Wedding bells and marathon miles
 For newlywed Paul Fairhurst, the 26th April 2009 promises to be a particularly exhausting but rewarding day - as he runs the London Marathon in aid of the National Eczema Society.
As with so many of the 35,000 runners, Paul has been inspired to take part by the personal experience of someone close to him - namely his new wife Siān – daughter of our former Chairman, Alan Lovegrove – and her ongoing battle with eczema.
Paul is hoping to finish in four hours and reach his sponsorship target of £2,000 so If you’d like to help make every one of Paul’s 26 miles count for the National Eczema Society you can sponsor his challenge through his Just Giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/paulfairhurst.
Paul and Siān were married on the 15th August and the National Eczema Society turned out to be the winner of the traditional speech sweep! Winner, Dave Fiddler, donated his ‘pot of gold’ to the National Eczema Society, much to the delight of all present.
Milford, Surrey - Apple fun at Secretts Farm
This year’s Apple Day took place on 19th October at Secretts Farm in Milford and was  another enjoyable day out for all the family. Organised by Lindy Mitchley from the West Surrey and North-east Hants group, (together with NES members, Waverley Borough Council and Secretts who helped with publicity and the venue) the event raised nearly £1,000 for the Society.
The event was a wonderful opportunity to combine shopping at the Farmers’ Market with joining in all the Apple Day fun and games which included: apple bowling, juggling, raffle, William Tell game, apple peeling competition, home-made refreshments, NES Christmas cards, apple identification and of course, over 50 varieties to taste.
The photos are of: Sarah Lovegrove and Ayshea Jaeger (above), Christopher Welford, Lindy Mitchley, Emma Hall and Tom Robinson and finally Mellie Mitchley.
   
Farnham Maltings Market
On Saturday 1st November, the West Surrey and North-east Hants group sold Christmas cards and gifts at this busy monthly market in Surrey. The trio of Vicky Robinson, Elizabeth and Tony Cooper helped make the stall a great success - at short notice - raising around £175.
Combined Charities Christmas Fair, Guildhall
Meanwhile, The Combined Charities Fair at Guildford’s Guildhall took place on Tuesday 4th November. This year the event coincided with the busy Farmers Market in the High Street and was opened by the Mayor of Guildford, Jennifer Jordon. The West Surrey and North East Hants support group held another very successful fundraiser with £350 being given from the tombola and Christmas cards. The group are very grateful to sanofi-aventis for their sponsorship of this event.
Hayward’s Heath Christmas Card Fair & Cuckfield Christmas Festival
The Hayward’s heath support group, led by Lisa Hilton, are attending the Christmas Card Fair in Hayward’s Heath on 8th November. If you’re local, it’s a good chance to stock up on a wide range of card designs at great prices whilst benefiting our charity. If you’re interested in helping on the day or want to know more about the group, you can contact Lisa via www.eczemasupport.org.uk. In addition to this, Lisa will be decorating a Christmas tree to promote the group as part of a Christmas Festival at Cuckfield on 12th December.
Berkhamsted Combined Charities Christmas Card Sales 2008
 There are a range of dates available to come along to the Court House in Berkhamsted and stock up with charity Christmas cards, wrapping paper and Christmas accessories. There will be a wide range of charities represented including the National Eczema Society for the 40th anniversary of the Christmas card sale. Dates and times are below:
Opening times are 9.15am to 4pm in the Court House on Friday 31 October, Saturday 1st November, Saturday 15th November and Saturday 29th November.
|
