We were recently contacted by Claire Leech who wrote to us about her mother. As she says:

 My mother, Eileen Simpson, was cared for by Rosemary Foundation in her home in South Harting during the last few months before she died, aged 92, in November last year.  It was the amazing care that Eileen received, which prompted Claire to find a way of raising money to support the work of the foundation. 

She said: “My family and I were so grateful for the extraordinary love and care our mother received, that we wanted to try and give something back.  She lived with her sister, Mary and, even when Ma became very ill, was able to stay at home because of the way she was looked after.

Claire Leech, is a former reporter who now works as a PA near Petersfield.  She is the youngest of five (three brothers and a sister) and has been married to Graham for 14 years.  They live in Lodsworth with Maisie, their four year old Border Terrier. 

Now Claire has promised to use her skills to write the Rosemary Foundation Cookbook.  She hopes that, not only will this cookbook sell well and raise lots of money, but also, that it will be meaningful to the contributors and their families who have become associated with The Rosemary Foundation.

Now Claire needs your help. She needs family recipes for her book. Please go to our magazine page to read more about her plans and to learn how you can help. She hopes to have her book out for Christmas and I'm sure it will make a super Christmas present.

This link will take you straight there. .RoseFound/LinkClick.aspx

This year we were very fortunate that 4 of our very energetic supporters from Allianz Liphook agreed to take their lives in their hands and crew a raft for the benefit of the Foundation. We spoke to our friend Robin Shapland who until a couple of years ago organised the annual Rother Raft Race, and he provided not only a very sturdy raft, but also paddles and lifejackets. Not only that, he transported it to the launch site at Cowdray Park, Midhurst, and collected it from the finish. We are so grateful to him for making the whole thing possible.

The crew were easily the most glamorous on the river as our photo, taken at the finish, shows. Left to right the Sailor Girls are Andréa Forster, Natacha Payne, Susie Harris and Caroline Price. Although not the fastest in their group they made a very respectable time; they said they could easily have won had they not had to pause halfway “to touch up the lippy”.

 For a crew taking to the water for the first time, they were very impressive, taking the dreaded fish ladder in their stride and displaying remarkable paddling style from which Oxford and Cambridge could no doubt learn a thing or two.

But their achievement was not limited to the action on the river. By the time of the race they had already easily beaten their sponsorship target of £500 and there will still further donations to come. Allianz will also match the amount on a pound for pound basis – wonderful news! 

It is difficult to convey how much we appreciate such great support – without efforts like this for the benefit of the Foundation’s patients we would not be able to carry on. And Susie tells us “The girls are already talking about next year, so watch this space!”

given by Petersfield Chamber Choir

in Petersfield Parish Church

Ann Pinhay, Musical Director with some members of the choir

On Saturday 12th December the 29 members of the choir under their Musical Director  and accompanied by organist Nicholas Gleed and Pianist Angela Zanders gave a wonderful concert to an audience that packed St Peters Church. The first half comprised Haydn's "Te Deum"  and an unusual and challenging piece "Lauda Per Nativita Del Signore"  by Respighi, with soloists, Clare Moriarty, Zoe Flint and Edward Williamson.

After a short interval we heard pieces by Byrd, Bruckner, Tavener and Berlioz and the evening closed with " Christmas Day, a Fantasy on old Carols", by Gustav Holst. 

The retiring collection was to fund the Orchestra for the Choir's Spring Concert with the balance going to The Rosemary Foundation.

Truly a memorable evening.

Nicholas Gleed - Organist

Presentation from

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Hampshire and Isle of Wight

We were recently very pleased to receive a cheque for £500 from the provincial Grand Lodge which is intended to go towards our runnning costs in January.

Allianz, one of the largest general insurers in the country, with several trading divisions including Petplan, has set up a sponsoring partnership with Help the Hospices, the umbrella organisation for hospices in the UK. There are 18 Allianz locations whose offices that have been twinned with a local hospice and The Rosemary Foundation is very fortunate and delighted to have been partnered with Allianz’s Liphook office.

It all began when Allianz asked Help the Hospices to pitch to be their charity partner and following this were chosen as one of the charities put forward for a vote by Allianz staff. Help the Hospices won by a substantial percentage and in turn The Rosemary Foundation was chosen to be partnered with Liphook. The partnership will last between three to five years.

Liphook have been really quick off the mark, having already held a dress-down day to support us. One of our contacts at Allianz, Amanda Bristow came to meet our fundraising team in August and told us about some of the exciting events they are planning. In particular she had arranged with Petersfield Waitrose for Allianz staff to hold a sponsored bag pack on 28 November; they will be very pleased if any of our other friends would like to go along on the day and help too.

Allianz will match up to a fixed amount of funds raised by staff and this money will stay with Help the Hospices to go towards the work of supporting 200 hospices across the UK.  Employees are given up to ten hours per year for volunteering. Throughout the partnership, Allianz will be encouraging their employees to make a real impact on the local communities in which they operate and one of the most practical ways of achieving this is through volunteering.

At the Foundation we are very excited about the partnership and are looking forward to working with our friends in Liphook. We are indebted to all those who have set up the partnership which will help us continue to provide our care to those who need us.

We have just received our first cheque from Allianz and send them our most grateful thanks.

in conjunction with ..

A rare chance to hear a fine choir in HolyTrinityChurch Privett. The church, which  is now disused is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. 

 2009 is the 250^th Anniversary of the death of George Frideric Handel and The Froxfield Choir and The West Forest Sinfonia gave with soloists, an accomplished performance of “Alexander’s Feast”, one of Handel´s 29 oratorios.  HolyPrivett provided a suitably atmospheric venue for the concert, which was given in aid of The Rosemary Foundation and the charity Hands Around the World.ChurchTrinity,  

The conductor was Richard Smith and the soloists Hilary Brennan - Soprano, Joseph Timmons - Tenor and Edward Rowntree - Bass. Alexander’s Feast was composed around 1736, some 9 years after Handel became a naturalised subject of the British Crown. It is set during a feast held by Alexander the Great to celebrate his victory over the Persian King Darius. As Alexander’s Feast is a relatively short work, the performance at Privett also included Handel’s “The King Shall Rejoice” after the introduction. 

  The Rosemary Foundation is most grateful to all the performers and to all those who contributed to a most enjoyable evening of delightful music. 1008

Hello, my name is Elaine Biles, I have worked within the Health Service since qualifying as a Registered Nurse in 1975 and as a Midwife in 1977.
I have worked in several areas within the Hospital environment and in 1982 I qualified as a District Nurse and worked in the community in Portsmouth City and the Waterlooville area. I also trained and worked in Portsmouth and East Sussex areas.

In September last year I joined The Rosemary Foundation and I am really enjoying working with the team. Everyone has made me feel very welcome and valued.

I am married and have one son who lives and works in London. An excellent excuse to shop! We have two small dogs, which are spoilt but very well behaved. This has not always been so, as when they were young the pair would be into mischief as soon as my back was turned, giving other dog walkers a laugh, quite often at my expense. I have a few interests out side work but my passion is reading historical novels and biographies. I also attend my local gym with friends, once or twice a week.

Left to right : Julie Cotsell, Sabine Gaier, Jill Boucher, Barbara Pettegree, Penny Powell, Doreen Browning (President, Cowplain WI), Elaine Biles, Elspeth Dixon and Lindy Coles. Photo : Mike English

 Some time ago Cowplain Women's Institute became aware of The Rosemary Foundation and following the sale of their hall and the land on which it stood choose to support a local charity. It was with great pleasure that some of our nurses and Mike English accepted an invitation to the August meeting of the Institute in Cowplain.

After a delightful cream tea  they were very pleased to accept a most generous cheque from the President Doreen Browning. This is enough to keep a nurse on the road for some considerable time.

 In June, Froxfield and Privett Horticultural Society held an open gardens day, which was exceptionally successful, with three contrasting gardens on show. There was something to suit all tastes and with the added temptation of teas, plants and Pimms, no one was disappointed! This was mainly due to the owners of all three gardens – Margaret and Jeremy Boyd-Wallis, Rosianne and Simon Pack, and Michael Greenslade and Michael Chaplin. All put in an enormous amount of hard work to make the gardens so beautiful on the day, helped by the hot and sunny conditions.

As a result the Committee were very pleased to donate a cheque of £300 to The Rosemary Foundation. Our photo, taken in the Boyd-Wallis garden, shows the cheque being handed over by Ann Fenton of the Society to Julie Cotsell, a senior nurse with the Foundation. Looking on are Jeremy-Boyd Wallis and Margaret Boyd-Wallis (right) and at left Tamsyn Henvest, a community nurse studying palliative care who was shadowing Julie for the day. And of course, Hector the dog! 

Sponsored by

Dave Pride very kindly agreed to run in the Great South Run in aid of The Rosemary Foundation. He ran in memory of his wife's grandfather Lionel Tagg.

The 2009 BUPA Great South Run took place in Portsmouth on Sunday October 25^th. It’s widely regarded as one of Europe’s premier 10 mile running events with a huge field of over 15,000 runners. Starting along the seafront at Southsea, the course is flat and fast and with runners starting at different times depending on their ability.

We have just received Dave's sponsorship money which boosted with Gift Aid amounts to almost £400.00. Thank you Dave - Mr Tagg would be proud of you!

 Our picture shows Mr Butler (in the check Shirt) talking to visitors about the intricacies of Lavender Farming 

Hartley Park Farm lies in the rolling Hampshire countryside near the picturesque village of Selbourne. As we approached we could see fields of lavender in every imaginable shade.

 The owners of the farm, the Butler family having arranged four superb open days with trailer tours of the farm and many other attractions had promised 50% of the gate receipts to the Rosemary Foundation. On the farmhouse lawn tasty lunches and teas were being served and in one corner of the marquee Foundation volunteers were giving out details of our services, meeting old acquaintances and selling raffle tickets. 

The family had done an excellent job with the publicity and we met people from as far afield as Reading and Southampton. We would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work – I know that all the visitors I met enjoyed a most enjoyable day out in the lavender fields.

Later in July Mike English travelled to Hamble to present the first prize in the Raffle to Mr & Mrs Jenkins.

Tim Butler of Hartley Park Lavender Farm, Selborne, and his son Simon were delighted to hand over a cheque for £571.75 each to Emma Willshire of Naomi House, and two ladies from The Rosemary Foundation, Jo Heuch and Penny Powell. The money was raised at the Autumn Fun Weekend held last year on the Farm where visitors of all ages were entertained by the large range of activities and attractions on offer, from welly throwing to wine tasting.

Shop, Shop, Shop!

In November Jane Sims and her daughter Jolene organised a craft and gift evening as they had done on previous occasions. 

They share the proceeds between several charities and we are lucky enough to be one of those charities and we received £108. 

It is a good way to start the Christmas festivities buying some lovely gifts, thank you for your support.

We were very pleased to receive a donation of £275 from this group and we send them our grateful thanks.

If you would like to know more about the group they have a very interesting website at

 http://www.petersfieldaeromodellers.co.uk/flysite.html

Highfield School Rock Bands raise money for the Rosemary Foundation

Ten school bands from Highfield school, Liphook, took centre stage at the Hawkley Inn on Saturday May 1^st to raise money for the Rosemary Foundation.

The evening celebrated the launch of a CD recording of the bands, the sales of which raised a total of £166 for the Rosemary Foundation; a local charity providing a hands-on nursing service for patients with life-threatening conditions in their own homes.

Mr Holland would also like to thank his colleagues Mark Rood, Simon Spratley and David Saunders for helping make this event possible, and also to the owners of the Hawkley Inn, Mr and Mrs Buckham, for hosting the event. The CD of the bands continues to be available for purchase until the end of July by contacting the reception at Highfield school:  01428 728000. Donations will be also be passed on to the Rosemary Foundation. 

The crowd of one hundred, packed the pub and people were forced to cram through open windows for a better view. The children aged 8-13 are all affiliated with the school’s Rock Club, organised by their teacher, Mr Holland. 

Following the very successful gig at the Hawkley Inn, Mike English went along to Highfield School at the end of June to thank all those involved and to introduce the work of the Foundation to some of the students and to collect the grand total of £196 raised from sales of the CD.

Our photo, taken by one of the pupils, shows Mike (r) gratefully receiving the funds on behalf of the Foundation from Adrian Holland, Head of the Science Department (l) watched by a group of Highfield students.

Some of our readers will remember the report of the talk given by Tom and Ben Clowes of their ascent of Everest in our spring 2007 issue; you may have even joined us at the Royal Geographical Society in London on that unforgettable evening in December 2006.

In 2009 they gave the presentation to Talaris (formerly de la Rue) in Basingstoke and in consequence we received from Talaris a donation of £150 for which we are very grateful.

Not content with conquering Everest, the brothers are now ascending with the aid of a motor as our photo of Tom shows. We are hoping we may be able to persuade them to talk to us about their paramotoring adventures – watch this space!

When BT closed down the phone box in the hamlet of Weston, near Petersfield, the residents, with the help of Buriton Parish Council bought the box (for £1) and "adopted" it. It is now a combined library, village hall and notice board.

Then BT ran a poetry competition for new owners of decommissioned phone boxes and two of the three entries from Weston won prizes.

Pam Wilson published the three entries in a leaflet and from the proceeds gave a donation to the Rosemary Foundation.

Now how's that for originality!

Our congratulations and grateful thanks are due to Mellum Golding who has recently completed a cycle ride from Paris to Hayling and raised no less than £530 for The Rosemary Foundation. We just hope she is not too sore!

We have since received a report from Mellum which is just too good to edit! She writes :

It all started back in February with an e-mail from a friend – “do you fancy joining us??” and that was to enter the London to Brighton Bike ride, 21^st June.

54 miles !!!  I’ll never do that, not without some serious serious training.

I coerced Judy into joining me as she was already in training for the Paris to Hayling ride.

April dawned and only 10 more weeks to go.  Training had so far been some forays to Petersfield to pick up some forgotten item on the grocery list.  It was always a toss up as to whether to go back home via the ‘big’ hill from Stroud to Ramsdean or the uphill slog, along the old A3 and then the up-hill lane past Bo-Beep pond.  They were all big hills in those days.

An invite from Judy, to join the Ditcham Team on their Paris to Hayling training sessions couldn’t be passed up.   I had no connections with Ditcham but they all made me feel very welcome.   I thought how very professional they all looked, with their road bikes, map holders, cycling shorts and tops.   There was me with my trusted hybrid, fat tyres and a pocket for the route notes.

All of a sudden I was doing 30 miles, then 40 and even a few 50 plus mile rides.  I was going to absolutely fly the London to Brighton ride.    Before I knew it, it was all over and I felt slightly deflated.  No excuse now to go out on a Sunday morning with a great like-minded group of mad cyclists.   And then a chance to go.  Shall I?  Shan't I?  Yes I will.   But only 10 days to go before going on a 285 mile ride through France in 3.5 days. 

First off, some sponsorship was needed.   East Meon villagers came up trumps and were incredibly generous with their donations to the Rosemary Foundation.  

My bike needed a couple of refinements and what on earth was I going to carry all my stuff in?   Stuff that I couldn’t possibly do without while cycling through France.   Somewhere for a 2^nd water bottle, food, camera, hairbrush, nail file !!!!  and the list went on.   Bingo!    There, on the internet,  was a waterproof bag to go on the front of the bike and it had a map holder as well.   Settled. 

All of a sudden, my in-basket grew and grew and dozens of e-mails came in with details of the ride and what I should be taking with me.   A trip to Boots took care of most of it.  Things I’d never heard of and things I never knew I needed.   It was also an excuse to buy some proper cycling gear and try and look as professional as the Ditcham Team on that first day I’d met them.

I was joining a total of 140 riders, some doing the six-day ride and others, like me, doing the three and a half day ride.   There were groups of friends doing it, single riders, tandems, mountain bikes, fathers and sons, grandparents, and the largest group of all,  the Ditcham Team – a group of 21 Ditcham boys and girls and us, 17 adults who shared the same passion as the youngsters for cycling, along with Guy who cycled over 400 miles with a trailer and ‘dog’, raising money for canine partners.

Departure day dawned.  Luckily enough I could work from home that day.  I’d packed the night before, cooked up a batch of oat bars and made sure I had a supply of coffee even though we were going to one of the coffee centres of the world.   Who knew how close our hotels were to civilisation and a French café?  Can’t start the day without a coffee or two.

We met at the Billy on HaylingIsland, where our bikes were loaded onto a lorry and we boarded the coach to Portsmouth.  Organisation of the ride was second to none.   Everything went very smoothly, registration took place, passports collected, last minute goodbyes and we were off.

But to cope with my first challenge and that was the ferry and coach ride to France.  I DO  NOT  TRAVEL  WELL.  As it turned out, a double dose of sea-sickness tablets, a not-so-bad French beef stew and a brandy, just to settle the stomach, enabled an incident free, overnight channel crossing.   Excitement was probably also a factor in the equation.  

We were due to meet the other 6-day riders at lunchtime and cycle from Chateau Gontier to Angers – just a mere 30 miles.   That afternoon took me by surprise.  What with little sleep on the ferry and only a catnap on the coach,  the first hill seemed very daunting.   It wasn’t even a big hill but when you have got off the coach and almost straight on to your bike, with no flat road for a warm up, my legs were screaming at me that they were not in the mood.  Thank goodness we didn’t have far to go on that first day.

The next day, the first full day, was undoubtedly the best day for weather and scenery.  We cycled from Angers to Tours, 80 miles along the Loire valley.   It was all relatively flat but temperatures reached as high as 100 degrees.   We would have struggled if it wasn’t for the fantastic support cars.  They were manned by volunteers, most of whom had done the ride on other years so knew all the various emotions and brick walls we were experiencing.   Their encouragement, along with chocolate bars, an assortment of sweets, crisps and drinks, was what was needed to get you through the ride.  There were some amazing and uplifting sights to see along the way.  We cycled through some very pretty villages, adorned with hanging baskets and flower boxes.  We caught glimpses of far-off chateaux and were lucky enough to pass close enough to some to have a picture stop.

Lunch had all been organised for us.  We arrived in all sorts of different groups and different times but that didn’t phase this restaurant at all - within minutes of arriving, le plat du jour was served with some very welcome large bottles of coke.  I never thought I could eat a big lunch and still be ready to cycle another 40 odd miles to that day’s destination. 

The mid-morning coffee and patisserie stops were the best.  You might be inclined to think this was a gourmet trip we were doing and not a charity ride but I assure you that it was a seriously undertaken event to raise money for your chosen charity and we had fun at the same time.

So, the first full day was under our belts and we needed to look forward to the next day – the longest day of 100 miles and the hilliest day.  Weather forecasts were watched and we expected the worst.  Heavy rainfall, some hailstorms, along with strong northerly winds had all been forecast around our route from Tours to Alencon.

We came off lightly as far as the rain went but I battled all day with the constant head-on or side-winds.   I hit a great many brick walls that day.   The camera didn’t come out once and on several occasions I was tempted to ditch my wonderful waterproof bike bag.  It was the worst thing I could have put on my already weighty bike.  I learnt a lesson that day to travel light.  I had to keep reminding myself that I too now had some of the professional looking clothing and the pockets on the back of the shirts were there for a purpose!!!!

It was also the day where a story was written that has to be the story of the ride.  Not just the 2009 ride but of all the rides in the history of the Hayling to Paris bike ride.   It happened to one of the Ditcham boys and I am sure his grandchildren will still be telling the story to their grandchildren in years to come.

The story unfurls in a corner of rural France.  The weather was pretty foul and a group of youngsters were out on their bikes, cycling on a 100 mile ride, all in the name of charity.  For some unknown reason, a peaceful looking herd of cows decided to stampede at the exact moment that Freddie and co were cycling past their field.   There was no apparent fence between these rampaging cows and the road and Freddie, luckily for him, was knocked flying.   I say ‘luckily’ as the bike was then completely trashed by the cows’ thunderous hooves.   Freddie suffered some cuts and bruises but was more upset at the damage to his treasured bike, destined for the scrap heap.   A spare bike enabled him to continue, very resiliently, the next day.

The third day dawned and this was fancy dress day.  Not compulsory thank goodness.   It took all my energies and concentration to do the ride, never mind worrying about fancy dress.  There were some very entertaining ‘costumes’, the most memorable, for me, being the clowns, one of who was still pulling his trailer and dog, and then there were the two bumble bees, complete with wings and antennae.

My learnt lesson came into play and I consigned my bike bag to my luggage, which meant my route notes were back in my pocket!

Highlights of the day were lunchtime and the finish.  Lunch time, as we had a highly amusing and entertaining restaurant owner ensuring that we were well fed and watered and we had an almost ringside view of the local weddings’ processions through the town, all to a glorious backdrop of the cathedral.   The sun was shining and life was good.

The finish was just brilliant.  No fanfare but just an amazing sense of achievement and sheer exhaustion.  The night before, at the end of the 100 mile day, my cycling partner and I got gloriously lost in Alencon and spent over an hour cycling up, and I mean UP, and down roads  looking for the hotel.  Not the best way to end such a long day.   I really did not want a repeat performance when arriving in Caen.  

My left and rights get reversed when under pressure and this was a pressurised situation for me.   About 12 miles out from the finish, at the last pit stop, we met up with Mark & Bridget.  Mark is a teacher and I figured he wouldn’t be getting lost.  We tucked up behind them and they ‘pulled’ us into Caen, a lot faster than if we had been cycling on our own.  I was determined not to lose them.  It was exhausting as they are both very good cyclists and pushing along faster than we would have gone.  It proved to be a wise move as Mark brought us into Caen very expertly, through dozens of roundabouts, junctions and traffic lights, without one wrong move.

There is a bar in Caen, whose takings must have gone up quite considerably that Saturday evening when 140 odd cyclists finished their ride.

A champagne reception and dinner had been organised for us at the Castle and all that remained for us to do was to cycle 10 miles, the next day, to catch the ‘fast cat’ back to Portsmouth.  

 Nobody had told me how the high speed catamaran is colloquially known and that day’s crossing proved it was a well earned nickname.    Once in Portsmouth and feet firmly back on terra firma,  I lost that green tinge and all that was left to do was to navigate our way through Portsmouth to pick up the Hayling ferry and cycle to HaylingCollege to be collected.

 What an experience!   My thanks to Rob, my husband, for all his support; to the Ditcham Team and Will for making me so welcome and to the organisers of the ride who put in a huge amount of time and effort and who run a very slick organisation.  It is worth a visit to the web site to read all about the ride, organisation and charities that benefit from the event.

http://www.hayling-cycle-ride.org.uk/

Allianz Fund Raising for Help the Hospices

Help the Hospices - The Meat Pie March

On July 30th 2009 a team from Allianz Engineering walked a route along The South Downs Way for 8 hours starting at Cocking Hill car park, south of Midhurst.

In 2007 Phil Reid, Operations Manager who was always at the forefront of any fundraising activities, took part in a walk from Guildford to Liphook to raise money for the BBC Children in Need Appeal - during this walk the rest of the team became aware of Phil's need for meat pies when after about half way Phil was first heard to say "I need a meat pie" - they finally managed to get him one when they reached a garage in Haslemere.

Sadly Phil passed away in November 2008 after losing his battle to beat cancer but the team wanted to do something to remember Phil by and to raise some money for charity at the same time and so the idea for "The Meat Pie March" was born.

The team raised £1276 which will be matched by Allianz taking the total to £2552. They would like to thank everyone who very kindly sponsored them.

Susie Mearns 
Allianz Engineering

Team captain Deidre Lindsey presents a cheque to Nurse Elspeth Dixon

Unless you have lived in Sussex for a long time, you might not have heard of the game of Stoolball, and yet at one time it was played nationally;  it is mentioned quite some 50 years before cricket and it was played in Plymouth USA in 1623 by the Pilgrim Fathers.  Historically it is a very interesting game and could be the mother of cricket and father of baseball.

The modern game – which has been described as ‘cricket in the air’ – is played extensively in Sussex where there are 6 Leagues of ladies Stoolball and a thriving Mixed team area around Eastbourne.  Steep Stoolball Club was started 38 years ago – and the founding member still plays!

Like cricket, a team consists of 11 players, there are two wickets, bowlers bowl in overs (of 8 balls), two batters score runs and are dismissed in the same ways as cricket.  But the wicket is a one foot square board supported by a post 4’8” from the ground (shoulder height), the bats are solid wood shaped like the top of a milking stool with the handle on the same plane (like a frying pan sprung like a cricket bat) and the ball is similar to a rounders ball, hard white leather.  Bowling is underarm from 10 yards with the wickets 16 yards apart.

The teams in this area on the borders of Sussex and Hampshire play friendly evening  matches against each other and also tournaments on Sundays.  One of the local Clubs, Milland, started a knock-out cup competition with the funds raised throughout the rounds being given to a charity which the overall winner has the honour of choosing.  Eight teams enter the competition and play each other on a home and away basis in limited 14 over matches.  This year, Steep played their first round against Milland winning the away first leg 173-162 and the home leg 128-127 (a very close contest).  The second round was against Lodsworth which they won 104-173 with their captain Deirdre Lindsey scoring a magnificent 104 not out, and the away tie 138-107.  This took them to the final against Tillington on the 29^th  July – a damp, gloomy evening so the match was reduced to 12 overs per innings.  Steep managed to overtake Tillington’s score of 109 with two overs to spare.  The other clubs participating were Ebernoe, Elsted, Liphook and ThreeCounties.

Having won the Cup two years ago, nominating The Rosemary Foundation for the Charity, the Steep ladies were more than ever keen to win it again so that once more the Rosemary Foundation could benefit.  The money is raised through holding a raffle at each match – Stoolball thrives on raffles! – and we were able to present the Foundation with a cheque for £610.

Shirley Reed

For the fourth year in a row, the Petersfield Rotary Club has supported The Rosemary Foundation. In early March, our nurse Jill Boucher (and one other lady!) joined the gentlemen of the Club for dinner at The Square Brewery in Petersfield and was presented with a cheque for £500. The Club has been very generous to the Foundation, having donated well over £1,500 to our funds over the years and they have also supported other charities, representatives of which were also at the dinner. The Foundation is very grateful for such loyal support.

Sincere thanks to Mrs Anne Butler of Lavender Fields, Hartley Park Farm, Selborne Road, Alton who kindly donated a very generous cheque for £1,836, the proceeds from  the popular and successful Lavender Fields ‘Open Days’ held in July 2009.  This money has been put towards upgrading and improving the  Rosemary Foundation Office to enable us to provide Carer Support meetings within the office space.

In the picture, Anne (centre) is presenting the cheque to Stella Constant (second left), the Rosemary Foundation’s Bereavement coordinator in the refurbished office.  Also in the picture are Babs Toms (left) volunteer, Sue Sharland, Lavender Fields manageress (second from right) and Penny Powell (right), Rosemary Foundation nurse.

The Rosemary Foundation, together with children’s charity, ‘Cardiac Risk in the Young’ will be the chosen charities for this year’s Open Days’ at Hartley Park Farm and will be held over the first two weekends in July – an event too good to miss !

Slide Sheets and an Ear Thermometer

A Presentation from the Padnell Park, Cowplain Women’s Institute

Sincere thanks to the Padnell Park  Cowplain,  branch of the Women’s Institute in donating vital nursing equipment to the Rosemary Foundation.  Slide Sheets are used for moving patients without having to lift them, avoiding  unnecessary discomfort and distress - and at the same time,  protecting   nurses backs from injury.  This gift is very much appreciated.

Sausages!

The Rosemary Foundation Quiz, which last time raised £512, is almost as well known for its ‘Bangers and Mash’ supper as the music questions!

The sausages are given to us by ‘The Sausage Man’ who wishes to remain anonymous but will continue to help us with the ‘bangers’ – so see you all at East Meon on 16^th October! Thank you all so very much.

“In an English Country Garden”  

The sun shone and the birds sang merrily as guests arrived at the home of Mr Graham and Mrs Sonia Meredith of Keepers Cottage, Froxfield - as they attended a fundraising event - and a means of thanking some of the Rosemary Foundation’s loyal friends and supporters. A wonderful cold buffet lunch was provided in a magnificent marquee in the garden of Keepers Cottage, prepared by volunteers and staff of the Foundation. The Birnie Boozle Band, played lively jigs, reels and folk music to entertain guests as they enjoyed their meal.  Stalls offering a variety of handicrafts, together with a raffle, completed the picture. 

Sincere thanks to the Merediths’ for their generosity in opening their home and garden, to the Birnie Boozle Band for such wonderful music, to staff and volunteers who provided such a fantastic spread and…. to all who came and made the occasion such a happy one.

Thank you one and all.

Barbara Pettegree 

Halloween Dance

Following close behind the quiz in October was our Halloween dance when The Rosemary Foundation and The East Meon Cricket Club joined forces to have fun! 

 The profits were shared with East Meon Cricket club - our share £337. The ‘Grim Reaper’ is our Quiz Master as well as a member of the cricket club so thank you to Jeff Wheeler for all his input.

July 5^th 2009 saw Wimbledon come to East Meon in the form of a big screen in the Court House for the Wimbledon Men’s’ Final. 

Although some were disappointed that Andy Murray didn’t make it to this stage, over 100 came to support the event and enjoy an afternoon in the garden with sweepstake, raffle, cream teas, strawberries, beer and Pimms.  Members of the Cricket Club and The Rosemary Foundation put in a huge amount of work in preparation and on the day, and we were rewarded with a glorious summer afternoon and an epic 5 set match that gripped our attention to the last.

Thanks are due not only to all the helpers, but to all those who bought tickets and came on the day to contribute to the atmosphere and success of the event which raised £2,000 for the EMCC Pavilion Fund and The Rosemary Foundation.

Clare Bartlett

(Thank you so much Clare for your continued support. Claire so generously gave her time, garden, with all facilities, and organised and provided the big screen.)

The Foundation was approached recently by Alison Blair, living in Portugal, for advice on setting up a Hospice at Home service in the Algarve, for both British expatriates and for Portuguese.

Alison explained “I am the founding member of a new charitable association called Madrugada meaning Dawn and it is our intention to deliver a palliative care and support service to those affected by life limiting illness.  Currently there is no similar service in Portugal. 

We are based in the Algarve where a great many ex-pats reside and they at least understand the concept of Hospice Care, volunteer work and charitable giving.  The Portuguese community are new to these concepts and this initiative offers the chance for community integration and cultural growth.  Our Board of Directors is 50% Portuguese/English and consists of both professional and non-professional health care workers.”

Alison told us that traditionally, there would be much support for patients from extended families, but as in many countries, the extended family structure in Portugal is on the decline. Hence the growing need for organisations like Madrugada.

We invited Alison to come and see us while she was in the UK recently and our photo shows her with our Julie Cotsell. (Note the sandwiches – they didn’t stop for lunch!). Julie spent a couple of hours with Alison and was able to give her a considerable amount of information and advice. We wish Alison and her colleagues every success in their new venture.

The Rosemary Foundation Christmas Bazaar 2009

 This year we arranged things better so that we did not pick the same day for our Christmas Bazaar as the Warnford Christmas Fair that you can read about on this page.

We had stalls for Christmas gifts, jewellery, Christmas cards and a super raffle. In fact two raffles – one for tickets bought on the day and another for the major prize donated by our kind friends at The Lavender Fields. The prize – a hot air balloon ride. We did find that when selling the tickets, one or two people said “I hope I don’t win this!”

But someone had to win and our photo shows our young helper (and her teddy) picking the winning ticket at the bazaar.

The winner, the Rev Di Townsend, is vicar of St Francis Church in Hilsea and Mike English interrupted an afternoon get-together in the church hall to give her the prize.

Di has said she will keep in touch and perhaps let us have a report and a photo of the flight. “Not until the weather’s better though!” She is hoping some of her congregation will sponsor her for church funds: that way she can’t chicken out at the last minute.

We would like to thank all those who were good enough to buy raffle tickets and also to everyone who came to the Bazaar which raised over £500 for our funds.

At the end of November our traditional Lights of Rememberance Service was held at Langrish House Hotel, by kind invitation of Mr & Mrs Talbot-Ponsonby. See our Diary page for details and date of this years service.

Our office manager Lyn Blackman  was just about to buy a new computer to replace a worn out one in the office when we were offered a good-as-new computer by Mr Michael Thompson of Steep. He could not have made the offer at a better time. Thank you very much!

Piping in the Haggis

WBro Paul Mann was a much beloved member of the Lodge of Hope No 2153. Just before he left us he had organised his own version of Burns Night, which he had called “The Alternative Burns Night" It really meant that instead of the evening being done by true Scots it was done by the English! That evening went down so well and raised over a Thousand pounds which was shared between the Rosemary Foundation and FORT.

It went down so well that it was agreed to do it again this year in memory of Paul "the wee man " Mann and of course as can be seen from the photograph it was done by the Lodge members who this time decided that because no one could understand what was being said that "interpreters should be used, so when the address to the Haggis was given various interpretations of what was being said was offered.

This was truly hilarious and everyone present -- all 67 of us absolutely roared with laughter. The evening was so successful that this year we managed to raise a total of £1210.00 which was shared equally between the Rosemary Foundation and FORT.. 230

Nurse Jill Boucher on the way home from a patient 

The snow may have brought East Hampshire to a virtual standstill, but the nurses of the Rosemary Foundation (a Hospice at Home) have been battling valiantly through the snow to look after their patients.

Julie Cotsell, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Joint Manager of the Rosemary Foundation said that business had carried on as usual.  Some nurses had managed to walk to their patients, no mean feat given the icy temperatures and the depth of the snow.  They are also indebted to another nurse’s husband, Ken Boucher, who had not only been driving his wife to her patients in his 4 x 4. but also, instead of waiting while she was busy, has been doing his own bit to help by going out to the shops and keeping patients supplied in  groceries.

The Rosemary Foundation is a local Charity – a community based group of health care professionals offering support and practical help to those suffering from life threatening conditions and approaching end stage of their disease.  It receives no funding from the NHS and is entirely dependant on donations.