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News from 2008 
Generous support from Weaver Vale (Strikes) Garden CentreWe are very thankful to Mike, centre manager of Weaver Vale Garden Centre (Strikes) for offering to support us as their chosen charity. Money collected from their festive wishing well provides part of their fund raising activities. In addition, staff members Jill and Helen recently took a trip to our shop and created a beautiful Christmas window display. With this, came their donation of a real Christmas Tree and 200 lights that we were able to offer as first prize in our Christmas raffle. This was drawn on the 1st December 2008 and we are delighted to announce that the winner is Mary Hough. With Barclays'continued valuable support their matched funding scheme brought the total raised to £700! Thank you all so much for supporting our Christmas fund raiser. Local artists open day .jpg)  Local artists shared their talent at an open day at The Joshua Tree Shop in the town centre on Saturday 25th October 2008. Artist Dave Leeson (left) gave a live demonstration of his skill. We were also joined by Richard Adie (right) who added to the great atmosphere for the day. Other artists who displayed they work were Alexander Sinclair, Julie Addy, Jean Briars, Charlotte Richardson and Stuart Hogg. A big thank you to all who helped to make the day a great success. 
Outline planning achievedOn Tuesday 17th June 2008 our outline planning application was put before Vale Royal planning committee after having been recommended a refusal from the planning department. However, our prayers were well and truly answered at the end of the evening when the planning committee voted unanimously to allow the build to go ahead. We are indebted to Helen Leggett from Emery Planning Partnership in Macclesfield and Cllrs Tom Davies and Helen Burder for putting together a strong case on our behalf. This now opens the doors for us to complete phase two, finalising the building design and move into phase three of our project, purchasing the land, applying for grants and increasing our team of volunteers.  Charity Golf Day There was a great atmosphere on Wednesday 24th September 2008 when six teams tee'd off for the Mayor's charity golf day. The team from Hartford Golf Club represented The Joshua Tree and the Mayor's team represented the Salvation Army. Other teams from Weaver Vale Housing Trust, Moss & Haselhurst, and Cheshire Police provided the competition. We are chuffed to say that The Joshua Tree team did us proud! Congratulations to Martin Major, Ian Thompson, Graham Jolley and Tim Barnes (left to right) who were the overall winners of the day. Everyone joined together for a presentation evening where we enjoyed a three course dinner. Well done everyone for a great day.  Shop opens in town centreWe officially opened our shop in Weaver Square, Northwich (next door to Thorntons) at the beginning of April 2008 where Cheshire FM visited us and broadcast live for the first 2 days. We are extremely grateful to Paul Bosman, Centre Manager, for all his help in getting us 'up and running'. The premises are used as an office and information centre. This opportunity has been invaluable in helping us promote the charity to the local community. We are based here, free of charge, whilst the premises are vacant. A support group for families who have a child with cancer also meet here regularly for coffee and a chat. If you are interested in coming along, please give me a ring for a list of meeting dates. The second floor of the shop is used for storage of goods for selling at table top sales / car boots / or events. If you would like to help, or organise your own table top sale for us, please just let me know and I can provide you with items to sell.  Venue for local artists We are working with Arts Development Officer, Emma Hodge from Vale Royal Borough Council to enable local artists to display and sell their work at the shop. Please feel free to come in and browse. If you yourself are a budding artist and would like your work displayed, we would love to hear from you. The Joshua Tree will also benefit. 15% from sales will be donated to the charity. Already there is an interesting mix of styles, ranging from abstract to the more traditional designs. Alexander Sinclair has really brightened the shop up with his colourful designs and unique collection of clocks. Other artists making good use of the wall space currently include Julie Addy, Jean Briars, Stuart Hogg, Dave Leeson and Charlotte Richardson. Look out for details of our future open day for local artists to get together to share ideas and also for you to come in and ask questions. Land captured on canvas  We have been so fortunate to meet local artist, Dave Leeson, who has very kindly painted the site of The Joshua Tree and the views from the land, on canvas, free of charge.Viewing them is a must! Just pop into the shop when you are passing, where they are on display. Dave will be showing off his skill during different times in the coming months as he has agreed to bring his paints and brushes to the shop to demonstrate his work in progress. Cheshire open studios The 11th annual Cheshire Open Studios event is now running throughout September. This is just one of the local arts events run by Cheshire Artists’ Network, visit www.cheshireopenstudios.org.uk for more information. There will also be pre-Christmas openings on 6th and 7th December 2008 between 11am and 4pm. Throughout September and October there is also a secret celebrity art sale, where different artists submit a post card sized painting anonymously. These are sold for £15 and then the artists will be revealed. The money raised will be split between Cheshire Open Studios and The Joshua Tree. The postcards will be displayed at The Joshua Tree shop from the end of October 2008  New patron - Paul PashleyMany of you will have heard Paul Pashley's wonderful voice at our previous events. His talent is so that he was asked to perform at Wayne Rooney's wedding along side Westlife, earlier this year. We first met Paul in November 2006. It's a privilege to invite him on board to join Tom Davies as our patron. If you would like to hear him, visit www.paulpashley.com 
Jigsaw fair There were plenty of smiles at Jigsaw Nursery on the first Saturday in August 2008 when families came to enjoy an afternoon of fun and games. It was one of the few beautifully warm days so ice creams went down extremely well! Visitors also enjoyed tucking into the lovely choice of home made cakes. The bouncy castle was as popular as ever and children had fun decorating biscuits and making necklaces. Face painting was also on offer with many wonderful designs. Tom called by to soak in the atmosphere and couldn't resist the tasty burgers! The day was a huge success, raising £650. Many thanks to you all for giving up so much of your time and energy. Jigsaw have also very kindly donated a signed Manchester United football shirt by Cristiano Ronaldo together with certificate of authentication. Any interested fans, are welcome to put in a bid!  Vale Royal Mayor 2007 - 2008As Doug and Pam Shingler's term of office as Mayor and Mayoress of Vale Royal came to a close in May 2008 it was lovely to be able to attend The Mayor's Ball at Northwich Memorial Hall and enjoy a great evening of entertainment with friends. Throughout the year they held a number of fund raising events and we were recently presented with a cheque for an incredible £7501.55. As a thank you for their tremendous hard work Tom and I presented them with a tree to make sure that they don't forget us!  Support from new Vale Royal Mayor 2008 - 2009We are really pleased to share that the new Vale Royal Mayor and Mayoress, Malcolm and Jo Gaskill have decided to continue to support us during their term of office. A varied calendar of events has been put together and we look forward to updating you.  Josh finishes treatmentWe are thrilled to share with you that Josh completed his treatment in December 2007 as scheduled. He finished with an unexpected blood transfusion as his counts were extremely low. However it had the desired effect and his energy levels began to steadily increase so that he could enjoy a magical trip to Lapland with 'Wish upon a star' the day after his hospital visit. He has treasured memories of his time there, and 10 months on, he continues to do well. His trips to Alder Hey have reduced to once every 8 weeks! We give thanks to God for keeping Josh safe and are indebted to our friends and family for their continued support, care and prayers throughout the last 3 years. To mark Josh's completion of treatment, we arranged a thanksgiving service at our local church, Bethel. It was a very emotional and special time for all of us, one which will stay in my memory. Many thanks to all who shared our joy with us. Various groups and individuals have helped in energetic ways! Keith Glover, from PQ Corporation (formerly Ineos Silicas) took part in the English 3000 feet challenge. His aim was to walk Skiddaw, Scafell Pike, Scafell and Helvelyn in under 24 hours. He managed to finish in 21hours 45 minutes - and raised over £500! Rob Plant (trustee) completed a 134 mile cycle ride, the UK section of the Tour de France and Teresa McNelly has kindly supported us for the second year, completing the ladies 10 k run in Liverpool. The Grange Junior School organised a netball tournament and Hartford Tennis Club held their annual ladies fund raiser in June, passing on a cheque for £1050. Sophie Axford took part in the Junior Great North Run, collecting sponsorships worth £260 and Andy Cannon ran a half marathon earlier on in the year, raising £450 You are all fantastic! Well done everyone for your stamina! 
Abi Sullivan heard about The Joshua Tree when Tom and I talked to pupils from Leftwich High School during an assembly. As a result, she has been keen to take part in different events. Following on from these, she decided, off her own bat, to plan the trek up Ben Nevis with her family. Donned with their Joshua Tree t shirts they completed the challenge in August 2008. Apart from the inevitable aching limbs, they all survived! What an wonderful way to spend part of the summer break - well done to you all.
The Cheshire Sprint Triathlon on 1st June 2008 was completed by four teachers from the Grange School, Hartford. From left to right the team were Gerallt Skymm, Ben Madden, Guy Rands and Mel Plant (trustee). They asked people to contribute a donation whilst at the same time, asking them to nominate which of the four staff would come first and in what time, with the closest prediction winning a £50 InterSport voucher. Between them, they managed to raise a remarkable £965.85!
Another day in April 2008 saw the second of what will now be an annual event, The Joshua Tree Fun Run. It was held at Marbury Country Park this time, on a crisp (freezing more like!) Saturday morning. Everyone was amazing...despite the cold, (and lack of refreshment van, which apparently was lost somewhere on the M6!!) people continued to register to face the challenge. It was lovely to see many families at the park either taking part or cheering the runners on. We look forward to seeing you all back next April! Well done everyone.
There have been a number of sporting events during the year that have seen individuals pushing themselves to the limit to help us. After completing the Wigan Row in April 2007, the intrepid team from Wigan were back and raring to go with another, tougher challenge. Led by great guy, Paul McCracken, (front centre of photo below!) the atmosphere was again electric at Wigan Gym in April 2008 when the team of enthusiasts toughed it out to complete an Iron Man Challenge. This time, two teams competed against each other to reach the target distance in the fastest time. Members rotated between the rower, the bike and the treadmill at set intervals for a period of approximately 51/2 hours. To spur the teams on, this gruelling event was attended by a number of Wigan Rugby League players, who also joined in the challenge. Sky sports filmed the afternoon and briefly interviewed me ready for the programme 'Boots n all'. Well done guys and gals...the event raised an amazing £ As always many thanks for everyone's input...what a day!
The 1st March saw the Vale Royal Mayor's annual Small Business Dinner and Awards Ceremony at McDonnald Portal Hotel and Spa, Tarporley. It was an honour to receive our first award for Marketing effectiveness presented to us by Ben Coker of Utility Warehouse. The evening was a great success raising yet more money for our charity.On Friday 15th February 2008 we held a Valentines Event at Hartford Golf Club. The evening was a tremendous success and everyone had a wonderful time. We were entertained by Paul Pashley(left).  Paul has been a regular supporter of The Joshua Tree and is keen to help. If you would like to hear more of Paul's talent then you can visit his website www.paulpashley.com. Also during the evening we were entertained by a very talented accordion player Richard Adie (right). He provided a fantastic atmosphere for the evening. Thank you Richard. The raffle itself made over £1000 thanks to Barclays matched funding scheme. We are extremely grateful to Freeway Northwest and McLoughlin Solicitors for sponsoring the tremendous prizes. Many thanks Jan for the wonderful buffet - you did us proud!On 30th January, Vale Royal Mayor Cllr Doug Shingler organised a Fashion show at the Portal Hotel and Spa, Tarporley. Models showing collections from Imagination, Verity Plum and Parkgate were well received. The evening was a great success raising in the region of £2000. Many thanks to all three stores for a wonderful collection. |