complementary therapy as two of the Trust’stherapists were able to provide people witheither reflexology or aromatherapy. Thetherapists were also able to explain howreferrals can be made to the trust for a blockof therapy (this includes carers). Volunteersfrom both the MND Association and the SaraLee Trust were available to support the dayand we would like to thank them very much.

When asked what they enjoyed about theday those attending said that it was:

“Really relaxing and good to spend time with others with MND”

“Very beneficial, got lots of tips about the care available. It was good to have time away

from caring duties and spend time chattingto fellow carers and people with MND. I loved

the massage and the food was delicious!”

“We are new to MND and events like thisreally help us come to terms with the future, it was lovely to meet people in such a relaxing atmosphere.”

When asked what they enjoyed aboutthe therapy one carer said “I expected just ataster session, but I had a lovely long backmassage. I felt totally relaxed and felt myknots melting away.”

Sara Murray, who works for the MNDAssociation said ‘It is fantastic that theAssociation and the Sara Lee Trust can worktogether to provide these meetings forpeople with MND and their carers andfamilies. It is very important that peoplewho want to share their experiences have achance to get together to gain supportfrom each other in this way and it isfantastic for them to experience therelaxing effect of complementary therapies.We rely on the support of our volunteers toorganise and support these events.’

We would like to offer our grateful thanks to St Michael’s Hospice for allowingus to use their Day Therapy Centre to host the day.

A further meeting is planned for Spring 2013, and if you would like to attend, please contact Sarah Geall on 01424 456608 for further details.

The Sara Lee Trust: a hand to hold… an independent local charity providing complementarytherapies, counselling and creative therapies to people in Hastings and Rother livingthrough cancer and other serious illness; with support for their families and carers.

To support our work and donate online, please visit www.justgiving.com/sltf

Exciting new project!Working with the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association

The Sara Lee Trust –what we doOur aim is to support patients throughtheir illness. Complementary to medicalcare, the Sara Lee Trust offers time,meaningful touch and support so thateach person may live life as fully aspossible, even with a life threateningdiagnosis. Our service also extends tocarers and families and we provide over2,250 treatments each year.� We provide complementary therapies

to patients at our treatment rooms in St Leonards-on-Sea and Rye.

� We employ a Community Therapistwho visits those unable to attend ourtreatment rooms, in their own homes.

� The complementary therapies wecurrently provide include: acupuncture,aromatherapy, relaxation, reflexology,shiatsu and visualisation.

� Creative arts therapy, sanctuary days andcounselling are provided all year round.

� We also provide support for carers.

Can we help you? – our referral procedure:Referrals must be made via a health care professional – e.g. GP, Macmillan nurse, district nurse, consultant, physiotherapist or other health professional.

For further information please contact Sarah Geall on 01424 456608

Winter 2012

GrandChristmasRaffle

Working in conjunction with the Sara LeeTrust allowed those attending theopportunity to explore the benefits of

Recently the Trust and the MND Association worked together to offer a support groupmeeting in Hastings. The Association has a group which meets in Lewes, but is keen todevelop a group in Hastings so that people with MND and their carers can gainsupport, and have the chance to socialise, with others in a similar situation.

Ticketsinside

fabulousprizes!

…seepage 7

2

Message from the Vice Chairman, Mr Michael LearWe started the year with avery difficult budgetmeeting back in April. Ourpredicted income for theyear ahead from 1st May2012 is £119,393. MariaGonet, our Fund RaisingManager came up with avery brave forecast,

exceeding last years figures by £4,613, thisgave us some flexibility. Included withinthis, the Trading Arm for our charitypledged £6,000 as a minimum donationfrom its profits.

However, despite this welcomed increase inincome, each year the costs seem to rise, withpostage up, travel expenses, stationarydemands and further to this we have madeprovisions within the budget to allow thereinstatement of hours for Sarah Geall, ourTherapy Manager and for Liz Knight, ourOffice Manager. These increases in hours wereconsidered essential to meet the growingdemands in managing the workload, with theever increasing need to prepare and edit TrustPolicies and to spend time on the StrategicPlans for the Trust, keeping professionalrecords and updating the database.

Unfortunately, the result of these increasedexpenses has left us with a trading Budgetloss for the forthcoming year of £20,468,which is in no way acceptable. The goodnews is that Maria is hitting and some monthsbeating her targets and the expenses are

lower than we forecasted and thus, year todate after five months of trading we are about£4,500 in the red, which is about 50% of ourbudgeted loss. Still not ideal, but not adisaster. This trend clearly cannot continueand we are monitoring the income againstexpenses on a monthly basis. I remain hopefulthat we will turn things around one way oranother by the year end.

Whilst we continue to live and work in verydepressed times financially, the Staff andBoard of Trustees remain focused ofdeveloping and improving every aspect of theTrust. Most of this work has been researchedand managed by Trustee Linda Hodgson andwe all owe an enormous amount to her hardwork over the past 12 months.

We continue to work hard developing theTrading Arm and recently have commencedwith House Clearances on a professionalbasis, with no less than four having beencarried out. Tim Desborough is in charge,helped by volunteers, who are also sellingthe furniture from our second warehouse.It’s early days for this side of the trading arm,but we have every hope that it will soon betrading at a profit and that profit willimmediately benefit the charity. Added tothis, the house clearance provides muchneeded furniture and larger items which canbe sold through the shop.

The Trading Arm is a separate limitedcompany set up by myself and Jenny ourChairman, we have pledged that every penny

of profit will be passed onto the Charity by theend of each trading year, and from there it isdown to the trustees to decide on how muchis channelled to services or other ventures inthe future.

Further thanks needs to go to Lee Foster-Kirkham MBE one of our trustees who hastaken over as line manager for the shop staff,and recently gave up lots of his time andenergy filling in as Shop Manager due to staffillness. Without his help and the continuedhard work of so many brilliant volunteers, theshop may have had to temporarily close.Thankfully this was avoided, and salescontinue to be strong. We are a long way fromopening another shop, much to mydisappointment, but both Jenny and I want tobe sure that both money and staff are in placebefore we make any further expansions.

Bob Hodgson is continuing to do theshop accounts and Liz Knight does those forthe Trust. Debbie Hargreaves, Trustee andChartered Accountant has now taken on theresponsibility of collating the shop and Trustaccounts and producing the end of yearaccounts before submission to theindependent examiners.

Finally, I realise that so many aspects ofthe charity and trading arm would not existwithout the generosity of those givingmoney, raising money and equallyimportant, those giving there precious timeto help us. Thank you.MJL

To support our work and donate online, please visit www.justgiving.com/sltf

2

The summer is now over and it hardlyseems anytime since I wrote a welcomefor the last newsletter! As usual wehave had a full summer of fundraisingincluding Jazz in the Garden withthanks to Mr & Mrs Willson and ourannual Barn Dance held at Cowbeechwith kind permission of Mr & MrsHarper. These are just two of our manyevents managed by our FundraisingManager, Maria and our excellentFundraising Committee.

The committee support us in is so manyways – they may open their gardens; ororganise events; help sell tickets, secureprizes, and volunteer at the events – thatwe really wouldn’t be able to manage

without them. Maria and I wanted to takethis opportunity to thank themindividually so much for all their time andcommitment. Huge thanks therefore toDee Blake, Caroline Ellwood, Sheila Hack,Heather Harper, Ethnie Moser and PamShadbolt.

Our Trading Arm continues to improveand is now in a position to pay the Trust aregular amount of money on a monthlybasis. As we approach the end of the yearI hope we can look forward to expandingour services to more people in outlyingareas whilst keeping up the full range oftreatments offered to St Michael’sHospice, The Rye, Winchelsea and DistrictMemorial Hospital and our existing

community patients. Sarah, our TherapyManager has the task of managing all theTherapists and reporting to the Trusteesas to the way forward with new therapiesand keeping the high standards the Trustoperates for all our patients.

Lastly, I appeal to all of our supporters,volunteers, therapists and trustees to trywhenever possible to attend ourfundraising events as it boosts the moraleof all the hard working team. I hope to seeas many people as possible at our AGMon October 23rd (at The Arthur EastonCentre from 11:30am) with a pot-lucklunch.

My heartfelt thanks to you all. Jenny

Message from the Chairman, Mrs Jenny Yeo MBE

3

July’s sanctuary day was a classic warmEnglish summers day with brightsunshine; a gentle warm breeze; bluesky; the scent of dusty cornfields andfragrant flowers; bird song; the gentlerustling of the leaves in the trees and justthe quiet of the countryside.

After a welcome warm drink we formallystarted the day by gently introducingourselves and people were invited to sharetheir name and an image or memory thatthey connect or associate with summer.The group then made a mandala, which isa sanskrit word meaning “circle”. Atsanctuary days we use a mandala as a wayof bringing the group together andforming a central point for the day.

Choosing from a selection of items likefir cones; stones; beads; feathers; crystals;petals; ribbons; shells; pebbles; flowers andmany items that people who haveattended these days have donated, peopleare invited to pick an item from thisselection (or use an item they havebrought) and place them at various points.We use compass directions as a point ofreference and in doing so form a circle. Thepicture above shows how the colourfulcircle/mandala was built up, with a candlein the middle which stayed alight offeringa focal point for people during the day.

Throughout the world Mandala’s are usedin many cultures and religions includingChristianity. We however place no specificmeaning on our mandala and use it simplyas a way of inviting people to gain a sense ofbelonging and becoming part of a group;creating something together which remainsfor the day. The following link may be helpfulif you wanted to read more about mandalas, www.mandalaproject.org/What

A short, breath meditation enables peopleto focus on their breathing and by slowing

What happens on a Sanctuary Day?

down helps them identify the things theywould like to get from day e.g., peace;relaxation; a walk; some rest; the chance totalk to others; paint; enjoy the countryside;receive therapy; read and much more.

People were able to have some therapyoutside if they chose and one lady hadreflexology in a cosy bedroom under thesloping roof and lovely old beams, whichmeant Emma, (the reflexologist), could quietlyslip away afterwards and leave the lady to restand fall sleep.

During the morning Sarah (thearomatherapist) supported some of the groupin making up creams to suit their individualneeds, people were actively involved inchoosing the oils used and making theircreams to take away.

A light vegetarian lunch was provided andanimated conversation followed. This time is ashared experience and the act of eating andsharing food quickly became a back drop fordeeper conversations about people’sexperience with cancer and other seriousillnesses, and what people found had helpedthem during their chemo and radiotherapy,accompanied at times by a healthy dose oflaughter.

After lunch people continued to enjoy thepeaceful setting. Some of the groupparticipated in gentle tai-chi led by Deborah.Others had their reflexology treatment, somejust sat in the garden and took in the viewsacross the field.

The day slowly drew towards its conclusionand the group re-gathered slowly andreflected on the day, and in particular, howpeople felt at the end of the day compared tothe start. We dismantled the mandala whichgave people time to gather in their memoriesfrom the day and slowly re-connect with theirlife as they prepared to return home.Goodbyes were said and the Trust’s fantastic

“When you know that life is drawing to a close, the mental battleis a hard one and it is only possible (in my case anyway) to remainstrong for those around me by escaping regularly. My SanctuaryDay left me cool, calm and collected and gave me the chance togather strength again.”

Above: Reflexology in the garden and a Mandala made at one of the Sanctuary Days

volunteer drivers arrived to take peoplehome again.

The groups will differ each time but weseek to provide a safe, comfortable venue,and space and time in the countryside forpeople living with cancer and serious illness.By taking time out for themselves andbeginning to listen to what they feel theyneed, even if it’s just for the day, we find thatpeople benefit from having the chance totalk or just to be quiet in a beautiful setting.

There is a sense of slowing down andabsorbing the “beauty of nature”. Peopleoften express that they are able to visualisethese days when they are in a clinic forexample, or when they are feeling anxiousor needing a boost. We discussed at this daythe benefit of visualisation and the effect ithas on our bodies. Visualisation/therapeuticrelaxation relays positive messages to theemotional centre of our brains which inturn send out messages to our immunesystems and auto nervous systems, whichaffect our heart rates, blood pressure andbreathing rates.

Below are a selection of words andcomments made by the group at the endof the day as we sat down to reflect anddraw our time together to a close beforereturning home:

“…the day brings an experience which is beyond words…”

“…peace…”“…inspiration…”

“… at the end I feel tired in a good way…”

“… I feel safe, I can be myself…”

“… proves it helps to talk about yoursituation to others who understand …”

“…Important to be heard…”“…support…”

“…Being at the cottage and in nature I canfeel like the trees are talking and laughing, Ienjoyed listening to the wind in the trees…”

Future Sanctuary Day datesSanctuary Days always take place on a Thursday, from 10am to 4pm – a light vegetarian lunch, tea, coffeeand herbal tea are provided.

There is a swimming pool and saunaavailable at The Oast House.

Thurs 25 Oct Oast House, Northiam

Thurs 22 Nov Oast House, Northiam

Thurs 20 Dec Oast House, Northiam

For more information to book a place and arranged transport via oursmall team of dedicated volunteerdrivers, please contact Sarah Geall on 01424 456 608.

4

Patricia Davies, author of Aromatherapyan A–Z, says “Aromatherapy can bedescribed as the art – and science – ofusing plant oils in treatment”. The wordaromatherapy was first used by aFrenchman Rene-Maurice Gattefosse in1937. He discovered the benefits ofLavender on burns. A fellow countrymanof Gattefosse, Jean Valnet, was a surgeonin World War II who used essential oils(EO) in treating soldier’s wounds to helphealing.

The Greeks play a part, Hippocrates, thefather of modern medicine, is said to havepractised aromatherapy to assist the healingprocess. Oils are mentioned in the Bible andwere used to wash and perfume Christ’sfeet. The Egyptians are credited withdeveloping one of the first distillationmachines to extract oil from plants, andcertainly fragrant oils have been used bymany cultures and civilisations, the Chinesefor example, to enhance moods andimprove health.

Aromatherapy also incorporates the useof massage. The massage we use and knowtoday started in the 18th century and isknown as Swedish massage, from the workof a Swedish gentleman, Per Henril Ling1776-1839. He had studied in China anddeveloped techniques that are still familiartoday – effleurage, petrissage andtapotement (kneading). An Englishman, Dr Roth was developing massage as part ofhis practice and had studied with Ling.

In America two brothers Dr G H Taylor andDr C F Taylor introduced Swedish massagetechniques into their practice in 1856 andmedical professions in many countries overthe following decades began to incorporatemassage into nursing and medical practice.In 1894 the Society of Trained Masseuse wasestablished in England to ensure a reputableprofession, and developed a code ofpractise. World War II saw a demand in theuse of massage in the treatment of soldierswith nerve damage, appreciating the link ofmind and body and the importance ofbeing treated as a whole. The society wasawarded with a Royal Charter in recognitionof their role undertaken during the war.

Over the next few decades science andtechnology developed and the use of oilsand massage were not valued and declined,till the ’60s when an interest in the wisdom

Therapy FocusAromatherapy by Sarah Geall

of the past was reignited. Today,Aromatherapy has once again become apositive and valued tool to enable people tomaintain their wellbeing and health.

The Sara Lee Trust is one of many centresworking to support people living with cancerand other serious illness by usingaromatherapy. So, what does it offer people?

As we have seen from the plotted history,oils have been used to aid with the easing ofphysical symptoms, as well supporting thepsychological or we could say spirit/soul/ouressence as people. Touch is a primitive andnatural part of our lives, William Frick in‘Medicine Hands:massage therapy for peoplewith cancer’ said that “Human touch cancommunicate the energy of life itself”. If we fallor a child hurts themselves the natural instinctis to hold, rub, soothe. Massage builds on thisusing different techniques to improve bloodcirculation, ease pain, and release tension intight muscles and help with relaxation,allowing the person to feel less stressed.Massage is cumulative so the body learns torelax and release tension. The effect of slowrepetitive strokes are of benefit to uspsychologically and this in turn will helpimprove our sense of feeling better andcalmer. Massage can help to reduce and slowour breathing which will have a positive effecton how we feel and how our bodies work.

Incorporating oils into the massage mayhave an effect not only on specific physicalsymptoms like sore or irritated skin; pain andstrained muscles, but also enhances people’swell being through the smell affecting ourolfactory system located in the brain whichhas a direct effect on the nervous system,emotions and feelings. There are many oilsthat can be used such as Chamomile, Rose,Frankincense, Geranium, Neroli, Lavender andthe aromatherapist will work together withthe person they are supporting to choose theoils that are right for them.

Aromatherapy can support many physicaldiscomforts and symptoms associated withcancer and other serious illnesses as well asthe psychological and this is an area thatdrugs aren’t always able to affect in the sameway. A quote to finish from “Medicine Hands“by Gayle MacDonald ISBN 1 899171770

….’pharmacological interventions areabsolutely necessary but drugs can’t touchthe pain in the soul and drugs can’t heal thewounded emotions’…

Over the next few issues, I thought it might be useful to explore some of thetherapies we offer at the Sara Lee Trust, looking at their history andexplaining how they may help and support people who are well, and thoseliving with serious illness/disease. In this issue, I will focus on aromatherapy.

‘NaturalRhythms’Natural Rhythms is a group run by TheSara Lee Trust. It meets weekly with shortbreaks to reflect the flow of the seasons.We look at ancient and modern festivals,folk stories and myths that link into thecalendar. As a group we mark thechanges in the year and our own lives. Weuse a variety of beautiful settings in thelocal countryside, but a favourite is theYurt at Powdermill Wood. People whoattend ‘Natural Rhythms’ are livingthrough cancer and other serious illness,and this project allows them time toshare, reflect and discover aspects ofthemselves that may have been forgottenor just squashed by life.We meet on a Wednesday at PowdermillWoods, either in the cabin or the Yurtfrom 10.30am–12.30pm.

Winter Solstice/Christmas/New YearNovember 28 December 5, 12,19 January 2013 9, 16, 23, 30

For more information or to book a place contact Sarah Geall on 01424 456608

Creative Arts therapies

Volunteer drivers needed We are keen to build up a bank ofvolunteer drivers to help us by offeringour patients transport to Natural Rhythmsand Sanctuary Days. This need not beevery week, but could be if that would beof interest to you. If you have some time,enjoy driving, and like exploring thefantastic local countryside, then pleasegive Sarah a call on 01424 456 608. Youneed to be over 21, hold a clean currentdriving licence and have business use onyour insurance (if you need to pay for this,the Trust will reimburse you).

5Therapy News

Last year Maria (Fundraising Manager forthe Trust) and I successfully bid forfunding from The Ted Baker Trust to run apilot project to provide three hours ofreflexology on the ward at The Rye,Winchelsea and District MemorialHospital, in addition to the six hours ofaromatherapy we already provide, andwhich the hospital generously helpsfund.

We have been offering a service to thehospital and broader community in Ryesince May 2007 when the Trust first openeda therapy room at the hospital. Mia Preston,our therapist, provides aromatherapy topeople in the hospital and also to people intheir own homes who are physically unableto get to the therapy room. We wanted todevelop our service provision at Rye as thisexisting service has proved so valuable topeople, but needed to ascertain if there wasa genuine need for a second therapy,reflexology, to be offered to people on theward. Hence our decision to run a pilotproject which we were able to launch inJanuary.

We are now beginning the process ofgathering in feedback and comments fromthose who have received a service and willalso be asking the health care team to givetheir professional feedback. I’d like to thankEthnie Moser who has kindly volunteered tohelp us gather the feedback

This feedback will help us assess andreview the pilot. It will also help us as weattempt to secure ongoing funding for theproject and possibly look to extend thecommunity aspect of our Rye service,enabling people to have more choices inthe therapy they receive.

We would like to thank The Ted Baker Trustfor their generous support of this project.

Here is a snap shot from Emma, theReflexologist regarding a result she hasobserved recently: “The reflexology sessions at Rye have providedsome interesting results of late, especially withregards to blood pressure readings.

Recently, a lady with a history of high bloodpressure had her blood pressure takenimmediately following a reflexology session. Tothe nurse’s surprise, her reading was substantiallylower than usual. The nurse checked again 30minutes later and the client’s blood pressure haddropped again. The blood pressure kept fallinggently until reaching a ‘normal’ level.Unfortunately, the blood pressure readings werethen discontinued, so I am not aware of howlong these positive results lasted!

Again, last week, a nurse was doing the roundswith the blood pressure cart whilst I was giving atreatment to another patient. We agreed to goahead with the blood pressure/pulse test whilst Icontinued with the reflexology. When the nursewent to write the details on the patient’s chart,she was surprised, and said it was the lowestreading for the patient in 10 days!

We are used to having our clients say howrelaxing and lovely the treatments are, but it isalso nice to know a reflexology treatment canhave other measurable benefits too, and canhelp our clients in many different ways.”

Please don’t underestimate how valuableyour comments and feedback is…

If you or a family member have benefittedfrom using the Sara Lee Trust please let usknow. It is so important to be able to give firsthand accounts when writing the newsletteror applying for funds, of the benefits peoplereceive from our services.

You may have been on a Sanctuary Day;attended the Natural Rhythms group; hadcounselling or seen one of the therapy team,either at our therapy rooms or been seen athome – please consider writing a few lines,which we can use as a testimony. You can ring01424 456608 and give us your feedback overthe phone – we can then type it up and sendit to you for your approval; or you can emailsomething to me at sarah@saraleetrust.org.ukor let your therapist have your comments. Youcould always pop it in an envelope marked formy attention and drop it off at our shop inBexhill. We will never use anything you writewithout having your written permission to doso – you can decided where and how we useit and whether or not it will have your nameattached or not. We really would appreciateyour help with this – thank you. Sarah

Exciting developmentsat our Rye based service

The Sara Lee Trust ShopCurrently it is raining and cold outside,and I am swapping summer clothing formore suitable jackets and jeans. It’s a bigjob, and thanks to all of the help I get,we are ready for autumn, so it’sdefinitely worth popping in to check outour new season stock.

We have a new part-time AssistantManager, Anna. She came to us with awealth of charity shop experience, and weare sure she’ll help us move the shop intothe next stage of its growth – along withthe support of our current wonderfulvolunteers and all who continue to donateand help us ensure we are well stocked. We are carrying a new range of stock, idealfor presents. We have all sorts of shabbychic items that would suit any home. Pop inand see what we have.

We are now up and running with houseclearances. Tim, our Warehouse Manager, ishappy to pick up donations or price for ahouse clearance, so please recommend us ifanyone is in need of these services. Call Tim on 07827 319468.Best wishes from our team: Ashley,Anna, Tim and all the volunteersThe Sara Lee Trust Shop, 9 Endwell Road,Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex TN40 1EATel: 01424 532098email:saraleetrustshop@yahoo.co.uk

Jokes… from Gregory, 10 and Scott 8

Q: What did the Farmer say to the Flying Dog?

A: Land Rover!

Q: What vegetable jumps around the garden?

A: A Spring Onion!

6 Fundraising NewsHastings Half MarathonWe were pleased to have several runnerstaking part in the Hastings Half Marathon forus in March, and took delight in cheeringthem on. We would like to say a very bigthank you to Neil Bates, Serena Berrett, PerryBlizzard, Frances and Robert Elworthy, PollyHoad, Graeme Jones and The Norleys forcollectively raising £2,188.

Should you like to run for us in 2013 (24 March) please contact Maria on 01424 456608. We will provide a runningvest or t-shirt, advice on fundraising onlineand a very good cheering squad en route.

Flora London MarathonOur runners raise an incredible £10,689!As promised, an update on our fabulous 2012London Marathon runners. We were hopingto have 9 runners, taking part this year –however, sadly five were injured and unableto take part, but all hope to be able to runnext year. We would like to thank some of ourinjured runners for having raised £4,186despite their injuries, funds which will becarried forward to their target for the run nextyear. Sincere thanks therefore to Lisa Barrett,Michelle Black, Fred Bowring and ChrisLethem. We would like to thank mostwholeheartedly Jamie Foster, Michelle andMatthew Lewis and Matthew Neighbour fornot only completing the run this year, but forraising a fantastic amount of money for theTrust. Between them, they raised £6,503 –which is absolutely wonderful and we are sovery grateful for their hard work and support.

Pampered ChefEvening with a jubileetheme!Huge thanks to BelindaWood from ThePampered Chef for

putting on a wonderful cooking show to helpus raise funds. We had a super evening, wereable to make and taste some delicious recipesand the Pampered Chef donated 15% ofproduct sales to the Trust. Huge thanks toeveryone who supported the evening, weraised £220.

An evening of SheerIndulgencewithHeringtonsHuge thanks toHeringtonsSolicitors for allowing us to be a part of thiswonderful evening held at Powdermills. TheTrust was invited to have a stall to promoteour work to the 200 Women in Businessattending from Rye, Battle and Eastbourne. Itwas a wonderful evening, and we must thankour therapists – Sarah, Joan and Mia (picturedabove) for donating their time during theevening to offer taster massages in return for a£5 donation. We also held a raffle and wewant to thank all the generous stallholders fordonating some truly fabulous prizes. Theevening was a great success and we raised£363.

Jazz in the GardenSincere thanks to Peter and Irene Willson forhosting a jazz picnic in their wonderful garden inHerstmonceux. Despitemost of July beingcloaked in rain, the sun shone and the gardenlooked absolutely glorious. Jazz was providedby the wonderful Pete Willson Quartet andour guests enjoyed picnicking, relaxing andlistening to the fabulous music. Huge thanksto everyone who attended and to those whodonated the super raffle prizes. The eveningraised a wonderful £601.

Bottle Tombola at The Rye Horse and Dog ShowHuge thanks to Rye, Winchelsea and DistrictMemorial Hospital for inviting us to attend theRye Horse and Dog Show. We ran our everpopular bottle tombola stall and raised anamazing £315.. Thanks to everyone whodonated, we really appreciate your support.

Barn DanceWe had a fabulousdance at Heatherand Nigel Harper’s

barn in Cowbeech. Wonderful live music wassupplied by the Catsfield Steamers and ourguests danced the night away. Huge thanks toall our volunteers who worked so hard tomake the evening a great success, and toHeather and Nigel for their wonderfulhospitality. We raised £758.

The Trust receives no statutory fundingand is completely reliant on publicdonations and our fundraising to providethe quality service our patients need. Wewould like to thank all the individuals,groups, companies and trusts who havesupported us throughout the year. Sadlywith limited space we are unable to listeveryone individually but would like topay special thanks to:Mavis Stofa who asked for donations to bemade to the Trust instead of birthdaypresents at her recent big birthday!

Mrs Joyce Morris who kindly donated awonderful model of the Titanic which herhusband had built, to the Trust to auction toraise funds. I am delighted to report that themodel fetched £390 at auction.

All the members of TheHastings Round Tablewho donated £2,236from the proceeds of the2011 Beer Festival to

fund 4 Sanctuary Days. Sincere thanks toyou all for your support.

We were absolutely thrilled that 4DeliveryLimited and Southern Water donated awonderful gazebo to the Trust which hasbeen invaluable to us in so many ways . Ithas our logo and signage over the front andgives a very professional look to ourfundraising. It has been tested in somepretty difficult weather conditions so farand has kept us and our volunteers warmand dry – which is much appreciated. Weare so grateful to all at 4Delivery Limitedand Southern Water.

We would also like to thank:Albert Hunt TrustAsdaBattle Muffin ClubBexhill 100 Motoring ClubCranbrook SchoolHastings & Bexhill Breast Care GroupHastings Winkle ClubHollington Sport for Good CausesIan Askew Charitable TrustIan Shadwell CharityLlewelyn LodgeNº 48 BexhillRotary Club of St LeonardsRye & District Lions ClubRye, Winchelsea and District MemorialHospitalSir Jules Thorn Charitable TrustSt Anthony’s Catholic Church, RyeThe Ted Baker TrustThree Oaks PlayersWishing Tree Residents Association

Special thanks to…

7It’s a Knockout & The Tuscany Three Peaks Challenge

Events others haveorganised for us:Tea and Open GardenHuge thanks to Heather Harper and DebbieHaffenden of Featherbed Barn, who held ajubilee tea and open garden and raised £215.

Just FUNdraisingHuge thanks to Andrew Moore and DannyPepper who plan to cycle from London toParis to raise funds for us and St Michael’sHospice. Their challenge is totally self plannedand funded – simply two men on their bikes,living off their wits and cunning, aiming tocycle 211.61 miles to raise funds,as Andrewsays for ‘two wonderful charities offering highquality palliative care and support to thecommunities of Hastings and Rother’. We atthe Trust would like to thank Andrew andDanny so much for their amazing support –so far they have donated an incredible £1,406to the Trust and we wish them good luck fortheir cycle next summer.

Outrageous DecadenceHuge thanks to the Outrageous DecadenceCommittee for their continued support of ourwork. From the proceeds of their SummerSeaside Spectacular, they donated £300 to theTrust.

Back WaxHuge thanks to SeanDelaney and CharliePuttick who bravelyagreed to get their backs waxed to raisedfunds for the Trust –ouch! Thanks to CindyDelaney,

everyone at The Duke Pub and all those whodonated and supported the event. Sean andCharlie raised an incredible £857 for the Trust!

Donkey DayThanks as always to Barbie and Jim Soan forholding a Donkey Day to raise funds for theSara Lee Trust and The Donkey Sanctuary,Sidmouth. A wonderful time was had by all,and we are thrilled that £365 was donated tothe Trust. Thanks to everyone who supportedthe day.

Bexhill TriathlonDespite the gale force conditions, The BexhillTriathlon was an incredible success, and weare thrilled that the Trust was one of thecharities to benefit from the day. We receiveda donation of £1,750 and would like to takethis opportunity to thank The Bexhill Lions sovery much for their wonderful support of ourwork.

You may remember reading in our lastissue about the fundraising beingorganised by local paramedic TimHodgson to raise funds for the Trust andSt Michael’s Hospice.

Tim and his team have been busy allsummer starting off with The Hastings BeerFestival where they had a stall and ran somefundraising games and promoted theirfundraising events, followed by the ‘It’s aKnockout Event’ they organised at TheHorntye Sports Complex on 14 July. It was asuper day, despite the rain with 17 teamsbattling it out for the title of KnockoutChampions. Langley’s Legends fromPonswood Industrial Estate took thehonours with 156 points just pipping theLocal Fire Fighters team to the title by twopoints. Dozens of spectators cheered on theteams and the event raised £1,500 for thetwo charities. Tim would like to thankeveryone who supported and sponsoredthe day; all the teams who took part and allthose who helped make the day anincredible success!

Earlier this month, Tim’s parents, Linda(our Trustee) and Bob, held an Italian Partyin their garden to help raise funds andwish ‘buona fortuna’ to those undertakingthe challenge in Tuscany.

Linda would like to thank the studentsof Sussex Coast College for the wonderfulfood they prepared; all the volunteers whohelped on the day and the wonderfulentertainment provided by Julia, Nigel,Karen, Richard and Brian. A lovelyafternoon was had by all and £550 hasbeen raised for the two charities.

On 16–18 October, Tim and his team of14, including Paramedics, NHS workersand friends will attempt The Tuscany 3 Peaks Challenge – 27 miles and 18hours of climbing!

All money raised will be shared betweenthe two charities and we would like to takethis opportunity to thank Tim and all ofhim team and wish them the very best ofluck with their challenge. To sponsor Tim and his team – visitwww.justgiving.com/timstuscany

The Sara Lee Trust Open Golf DayThank you to all who organised an amazingGolf Day for the Trust; David Judd and GeoffDixon (above right) along with the helperswho marshalled the day. Geoff hopes to run(possibly walk!) the London Marathon forthe Trust in 2013 and wanted to start off hisfundraising with a golf day – and what aday it was! The sun was shining as 96 golfersteed off to compete in this fun Texas PairsScramble golf day with small competitions, alive band, raffle and BBQ. Any player wearingfemale attire was able to play off the red teeswhich led to some interesting outfits! Hugethanks to all the sponsors, especially MrJohn Alliston of Melray Ltd who covered allthe event costs and also made a specialdonation of £500 to the Trust on the day.Thanks also to Mr James Andrews and all theteam at Sedlescombe Golf Club for theirfabulous support. Thanks to the band, TheLeague of Gentlemen who played for freeand thanks to everyone who supportedGeoff in making the day the incrediblesuccess it was and helped him raise £3,989for the Trust. Sincere thanks to you all.

The Sara Lee TrustCollecting Tins

Do you know of a localshop, pub, restaurant,hairdresser, school or anylocal business that may behappy to have one of ourcollection boxes. If so, please let us know on 01424 456608.

GRANDChristmas RaffleWith this newsletter, you will find twobooks of 5 raffle tickets. The tickets are£1 each. We really hope that you will beable to support us by buying some.

1st prize: 42inch TV (LG 42CS460,with full HD, LCD TV)donated by Trinity Electrical Contractors

2nd prize: Case of wine (12 bottles)donated by Mrs E Moser

3rd prize: Lamb ready for the freezer

4th prize: £50 cashTo enter the draw, please buy the tickets –or encourage friends and family to buythem – return the completed slips withpayment made payable to THE SARA LEE TRUST in the enclosedenvelope (please add a stamp).The draw will take place at our Christmas Fair on Saturday 24 November– see events calendar for more details.

Our events list is constantly beingadded updated. To receive emailupdates, contact Maria on 01424456608, or visit our websitewww.saraleetrust.org

Saturday 3 NovemberElvis Tribute Night & Fun Casinoat The Phoenix Arts Centre, ParkstoneRoad, Hastings TN34 2NTkindly being organised by Tim Hodgson aspart of his Tuscany 3 Peaks Fundraising forthe Sara Lee Trust and St Michael’s Hospice.Featuring live band MixBeats and DJ andan amazing raffle. Event kindly beingsponsored by The Black Pearl Restaurantand SD Campbell Plumbing & Heating.For tickets and further information,please contact Tim on 07909 898 880

Friday 16 NovemberThe Sara Lee Trustpresents ‘Strictly’ Come Dinnerat The MontgomerieSuite, Bannatyne Spa Hotel,Battle Road TN38 8EA

Dust down your dancing shoes for anevening of glitz and glamour in a stunningsetting. Entertainment will be provided bythe wonderful ‘Dance Mavericks’ (above)who will perform some demonstrationdances and then teach one or two dancesto our guests; with music from thefabulous ‘Pete Willson Quartet’. Tickets are£40 and include a reception drink, threecourse meal and coffee. Tables of 8 and 10are available. For further details, contactMaria (details below).

Saturday 24 November,10.30am–3pmChristmas Fairfor all the Family at St John’s Church,Pevensey Road, St Leonards-on-SeaPlease join us at our

fabulous fair with something for all thefamily – including great shopping;fundraising stalls; tombola; fabuloushomemade refreshments and a visit fromthe man in red! We will also be drawing theGrand Christmas Raffle – (tickets for whichare enclosed with this newsletter) – so don’tmiss your chance to take part and win somewonderful prizes!We would be so grateful for any donationsof craft items; home baking or preserves;raffle and tombola prizes for the fair – itemscan be left at St Michael’s Hospice receptionas long as they are clearly marked for theSara Lee Trust.Stalls are available for a 15% donationof your sales on the day – to find outmore, contact Maria (details below).

Sunday 24 March 2013Hastings Half MarathonPlease consider running this on our behalf.We can provide you with a running vest or t-shirt and advice and support withfundraising online – we are also very good at cheering!

Friday 19 April 2013Murder Mystery at The Little Common Village CommunityCentre. Details to be confirmed, but for now– please save the date.

Sunday 21 April 2013Virgin London MarathonWe have guaranteed places available torunners who are fit and able to commit toraising £1,750 for the Trust. To find outmore contact Maria (details below).

Events CalendarNovember 2012–April 2013

If you have any comments on this newsletter; or have somethingyou would like to see included – or you wish not to receive furthercopies, please contact Maria Gonet on 01424 456608 or email maria@saraleetrust.org.uk

The Sara Lee Trust25 Upper Maze Hill, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN38 OLB

Tel: 01424 456608 www.saraleetrust.orgRegistered charity number 1055048

8 Funding

To support our work and donate online, please visit www.justgiving.com/sltf

The Sara Lee Trust receives no statutoryfunding and relies solely on fundraisingand voluntary donations. This year we aimto provide over 2,250 treatments topatients and families through:

Counselling – providing nine hours per weekto patients and family members.

Hands on Therapies – providing a minimumof 36 hours of therapy per week. This includes:acupuncture, aromatherapy, relaxation,reflexology and visualisation.

11 Sanctuary Days – each offers support toeight people.

Natural Rhythms – our year round creativearts therapy project runs over 32 weeks,offering people the chance to meet othersand share.

How much services cost:One hour’s therapy and £35.00essential oils

A Natural Rhythms session £186.00for 8 people

A Sanctuary Day for 8 patients £498.00

How YOU can help USA regular gift allows us to plan for the futurebecause we know, day in and day out, that wewill have a steady income stream that we canrely on - and that is so important in thecurrent economic climate. To make a regulardonation to the Trust, please download aStanding Order Form from our website, and ifyou can Gift Aid it, we can claim an extra 20%from the Government. What do supporters receive? As a way ofkeeping you up-to-date with the Trust you willreceive our newsletter, twice a year.Fundraise on our behalf: why not considerorganising an event on our behalf – we havelots of ideas, or why not think up one of yourown. We have a fundraising pack on ourwebsite:www.saraleetrust.orgChoose US: if your company, school, sportsclub, group or association fundraisers forcharity – why not ask them to choose the Sara Lee Trust – or why not have a jewellerycollection?Legacy: if you believe in the value of the workwe do, consider remembering us in your will.

Donate: make a donation. If you are a UK taxpayer and make your donation via gift aid,the charity can reclaim 20p for every £1donated. Donations should be madepayable to The Sara Lee Trust and postedto the address printed below. Alternativelyyou can make your donation online through:

www.justgiving.com/sltf

‘STRICTLY’ COME DINNER IS KINDLY SPONSORED BY:

AND M. LEAR