special
recycling envelope in which you can recycle
old jewellery (gold, silver, costume jewellery,
watches) and UK and foreign bank notes (not
coins).
Reaching a decision on the best educational
route for any child can be difficult. Arming
yourself with the relevant information has got
to be the best place to start, so here’s some
information to point you in the right direction.
The RNIB provides a full list of schools which
specifically support, or have facilities for, blind
and visually impaired pupils. Have a look at
their website at www.rnib.org.uk
If you are having a clear out, please consider
using the freepost envelopes provided. All your
unwanted items will be turned into a donation
with MACS receiving 75% of its value. If you
would like more envelopes, please contact
0800 633 5323 quoting MACS.
Speaking to other parents and children about
their experiences may also be helpful, although
every child will obviously have different talents,
needs and interests. Nothing, however, will beat
seeing and experiencing a school for yourself!
Why not approach schools of interest, and ask
for a tour? On that note, here’s some dates for
the diary.
Larger recycling boxes, which enable you
to recycle additional items, such as coins
and mobile phones, are available for local
community centre or workplaces. If you would
like one, please let us know by contacting
[email protected] Thank you!
2013
to 27 October
6
2
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the Blind ‘Hav
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fo
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[email protected]
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For more inform
y 2014
2013 and 5 Ma
r
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b
m
e
v
o
N
3
y Days: 2
llege .
orcester Famil
W
e
g
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ll
s tours of the co
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lu
p
,
w
ily
Ne
m
fa
e
th
ties for all
a range of activi
rs
e
ff
o
t
n
ve
e
This
2014
9 to 12 April to
:
e
rs
u
o
C
n
io
r Revis
orcester Easte
10 and 11.
New College W
dents in years
u
st
d
re
ai
p
im
urse for visually
A residential co
;
ecember 2014
D
4
&
r
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b
to
c
ays: 24 O
treach Open D
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O
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st
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o
New College W
uly 2014
ome.
5 March & 3 J
ts are also welc
n
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p
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u
b
s,
al
11 February, 2
profession
days aimed at
n
e
p
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al
rm
fo
co.uk
These are in
egeworcester.
ll
o
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w
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.n
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w
sit w
5 763933 or vi
Contact: 0190
11
Other events included trips to London Zoo,
Warrington Sensory Play Centre, the Beamish
Museum, Blackpool Sandcastle, the Blue Planet
Aquarium, Escot Park, Haverthwaite Steam
Train, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Kew Gardens and
Cadbury World. Over 80 people also visited
London’s West End for a fantastic audiodescribed performance of Matilda!
This summer has been a busy time for MACS
with over 400 MACS members and their
families getting together to enjoy a range of
activities across the UK.
My name is Tina McKinstry and in May this
year, I joined MACS’ Committee as your
Regional Co-ordinator. Here’s a little bit about
me
Mead Open Farm
On Sunday 23rd June, 7 MACS families met up
at Mead Open Farm for a fun day out organised
by Mel Sharpe, Regional Supporter for Beds,
Herts & Bucks. Mel says:
I’m married to Andrew and we have two boys,
Daniel and Matthew, aged 14 and 13. My
family and I have been members of MACS for
many years now, joining soon after Daniel, was
born. Daniel has Microphthalmia in his left eye
and Coloboma in the right, along with juvenile
arthritis.
According to Daniel, “I can just be myself there”,
which is fantastic to hear.
Since I’ve been on board, we’ve re-evaluated
MACS policies and paperwork for regional
events which will hopefully, make things a little
easier and clearer for us all. I’m keen to hear
what you think of the events that MACS holds
for families and to consider any ideas that you
might have for future events. Just drop me a
line!
When we had Daniel, both my husband and
I noticed that his eye didn’t look quite right,
but we were told that everything was fine.
However, soon after, the hospital agreed that
there could be a problem - and that’s when our
journey of tests, waiting and worrying began.
We’ve all been there!
“There were lots of animal activities on offer,
including petting bunnies, horse grooming,
lamb racing, feeding the farm animals and lamb
bottle feeding. Families also got the chance to
take a tractor ride, play crazy golf and go gokarting. Some of the braver MACS children (and
parents) took to the 20ft high rope course!
As your Regional Co-ordinator, I’m here to help
you with anything to do with events or even if
you just feel that you need a chat. Feel free to
get in touch at [email protected]
We were finally told that “your son is blind in
his left eye and we don’t know how much
sight he has in the right eye yet”. We were also
told, wrongly, that he would never walk or do
anything like a ‘normal’ child.
The best advice we received was from my
mother in law, who insisted that we shouldn’t
treat Daniel differently from any other child. We
took this on board and taking this approach has
meant that now, despite being severely visually
impaired, Daniel will try anything and refuses to
let things get him down.
Our re
giona
l supp
bunch
orters
and a
are a
re hap
suppo
friend
py to
rt MA
ly
h
C
e
l
S
p and
organ
memb
ise ev
ers, as
ents. R
includ
well a
egion
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e pare
al sup
nts, gr
sibling
p
o
rters
andpa
s and
rents,
adults
condi
with a
tion, s
MACS
o can
of the
g
ive yo
ir exp
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e
rience
the be
range
nefit
from
of per
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specti
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the m
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es! Ple
embe
ase vi
rs’ are
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w.ma
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ur we
cs.org
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b
site
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ct det
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ails.
and
We had a lot of help from MACS in the early
years. In fact, MACS told us more about the
condition than Daniel’s doctors did! Now,
both my sons love to do charity events to raise
awareness of MACS and enjoy meeting up
with the other MACS families. Both Daniel and
Matthew recently attended the MACS activity
weekend at the Bendrigg Trust and loved it!
12
“We had the chance to chat to some other
families and meet up with old friends at the
Matilda show. It gave me the opportunity to take
Ewan to a theatre and now that I have done it
once – will probably do it again in the future.”
Linda Thompson
“Thank you for a great day. It was my first MACS’
trip and hopefully not the last!” Marcia Maison
“After a picnic lunch we headed to the indoor
play barn, with giant slides, fire ball cannons
and a multi-level play frame. Everyone had
a great time on the slides, although one
exhausted MACS parent endured over 30 trips
up and down! It was great to see old friends
and meet some new ones on the day, so thank
you MACS, for funding this event.”
13
Thanks to
all the Reg
ional
Supporter
s who volu
nteer their
time to or
ganise the
se wonde
events for
rful
MACS me
mbers. W
appreciate
e
all
your fanta
stic suppo
rt!
MACS was lucky enough to recently be
nominated for the Waitrose Community
Matters Scheme in its Bromley branch. Here’s
Victoria picking up a cheque for a whopping
£545.00!
l,
19 October: MACS Masquerade Bal
Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, London
Contact: [email protected]
as
8 December: MACS Big North Christm
Party! Park Hall Hotel, near Preston
k by
Contact: [email protected] to boo
15 November.
14 December: MACS Big South
y
Christmas Party! The Hilton, Newbur
North. Contact: [email protected]
to book by 15 November.
15 December: Sleeping Beauty,
k
Llandudno. Contact: [email protected]
to book by 1 October.
21 December: Mother Goose,
Lowther Pavillion, Lancashire
Contact: [email protected] to book.
Anyone can nominate a good cause by
completing a Community Matters form.
MACS is appealing to its members to visit
their local store, and complete and hand in
nomination forms for MACS! You will find these
forms in store at the Community Matters area,
which is usually found near the checkouts and
exit. If chosen, Waitrose will let us know. You
can also reapply every six months or so.
4 January 2014: Sleeping Beauty,
Grand Opera House, Belfast
by
Contact: [email protected] to book
5 October
alk,
4 January 2014: Jack & The Beanst
Princess Theatre, Torquay
k.
Contact: [email protected] to boo
This is a quick and easy way of supporting
MACS, so please help your charity by filling in
those forms! Then, send an email to
[email protected] so that we can keep
track of your nominations. Thanks for your help.
5 January 2014: Dick Whittington,
Grove Theatre, Dunstable
Contact: [email protected].
Bookings now closed for this event.
5 & 13 April 2014: CBeebies Live!
ster
Wembley Arena, London and Manche
Phones4U Arena. Contact:
r.
[email protected] to book by 31 Octobe
1 to 5 May 2014: MACS Family
Weekend: Park Hall Hotel, near Preston
Contact: [email protected]
27 August 2014: Wicked at Birmingham
Hippodrome (ages 7 and up)
by
Contact: [email protected] to book
15 October.
In celebration of MACS’ 20th anniversary, we
are planning a two day, 215 mile sponsored
cycle ride from London to Chorley. Cycle Team
MACS will arrive in time for the annual Family
Weekend and the ride will culminate in a family
cycle at the Park Hall Hotel! We will organise
accommodation for night 1 and luggage
transfer en route.
Contact [email protected] to register your
interest in this event.
14
• A group of Beavers from Canterbury,
including MACS sibling James Pritchett raised
£270 by competing in a mini marathon
event!
MACS has been overwhelmed by the support
that it has received from MACS families and
community members in recent months. Here’s
a taste of what some of our supporters have
been up to…
• MACS dad, Luke Palmer, and a group of
friends raised over £3,000 by completing the
arduous 3 Peaks
Challenge! Not
to be outdone,
MACS granddad
Peter Palmer
and his friend
Derek Mundy
masterminded
their own
challenge; walking a 9 mile route along the
Northamptonshire canal path.
• Due to links
with MACS
member Julia
Aitchison, a
team from
GKR Scaffolding and Mace chose to support
MACS in the Tough Mudder challenge. The
team completed a gruelling 12 mile-long
obstacle course designed by the Special
Forces, and raised more than £8,000. Lee
Roswell of GKR Scaffolding later hosted the
Pink Tie Golf Day and auction which raised
more than £20,000. Amazing!
• Another MACS dad, Nick Morgan, took part
in the Wiggle dragon Ride in Port Talbot and
raise over £430 for MACS!
• Julia also made sure that MACS benefited to
the tune of over £400 via an aerobathon and
a day of vintage tractor riding! Thanks Julia!
• Jenniefer Gadsby, aunt to
Darcy Holt, raised nearly
£600 by completing the
Leeds Half Marathon.
• MACS youngster
Daniel McKinstry,
and his dad Andrew,
arranged their own
60 mile cycling
challenge and raised £235 for MACS.
• Martin Wills, Matt Huges
and Kelvin Watkiss who
raised nearly £900 via a
sponsored cycle ride from
Wrexham to Devon.
• Olivia Morbin, of Merton Court School in
Sidcup, helped to select MACS as their chosen
charity. Sales from their school play and a
fundraising challenge week, resulted in a
donation of £1,085 for MACS!
• Jessica Hiley raised £1,500 for MACS via
fundraising efforts at Tomlinscote School!
We thank all of our fundraisers for their
remarkable efforts on behalf of our
wonderful charity.
• Vikki Franks persuaded her employers, James
Cowper Chartered Accountants, to fundraise
for MACS and generated a whopping £1,420
towards MACS grants for families. Thank you!
• Anna Batten, a MACS
mum from South
Wales, completed 36
mile walk along the
Monmouthshire and
Brecon Canal, raising
around £800!
15
Thanks als
o to the nu
merous in
donors, sc
dividual
hools and
c
haritable tr
have supp
usts who
orted us sin
ce May. Th
Lily Hodgs
ese includ
on, Tim Gra
e:
ttan Kane,
Thomas, J
Cathryn
ulia Feast,
the Webb
Guest, Ern
Family, Re
ie Suffield,
nee
J
ohn Stickin
Rianna Stic
gs, Ann &
kings, resid
ents and s
Court and
taff of Seri
the Lighte
ca
rman and
Associatio
W
aterman’s
n of Londo
n.
MACS Masquerade Ball
Saturday 19th October 2013
We look forward to greeting you for a sumptuous evening of decadence,
intrigue and surprise…
Dress in black tie or your finest evening dress and adorn your face with a
mysterious masquerade mask to keep your fellow guests guessing!
At The Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, 45 Prescott Street, London, E1 8GP
Nearest tubes: Tower Hill / Tower Gateway (DLR)
Nearest trains: Fenchurch Street / Liverpool Street
This event is in support of children born without eyes
or with underdeveloped eyes
For Tickets & Information
0800 644 6017
Micro & Anophthalmic Children’s Society
Mailing address: MACS, Suite 472, Kemp House, 152 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX
Registered address: PO Box 92, Holyhead, LL65 9AW
Registered charity numbers: 1040074 & SC043166
www.macs.org.uk
T: 0800 169 8088
E:[email protected]