Changing Children's Lives

Members of Cheddar’s Riverside Business Breakfast club have raised more than £400 in a year of fundraising for children’s charity bibic. The kind-hearted business folk have also supported the Bridgwater-based charity over the past year by donating professional services which have included carpet cleaning, training in public speaking, free advertising, legal advice, business coaching, and even some detective work from a Private Investigator!

A donation from the sale of cards and calendars by local photographer Simon Parry added to fortnightly donations of £1 per member to raise a total of £442. bibic’s Fundraising Manager Jess Winchester said “The Riverside Business Club is incredibly supportive of the local community and by working with bibic they have been able to have an impact on families living in their area. Every single pound donated makes an incredible difference to our work, but to be able to access the skills, expertise and advice within the group has just been invaluable”.

A Christmas Quiz at the Riverside Inn which hosts the Breakfast Club also raised £370 for the charity as part of their fundraising activities for the year.

Di Litten, Chair of the Riverside Business Club in Cheddar, said “We are kept well informed of all the wonderful work bibic achieves with children and parents and all of our members are delighted to announce they have chosen bibic as their charity for a second year running”.

There are currently vacancies within the Riverside Business Club for individual members representing different areas of business and industry. Contact Di Litten on 01934 744772 or Huw Davies on 07884261503 for details of how to join.

A North Somerset based CRM & Email Marketing provider that specialises in enabling organisations to communicate effectively has pledged to raise £15,000 for a local charity that has helped disabled children to say their first words. Somerset-based children’s charity bibic is dedicated to transforming the lives of children who have a brain-related condition. All funds raised as part of the Charity of the Year partnership with intouchcrm will be used to help disabled children to develop and reach their full potential. For some children this may mean learning to crawl or sit unaided, for others the ability to take their first steps, to play with other children or to speak for the first time.

CEO of intouchcrm James White said “There are tens of thousands of children who are born each year with conditions that affect their development and the chances are that we all know someone who is affected by a learning disability. We chose to support bibic because we wanted to do something that would have a real impact on our local community, support a very worthwhile local cause and show to our customers that we care about our social responsibility as a company”.

The company which gives organisations the ability to manage relationships and communications through their online software application (intouchcrm) has already helped bibic to raise awareness of their work by donating use of intouchcrm free of charge which allows bibic to send monthly e-newsletters to over 2,000 supporters and families each month.

Jess Winchester, Fundraising and Communications Manager for bibic said “intouchcrm has already had a huge impact on our work by improving our ability to talk to our supporters and raise awareness of how we change children’s lives. Their pledge to raise £15,000 throughout 2013 is just amazing – this sort of money can pay for a therapist to work with more than 15 children and families for a year”.

The partnership between intouchcrm and bibic will run for 12 months from January 2013.

Hinkley Point power station’s painters have donated £715 of Sainsbury vouchers to help raise funds to change the lives of disabled children this. The team of Balfour Beatty painters, based at EDF Energy’s Hinkley Point B station, have been collecting nectar points throughout the year and have chosen Bridgwater-based children’s charity bibic to benefit from their wise spending.

Andrew Turnbull supervisor of the painters said “We were delighted when bibic told us they could use the vouchers to raise even more funds for the charity. They want to buy toys and games that can be raffled with the aim of raising three times the value of the vouchers. It is a great fundraising idea and we are pleased that we have given bibic the ability to increase their resources.”

Simone Joyce from bibic explained why this gift means so much to the charity. “Every single pound that is donated means such a lot to bibic and is used to provide the life-changing support to disabled children and their families. We rarely have the resources to invest in fundraising so the gift of vouchers is an amazing opportunity for us to buy items to raise even more funds. We really hope that we can turn this gift into £2,000 which could be used to provide 40 children with an hour of therapy”.

The charity is happy to accept any donations of vouchers, new or used toys and games. People wishing to make a donation should call Simone Joyce on 01278 684060 or email fundraising@bibic.org.uk

STAFF at a beauty salon in Somerset have chosen to support Bridgwater-based charity bibic this year (2013).

Beauty by Emma on Church Street in Wedmore will be working with the charity throughout 2013 to help raise funds for its work with disabled children, their families and carers.

Emma Rogers, Owner of Beauty by Emma, said: “To celebrate the start of the new year we decided to officially name bibic as our chosen charity for 2013.

“It is a fantastic local charity and we’re proud to support the work it does to help families and children. I have profound dyslexia and that aspect of its work is very personal to me.

“We will be hosting various events as well as other fundraising activities in aid of the organisation. We kicked off the fundraising in December (2012) with a Christmas pamper night and proceeds were donated to the charity.”

bibic is a national charity, which has its headquarters at Knowle Hall, offering practical help to families caring for children with sensory, motor, communication, social or learning difficulties caused by conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, developmental delay, traumatic brain injury and specific learning difficulties such as attention deficits hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia and dyspraxia.

Jess Winchester, Fundraising & Communications Manager at bibic, said: “We’re delighted that Beauty by Emma is able to help us with our fundraising efforts in 2013.

“We receive no state funding for our work with families with very special children and rely on the incredible generosity of the community around us. Our families need constant support, so we are very grateful to Beauty by Emma for naming bibic as its Charity of the Year.”

Beauty by Emma offers a range of beauty treatments for people of all ages. The salon specialises in skincare treatments such as facials and occasion make-up for special events. Other services on offer include eyelash and eyebrow tinting, eyelash extensions, GELeration nails, manicures and pedicures, massage, St Tropez spray tan and waxing.

Emma continued: “Beauty by Emma is located in the heart of the Somerset levels, within the picturesque village of Wedmore near Axbridge, Bristol.

“People can relax and rejuvenate themselves in the elegant and soothing surroundings of Beauty by Emma. By the end of their visit people will feel pampered and relaxed thanks to the full range of professional beauty treatments and products we offer.”

Emma is a fully qualified beauty therapist with Beauty Therapy NVQ Level Two and Three. She is also a WorldSkills UK Beauty Therapy gold medallist.

Beauty by Emma is located at King Alfred Mews on Church Street in Wedmore. For more information, please call the salon on 01934 709878.

Music Art Dance Drama students arrived at the bibic centre in Bridgwater to find out more about the charity they have supported the past year.

We were pleased to present Fundraising Manager Jess Winchester with a cheque for £224 raised through donations at our shows between autumn 2011-September 2012.

MAdD were interested to learn that just the ground floor of Knowle Hall is used as the charity is keen to save vital funds by heating and lighting only the area visited by families. bibic would like to move to new premises, and are looking for a buyer for their current home. Currently celebrating their 40th year bibic help children (aged 6 months to 18 years) with conditions affecting their social, communication and learning abilities to achieve their potential for a happier and more fulfilled life.

The Sensory Room was a favourite, with special lights and a massage mat, and the students spent some time in there exploring the different equipment. Children having treatment can re-act differently to the stimulus, some becoming calm, while others are triggered into responding actively. We also tried out the Play room and found out that some of the children who come there have been affected by strokes. This is not something we had associated with young people.

Our last and favourite room had a very hot therapy pool! With music and changing coloured lights we appreciated that while we splashed about and enjoyed ourselves, for some children it’s a very important and crucial part of their rehabilitation.

‘Powered by Angels’ is how bibic view the legacy left by young people who have died, but who have raised funds posthumously. MAdD are proud that their friend Jemima Layzell will be added to the list. Jemima raised £1400 in donations at her funeral.

MAdD have continued to support bibic at a craft fair where they donated 50% of proceeds.

Children in the West Midlands who have been waiting for a year to access life-changing therapies will now be able to receive the help they need thanks to the expansion of a unique national charity in the region. Children’s charity bibic (formerly known as British Institute for Brain Injured Children) has opened up a new service to enable children with learning, communication or developmental difficulties to reach their full potential. Specialist therapists will provide families with the skills, techniques and strategies they need to support their child in their own home.

The charity has been operating an outreach service funded by the Big Lottery Fund in the region for over two years, but the huge demand quickly outstripped resources, and many children had to wait up to a year before support became available. Kylie Holdback from Balsall Common, has been with bibic since 2010, and will be leading the new service in the region. She explained “We have been overwhelmed by the number of families who are desperate for our support. bibic is a unique charity that works closely with everyone involved with the child to provide tailored support in the home. We strive to empower families to fully understand their child, and how they can impact on their development. We are determined to give children and families the quality of life and opportunities they deserve, and the expansion of our service will have a real impact on the whole community”.

Families will be able to receive one-to-one tailored therapy in their own home alongside assessments of their child’s strengths and difficulties, and practical activities to enable them to help their child to develop. bibic will also be offering training to health and education professionals to assist them to support children who have additional needs, and behavioural difficulties.

To make an enquiry, families and professionals should call Kylie Holdback on 07899 898261 or email kylie.holdback@bibic.org.uk

Kylie will be providing the service with Lucy Nolan, from Wylde Green in Birmingham. Kylie and Lucy are Occupational Therapists and have range of experience in working with children and families, Lucy recently spent the summer volunteering at an orphanage in Romania, supporting children with profound learning and physical difficulties.

We’ve teamed up with the UK based gas and electricity supplier Ovo Energy to offer you a unique new way to save on your gas and electricity bills this winter whilst supporting us. Called ‘Switch, Save & Donate’ you can switch to cheaper, greener and simpler energy, save an average of £161* and Ovo will donate £40 to us on your behalf!

Our partnership is one of the first of its kind in the UK and we’re delighted to have the support of Ovo and their friends at JustGiving. Janine Doggett, Partnerships Manager at Ovo Energy said: “As an energy company we believe we have a responsibility to help our local communities and we’re proud to be supporting bibic in their brilliant work that helps thousands of children across the UK.”

All the money donated will directly contribute towards the work that we’re doing. Switching only takes five minutes, so visit https://switch.ovoenergy.com/justgiving/bibic to sign up today!

Puriton residents have exceeded expectations and raised over £2,000 for Somerset-based children’s charity bibic. Sixty cyclists from the village took part in a sponsored bike ride organised by staff and regulars of the Puriton Inn. Swapping pints for pedals, the cyclists covered 9 or 13 mile routes before returning to the pub for an afternoon of entertainment.

Christell Gilbert, who is the Landlady of the Puriton Inn said “The pub is at the heart of the community and we wanted to raise funds for a charity that makes a difference to local people. It was wonderful to see so many of the village taking part in the Bike Ride and we are over the moon that we have raised over £2,000 from sponsorship and the raffle. bibic is a very small charity but I know they make big changes to the lives of disabled children and we are thrilled that our fundraising will help to pay for a therapist to work directly with families”.

This is the first time that the Puriton Inn team have organised a fundraiser on this scale and they are keen to make the sponsored bike ride an annual event.

Fundraiser for bibic, Carla Bloomfield who was one of the cyclists said “It was so lovely to see so many families from the village taking part in the event. How wonderful it is that by taking part in the Puriton Bike Ride people have raised funds that may help a disabled child to one day ride their own bike or take their first steps, learn to play, to smile, maybe even to say their first words. We have been blown away by the support and generosity of the village and would like to thank everyone who made the event a success”.

Event organisers are already starting to discuss plans to develop the bike ride and introduce a 25 mile route for 2013. If you would like to get involved as a volunteer or your business would like to sponsor the event, please call Katy at the Puriton Inn on 01278 683464.

A Bridgwater children’s charity has appointed a new Chief Executive after more than a year without this role. bibic which provides training and support to the families of disabled children has appointed their former Trustee, Geoff Cummins, to take up this role with immediate effect. Cummins had been providing interim support on a voluntary basis to the charity’s team of senior managers since March.

The charity which is celebrating its 40th Birthday this year has experienced financial difficulties in the past two years, caused largely by cuts to funding, so this appointment is viewed by the Board of Trustees as confirmation that bibic has finally turned the corner.

Barbara Scruton, Chairman of the Trustees explained “We have faced extremely challenging times but we have learned a lot from the past two years. We are now in a much stronger position and able to develop exciting plans to expand the life-changing service we provide to families, ensuring that we are here for every child who needs us. Geoff has already played a key role in ensuring bibic’s survival through his role as a Trustee and he will, I am sure, be a committed and dedicated Chief Executive”.

Mr Cummins joins bibic with over 35 years experience in the financial sector. He became a Trustee in 2009, motivated to help families of children with brain-related conditions by the tragic death of his son Iain who acquired a brain injury when he was just two years old. Geoff said “Until his accident there was no reason to think that Iain wouldn’t have led a normal life. As a parent how do you prepare for that? It turned our world upside down.

“I know that bibic would have changed his life and it would have made an incredible difference to have had access to the support and advice that they provide. Each year thousands of children are born with or acquire a brain related condition. It is my mission is to make sure that bibic is there for every single child who needs us”.

Mr Cummins has relocated from London to live in Compton Dundon so that he can be based at bibic’s National Assessment Centre in Bridgwater.

Bridgwater based charity bibic will be joining celebrities Michael Fish, Alastair Stewart, Margaret Mountford and Status Quo front man Francis Rossi, in support of this year’s Remember A Charity Week (17 – 23 September 2012).

bibic will be supporting the week by joining 140 charities in events across the UK to urge people to think about including a good cause in their Will, after they have looked after family and friends.

Fundraising Manager for bibic, Jess Winchester, said: “Like many charities, we receive a significant amount of income from supporters who kindly leave us gifts in their Wills. Without these, we would not be able to provide all the services we currently do. This week we want people to think about whether they could make room for charities like ourselves in their Wills, once they have looked after their family and friends.”

The week also sees the launch of the first scheme to nationally recognise the contribution of people who leave gifts to charity in their Wills. A series of yellow plaques will be unveiled across the UK at charitable projects and initiatives which have been made possible thanks to donations left by supporters in their Wills.

Michael Fish is one of the many celebrities backing the campaign in the year that marks the 25th anniversary of the great storms of 1987: “From all my years of forecasting, I’ve learned that however well prepared you are, the weather can still be unpredictable. Life’s a bit like that too, that’s why we’re encouraging people to make sure they’ve got their Will sorted. UK charities rely heavily on gifts in Wills, so we’re calling on people to think about the good causes they really value and make room for a charity in their Will, after they’ve looked after their family and friends.”

Rob Cope, Director of Remember A Charity, said: “We’ve heard a lot about legacy in the news this year. During Remember A Charity Week, we want to encourage people to think about leaving their own legacy by including a gift to charity in their Will.”

While around three quarters of Britons regularly give to charity in their lifetimes, only 7% currently include a charity in their Will. Nevertheless, gifts in Wills are still the foundation of many of Britain’s charities, creating nearly £2 billion each year, the equivalent of 20 Comic Reliefs. Without this income many charities would simply not exist and others would have to cut crucial services.

For more information about how to leave a gift to charity in your Will visit www.rememberacharity.org.uk. For further information about bibic visit www.bibic.org.uk