Race Night and other news

It's been a very busy few weeks for the campaign. Practically nonstop! The first thing to talk about is the Race Night, which took place last Friday. We were pleased at the turnout and Heather and I enjoyed being the bookies! A good amount was raised and the kids had fun shaking their stuff at the disco. Thanks to all those who came along and had a flutter, and those who couldn't make it but became horse owners, jockeys or trainers beforehand.

Last week we also had our fabulous Advent Auction for Andrew, with many goodies up for grabs, including festive ones! This also raised another good bit and we want to say a huge thank you to all those who donated and bid on the items.

This week is your last chance to win an amazing 28" football flat screen TV. Only £1 a ticket and delivered in time for Christmas! Comment below to enter.

Heather is looking at holding a Ladies' Night on March 22nd for the next event. Tickets will be £15, and she's promising cocktails, cupcakes, pampering, beauty and more! Even if you don't live in the local area, we really hope you can come and make a weekend of it!

Finally, wish Andrew luck as he goes back into hospital tomorrow to get his casts changed. He will now have half length ones on his legs for another eight weeks. He's done great since the operation so far, never complaining - that's our Superstar!

Good News!

Andrew in the hospital (Mum in the background!)

Sorry about the tardiness of this post. But I'm very happy to report that Andrew is now resting at home with his feet up, after being in hospital for an operation to straighten his legs. He came through it with practically no complications (just swollen toes meaning his casts had to be cut open), and we're hoping this will have a massively positive impact on his posture when he sits. I'll keep you updated as to when he's back up and about!

As usual with the campaign, there's a lot going on. We're holding a Race Night and Disco at a local club on Friday, December 7th. You can be involved in this exciting night wherever you are! There will be eight races, and each will have eight horses, eight jockeys and eight trainers.

1. Buy a horse and you become the owner - £3 each, and if the horse wins - YOU WIN THE SPONSOR'S PRIZE!
2. Buy a jockey - £1 each, and if the jockey wins - YOU WIN £5!
3. Buy a trainer - £1 each, and if the trainer wins - YOU WIN £5!

Sounds good, eh? You can comment below to enter. Don't be shy!

And we also have three fantastic raffles running at the moment:

* Delicious and indulgent afternoon tea at Mamasan, Glasgow

* Devilishly good Boudoir Experience at Choccywoccydoodah, Brighton

* Dazzling 28" football flatscreen TV (draw on 15th December!)

Tickets only £1 each... you know you want to!! Comment below to enter.

We are also still gathering items for our second online auction, to be held in December. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for sneak peeks. As before, let me know if there's anything you'd be able to donate. Thanks for all the wonderful support so far!

Family Fun Day and Fayre and College Assessment

Andrew with two of our awesome helpers,
Lucy and Jo at the Fun Day

What a fantastic week for the campaign! Our very first Family Fun Day and Fayre took place on Saturday at Ravenstruther Hall, Lanark and was a great success, raising nearly £400. A massive thanks to everyone who came along either to run a stall or to browse and support. We were very pleased with the turnout and are already planning the next one in the Spring.

On Thursday and Friday, Andrew went down for his assessment and overnight stay at Beaumont College. This visit was all about planning what Andrew wants to achieve at college, choosing courses, and seeing what support he will need. Needless to say, everyone took a shine to Andrew with his beaming smile and enthusiastic attitude and it is gratifying to see that Andrew's potential has been recognised. We are all really excited about what the future will hold!

Andrew has also been expressing his artistic side with his new Eye Gaze technology, using his eyes to select colours and make brush strokes. Here is one of the pieces he has created.

Some of Andrew's excellent artwork

And finally, Andrew is going into hospital tomorrow to prepare for the operation on his legs on Wednesday. This operation is all about enabling Andrew to sit better in his chair and improving his posture. With luck, everything will go smoothly and he'll be up and about in no time!

Newspaper Coverage and Eye Gaze

Another excellent week for Andrew's campaign. His story was featured in the Scottish Sunday Express - please go and check it out and add a comment as this will increase the story's visibility. Next stop will be TV coverage!

Andrew ready to scare as a Psychotic Surgeon on Halloween

Andrew has recently started using an eye gaze communication aid where he uses his eyes a bit like a mouse. He looks at the screen, then selects by holding his gaze for a fixed period of time (instead of clicking the mouse, he holds his gaze). We've just been told by Andrew's speech and language therapist that there is huge potential here for Andrew to use this system to "talk". He has very quickly 

understood how it works, and has been using his eyes to paint pictures. He's going to sell some of these paintings at our Family Fun Day and Fayre! 

THIS is why Andrew deserves to go to college; without college he will not have the opportunity to continue to develop his skills.

Thanks for all your support so far. I'm planning a bloghop in January that should result in something very special to raise funds for the campaign: watch this space!

Andrew's Birthday and Sponsored Cycle Run

Andrew with his dad Neil at
the start of the bicycle race

Well, what a week it's been for the campaign. Andrew entered adulthood on Monday when he turned 18 and celebrated with two cakes (one from Mum and one from school!) We've added three fantastic raffles to the Facebook page: a decadent and indulgent afternoon tea for two with gourmet sandwiches, chef’s cakes & treats and a vintage teapot filled with your choice of cocktail to share at the recently re-launched Mamasan on Bath Street Glasgow; a delicious Boudoir Experience at Choccywoccydoodah in Brighton, and don't forget the amazing 15" flat screen football TV still up for grabs! Go on, snag yourself a top treat for next to nothing and support a great cause!

Also, today was a great day as we all went for our Sponsored Cycling Run in Strathclyde Park, North Lanarkshire. The sun may not have shone but we had fun cycling the 6k round the lake, and as you can see, Andrew was beside himself! We have yet to tally up the final total but we've raised a wonderful amount from our generous sponsors - thanks to you all!

We are currently looking for our items for our second Online Auction to be held in the run up to Christmas. Again, check the Facebook page to see the items that have been donated so far, and get in touch if you'd like to contribute. And if you're in the area we've got our Family Fun Day and Fayre in Ravenstruther Hall, Lanark on November 10th.

Results of the Auction!

Just one of the items which have been won!

Our very first Auction for Andrew is officially over, and thanks to the generous support of our donors and bidders, we've raised a final total of £457.50. The response has been amazing! Heather will be in touch shortly with all parties to facilitate the shipping of items. Thanks again!

In other exciting news, Andrew has received a letter from Beaumont College detailing his upcoming assessment and overnight  stay to check out the facilities and accommodation. The assessment looks at what care and support Andrew needs, and will also tell us how much this is going to cost! However, when Andrew read the letter, he smiled the widest on learning he would be getting a free dinner - typical!

We're pleased to have reached over 700 likes on the Facebook page, but we still NEED many more signatures on our Petition to build a specialist college in Scotland if we hope to make an impact. Please retweet, share on your Facebook walls, invite friends to sign! Let's get to a thousand and beyond!

Again, thanks to everyone who has supported us in whatever way so far. Back soon with more updates.

Carers' Parliament, Auction and Logo

It's been a productive week for the campaign. We've been out and about gathering signatures for the petition to build a specialist college in Scotland (you can still sign via the button on the right - PLEASE take a moment to do this, we can only hope to make an impact with enough voices behind us) and raffle prizes from local businesses. The response has been great!

Heather and Hannah, Andrew's mum and sister, are off to the first session of the Carers' Parliament today and I'll report back on the progress that was made.

Our online Auction for Andrew starts on Tuesday and will run for a week. We've got a fantastic range of prizes - check it out and have a think about what you'd like to bid on!

We now have our very own logo which you can see in the pic, designed by the talented Helen at ArtFoundHelen. There are t-shirts available on her website, which are another great way to support Andrew - ALL proceeds go directly to the fundraising pot.

Andrew also has his own button, linking directly to the Facebook page, which you can see over there and probably down a bit. It would be especially awesome if you could grab the code and paste it on your own blog! :)

That's about it for now - have a great week!