Past Events 2010
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Saturday 11th December 2010
The JTYAF was honoured to have been chosen as one of the three principal charities for the ninth Swimathon organised by the Rotary Club of Wimborne.
team goes to the charity of their choice.
JTYAF |
2358 Ferndown ATC |
Girl Guiding Ferndown |
Picture above: the three teams who swam for the JTYAF. A very big ‘thank you’ to you all!
If you would like to take part in next years Swimathon the JTYAF will be organising as many teams as possible so please email us at enquiries@jtyaf.org to register your interest.
Next Swimathon Saturday 29th October 2011
Sunday 24th October 2010
Dan and David ran the Great South for JT
Dan Dorrington, 23, from Bournemouth, ran the Great South Run in memory of John. Dan knew John for many years, both at school and also at the Ferndown Squadron of the Air Training Corps
Dan said, "I signed up for the Great South Run because I wanted to do something that was a challenge and raise money for the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation, John was into fitness and keen on every sport. He'd be there to help anyone. He's really missed."
Picture right: Dan in his JTYAF t-shirt
Picture left: Dan in action during the Great South Run.
Dan’s finish time was 01:38:21 with an overall position of 8,283 out of 23,500. Well done Dan!!
A very big thank you to Dan from all at the JTYAF. Dan raised an amazing £150 for JT and also managed to promote the foundation in an article in the Daily Mirror. To read the article please visit this Link to the Daily Mirror article and scroll down half way
Picture below: David with his Great South Run medal.
David Beardwood pictured with his Great South Run medal, is a medic in the Royal Naval and has served in Afghanistan. David completed the course in an amazing 1:27:23 and had a final race position of 4500.
David very much enjoyed the event and commented that "there was a great atmosphere" he also said "I was very proud to be running for the charity set up in John´s memory."
David raised a total of £333 for the JTYAF a brilliant achievement and we are very grateful to him for his support.
Thank you David, from all at the JTYAF.
Saturday 9th October 2010
Rock on for JT!
Saturday 9th October saw the 3rd JTYAF Rock Night at the Royal British Legion in Ferndown and what a successful night it was. John Rolfe was delighted with the turn out and the dance floor was packed as everyone rocked the night away to an amazing mix of both old and new favourites.
The JTYAF are very grateful to John and Derith Rolfe and Lorna and Ray Perry for their continued support. They have now organised 3 discos and achieved an amazing £2,462 in fundraising for the JTYAF. Thank you guys!
The JTYAF would also like to extend their thanks to the band Dakota, who were absolutely brilliant, to all those rockers who came along and supported us so generously and to everyone who donated raffle prizes.
Pictured from left to right: Lorna Perry, Derith Rolfe, John Rolfe and Ray Perry
Saturday 25th September 2010
Karen’s Quiz Night
Following an extremely successful Quiz Night in 2009 Karen Towner decided to repeat the event and hosted her 2nd Quiz Night for the JTYAF at the Verwood Guide Hall on Saturday 25th September. Tickets were sold out and Karen did not disappoint the guests as they battled for prizes and enjoyed a thoroughly entertaining evening. Competition was tough but the ‘Harrison Allsorts’, Laura Hawkins, Emily Rich, Anna Thompson, Christine Squire, Joan Lake, & John Gledhill got top marks and won the coveted case of wine. Little baby Harrison was however totally unimpressed and slept through it all.
The generosity of the guests and also many local businesses meant that Karen was able to offer a splendid raffle to boost the fundraising which totalled £485! Particular thanks goes to Emily Rich who delighted everyone with her delicious cakes and raised £45 from their sale alone. Many thanks to Karen’s husband John, who kept score and didn’t make fun of the efforts of Pete and Linda Thornton’s team who were definitely the ‘No Hopers!’ A very big thank you to Karen from all at the JTYAF as her continued support with three fundraising events has raised an amazing £1,213, making an extremely important contribution to the foundation’s continued success. |
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Picture: Karen and John Towner after a very successful Quiz Night.
Sunday 8th August 2010
The Dorset Plane Pull 2010 - Have You Pulled Yet....?
July 2009 saw the inaugural Dorset Plane Pull, which successfully raised over £7000 for the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation and The Motor Neurone Disease Association. It was such a successful day that Richard Griffin decided to make it an annual event and so on Sunday 8th August 2010 the Dorset Plane Pull returned to Bournemouth Airport.
The Dorset Plane Pull is one of the country’s most unusual yet original charity fundraising events. Teams of up to 20 individuals have to pull a Boeing 737-300, which weighs in at over 30,000Kg, a distance of 50 meters in the fastest time possible. There were 15 teams this year and Castlecover Insurance managed to retain their status as champions (even though they did not beat their record of 25.9 seconds achieved last year!)
There was a host of site activities to keep everyone entertained including a Hog Roast, BBQ, and the very popular Pimms Tent. Live entertainment was provided by Lucky Pluckers and the children had great fun on the 66 foot inflatable dragon assault course.
Titan Airways supported this year’s event providing the all important aircraft for the day. Titan Airways Managing Director Gene Wilson said: “We are very happy to lend support to such a worthwhile cause. Titan recently established a base at Bournemouth Airport so it’s great to know local charities will benefit from the event”.
Richard enlisted the support of a large number of local businesses. Please visit the Dorset Plane Pull website at www.planepull.co.uk for full details, but companies included Tesco, Absolute Music, Sorridi’s Restaurant & Café Bar and the Daily Echo to name but a few.
The Thornton family and all the trustees at the JTYAF would like to convey their thanks and appreciation to Richard Griffin and Kyrie and Peter Feltham for organising such an outstanding event during such a difficult time for them as a family. Thank you also to all the staff and Cadets at 130 (Bournemouth) Squadron who worked tirelessly to help on the day and all the supporters and volunteers who so kindly gave up their time.
A massive thank you to the many teams that pulled that enormous Boeing 737-300 50 meters in order to raise funds for the JTYAF and Motor Neurone Disease. Many thanks also to the family and friends who supported them so generously. An amazing £4,871.36 was raised for the Foundation which has made a very important contribution to the continued success of the JTYAF.
This is how they did it!
Picture: National Aircraft Tugging Services who raised over £900 for the JTYAF
Picture: Mark Jackson and his JT’s Plane Sailing Team
Picture: Cai Rolfe and his One Tug Wonders
This year’s plane pull was dedicated to the memory of a key member of Richard’s family who suffered from Motor Neurone Disease and sadly passed away very recently. She would be one very proud lady to see all that Richard, Kyrie and Peter achieved.
If you are interested to find out more about future plans, please keep your eye on the website at www.planepull.co.uk or add the Dorset Plane Pull to you facebook.
25th July 2010
Team Sparta JTYAF Nettle Warriors
Tough Guy is probably one of the toughest tests of strength and endurance on Earth! Every winter and every summer, men and women from around the World come together to see if they have what it takes to become a Tough Guy™!
The Tough Guy Challenge is held on a 600-acre farm in Perton, Staffordshire, near Wolverhampton and is a massive test of courage and mental and physical determination. The course consists of an eight mile cross country run including an assault course and two laps of the killing fields. Running the course involves risking barbed wire, cuts, scrapes, burns, hypothermia, acrophobia, claustrophobia, sprains, twists, joint dislocation and broken bones - those who apply, have to sign the infamous death disclaimer - this is certainly not your average endurance event.
Richard Burn who was a close friend of John’s and the rest of Team Sparta: - Darren Lansley, Ryan Dixon, Matthew Edmonds, David Paul Fletcher, John Ellis, Paul H Davis, James Salmon, Richard J Mallaber, Tony Richard Robinson, Rachel Wyatt, and Henry Blackman, took part in the Nettle Warrior Challenge on 25th July for the JTYAF.
Team Sparta finished the course in 3 hours 30 minutes, enjoying electrocuted torture chambers, freezing cold swamps and all manner of other fabulous course features! Darren Lansley was the first of the team to cross the finish line coming in with a time of 3.14:35 hrs in 640th place and Richard Burn and David Fletcher came in one second behind him.
Picture: Team Sparta before the Nettle Warrior Challenge on 25th July 2010
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Picture: Members of Team Sparta in action |
The trustees at the JTYAF would like to thank Richard and all of the team for taking part in the Tough Guy Challenge to raise funds for the JTYAF. Congratulations to you all on finishing the course and for raising an amazing £1155 for the foundation. Well done everyone!
20th - 23rd July 2010
International Four Days Marches Nijmegen
Thousands of people put their best foot forward each year during the world’s largest walking event, the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen.
Around 45,000 participants took part this year, walking 30km-50km on four consecutive days making this a marathon achievement. The "Vierdaagsekruis" (Four Days Medal) is for many a coveted and, once earned, a cherished possession. The medal is the "cross for proven marching ability" The 94th Four Day Marches saw Caroline Ennals from Dorchester receiving her Four Day Medal and taking part in her 5th Nijmegen March. Caroline raised an amazing £222 for the JTYAF and we are very grateful to Caroline and her friends and family for their generous support. |
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Picture above: Caroline finishing Day 4 Nijmegen 2010
12th & 13th June 2010
The Dorset Fire Bike Ride
Martin Mansbridge, Lee McCumiskey and Faris Mani from Ferndown Fire Station organised the Dorset Fire Bike Ride which was held on the weekend of 12th/13th June 2010. The event raised over £10,000 for three charities; The Firefighters Charity, Help 4 Heroes and The John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation.
The Challenge was for a core of riders to visit all 26 fire stations in Dorset in 24hrs, an approximate distance of 220 miles!
On Saturday 12th June, 80+ riders set off from Christchurch fire station, with the aim to cycle as far south as Portland, as far west as Lyme Regis and as far north as Gillingham, before finishing at Ferndown Fire Station the following day, Sunday 13th June.
It was a massive logistical challenge for Martin and his team but this event was an incredible success, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone involved and a fantastic fundraiser for 3 excellent charities. It would have been impossible without volunteers to act as support staff. Thanks go to Lorna and Tracey in the Abacus van who worked hard transporting bikes, setting up and serving at the feeding stations, and clearing up after the riders left. Thanks also to Janine, Rob (and Zulu the dog), Paul (aka Moff), Debbie, Mark and Adam in the mini bus, broom wagons and lead van, who drove through the night to keep the show on the road.
Our gratitude also goes to Primera cycles who provided technical support on the day, as well as replacement parts at cost price and free labour. Tim Nokes who was the resident photographer, Abacus van hire who provided the transport and Sainsbury’s who provided all the food and refreshments for the riders. Thank you to you all for your support. There would have been no Dorset Fire Bike Ride without the riders and we would like to thank each and every one for taking part in this grueling event. Riders were taken to the limits of physical and mental endurance riding through the night on a route which was incredibly demanding and included every hill that Dorset could possibly offer. The welcome awaiting the riders at Ferndown Fire Station did however make it all worthwhile. Darren Gunter, the Chief Fire Officer of Dorset, was there to congratulate everyone and the applause from a large crowd of supporters was really moving and totally unexpected. All riders received a well deserved medal. |
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Riders arriving at the finish line at Ferndown Fire Station
Martin, Lee and Faris must take full credit for the organisation of the first Dorset Fire Bike Ride; Martin’s vision was made a very successful reality and the bringing together of a community in support of this fabulous event was a real achievement. Martin presented the JTYAF with a cheque for an amazing £3,290 which will make a massive difference to the continued support of local young people. All at the JTYAF are extremely grateful for this incredible donation. The Dorset Fire Bike Ride was a brilliant fundraiser, but above all everyone who took part really enjoyed the event. So well done and thank you guys – we’ll be there next year!
Picture left to right: Martin Mansbridge, Lee McCumiskey & Faris Mani; organisers of the Dorset Fire Bike Ride
If you would like to find out more about the event and see the many photos which recorded the two days please visit the Dorset Fire Bike Ride website at www.dorsetfirebikeride.co.uk
Sunday 30th May 2010
Plymouth by Half
On
Saturday 30th May Jamie, Victoria, Emma and Christopher ran the
Plymouth Half Marathon in aid of the John Thornton Young Achievers
Foundation. Jamie and Christopher both aged 20 years have been friends
since school and girlfriends Victoria and Emma completed the ’Team’
running the gruelling 13.1 miles around Plymouth’s historic course.
The team raised an amazing £500 for the JTYAF which made their
fantastic physical achievement even more special.
A very big thank you from the Thornton family and all at the JTYAF
to Jamie, Christopher, Emma, Victoria and all their family and friends
who supported them so generously. Your support will help the JTYAF
to continue to provide opportunities for many local young people
to fulfil their dreams in life and to really develop as individuals
Picture left to right: Jamie Butterworth, Victoria Large, Emma Dalton and Christopher Tooze.
If you would like to sponsor the team then please visit: www.justgiving.com/Jamie-Butterworth0
Wednesday 26th May 2010
Janet in tandem with the Red Devils
On Wednesday 26th May Janet Latham from Hope FM Radio experienced the thrill of skydiving with the famous Red Devils. Janet an immensely popular swimming teacher at Ferndown Leisure Centre teaches diving as part of the Swim Academy programme, but not from an aircraft accelerating from 0 - 120mph in 10 seconds at 13,000ft!
Janet travelled to Netheravon Airfield in Wiltshire and used the
skydive as a fundraiser for the JTYAF and Hope FM. She said she
wasn’t too keen on the freefall but once the parachute opened she
really enjoyed the ride. Many thanks to Janet from all at the JTYAF,
we very much admired her courage in taking on this challenge and
were extremely grateful that Janet included John’s Foundation as
one of the charities she supported.
Janet Latham ’just before’ her skydive |
Janet enjoying the views. |
If you would like to sponsor Janet please visit:- www.justgiving.com/Janet-Latham-jumping-for-John
If you are a tiny little bit crazy and would also like to do a
skydive for the JTYAF please contact us at enquires@jtyaf.org. We are aiming to organise a JTYAF Skydive in the Summer.
Sunday 23rd May 2010
Edinburgh Marathon
Richard Millman, JTYAF Ambassador for the North, completed the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday 23rd May in an amazing 4hrs 49 minutes, despite the grueling 25 degree heat and brilliant sunshine. Richard ran the Great North Run for the JTYAF in October 2008 and we are very grateful to him for choosing the JTYAF again for this epic of personal challenges. Raising more than an amazing £2000 in sponsorship for his Edinburgh Marathon, Richard’s fundraising is legendary as he has raised over £4000 in total for the JTYAF!!! All at the JTYAF would like to pass on a very big thank you to Richard, his family, friends and colleagues for their most kind and generous support which has made a massive contribution to the foundation’s continued success. It’s not too late to sponsor Richard. Visit his justgiving page at:- www.justgiving.com/richard-millman |
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Picture: Richard Millman successfully completed
the Edinburgh Marathon for the JTYAF
Sunday 23rd May
Matt Snook and Pete Sunnucks Everest Heroes
On 23rd May 2010 Pete Sunnucks and Matt Snook safely and successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest.
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Reaching the highest point on earth fulfilled their personal lifetime dreams and provided them with a unique opportunity to raise awareness and funds for two charities they are deeply passionate about - Help for Heroes and the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation. The Everest summit expedition tackled the North Ridge of the mountain and was professionally led by Adventure Peaks, a mountaineering company based in Ambleside, Cumbria. Of the 19 team members only 4 made it to the summit and Matt and Pete were two of them. Mount Everest has been conquered by just over 200 British climbers; Matt and Pete are the 88th & 89th Brits to successfully complete the widely accepted harder route of the North Ridge. They were under no illusion of the severity and hardship that they would face. In the years since Everest was first summited, 212 people have died on the mountain. Whatever your age there is a 1 in 12 chance of not coming back. |
In preparation, they spent months building up experience, climbing in the Alps, English Lakes and the Scottish Highlands. They also tackled the Southern hemisphere’s highest peak, Mount Aconcagua, Argentina in January 2010.
John and Matt were very close friends, growing up together with the same aspirations and dreams in their hometown of Ferndown. We can only begin to imagine the impact the tragic death of his best friend has had on Matt. But it’s the greatest testament to his character that he’s continued to live his dream just as John would have wanted him to do. For Matt, climbing Everest was more than just a personal dream; it’s something he and John both shared. They swore to each other that one-day they would stand on top of the world together.
It was through the Junior Leaders Course that Pete met John, and they forged a strong friendship. John’s death hit Pete hard. With so many of his other close friends preparing to go, recently returned from or currently serving out in Afghanistan, it is no surprise how much the two charities mean to him and how driven he was to raise as much as he possibly could for their cause.
Below is a short extract from Pete’s blog on the Everest Team’s
website www.everestforheroes.co.uk which gives us an insight into their experiences on top of the world.
To find out more about their amazing achievement please visit their
website which gives details from both Matt and Pete and their incredible
Summit Day Story.
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Standing on top of the World together... “The last few steps to the summit are completely indescribable for both of us. Complete sensory overload. The view, the pride, the elation, nothing could have prepared us for what we felt as we began to realise that we had achieved the dream, and we had achieved it together. Awesome.” “We smiled, we screamed, we embraced, we frantically took photos and videos of anything and everything, we grabbed rocks from the summit, and hugged again. We had planned a few days earlier what we needed to do and what photos we needed to take for our sponsors, particularly with the Help for Heroes Banner and Great Britain flag. But the greatest and most poignant moment came when we placed both a JTYAF and a Help for Heroes wrist band at the top, along with the Air Cadet Junior Leaders Course DZ flash which is where we had all become a band of bothers......” “This was our moment and we were loving it! Everything was forgotten, the pain, the hardship, the endurance, the suffering, the fear, and it was replaced by this beautiful beautiful moment knowing that we were stood higher than anyone else in the World.” An extract from Summit Day - Pete’s Bit |
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Picture: Pete Sunnucks left and Matt Snook right, arriving home to a VIP reception.
Pete and Matt have not only gone down in history for their successful summit of Everest but also because they are the first to stand on the top of the world for Help for Heroes and of course for the JTYAF! They have raised over £12,000 for the two charities which is also an amazing achievement.
There is still time to donate, so dig deep and visit their justgiving page at www.justgiving.co.uk/everestforheroes
Sunday 25th April 2010
Annie’s Triumph at the London Marathon
Annie
Dougall ran the London Marathon for the JTYAF in an amazing 3 hours
38 minutes achieving a new personal best by 12 minutes!! Annie had
John’s photo and the JTYAF logo printed onto her running vest and
was touched by the lovely response she received from the spectators.
Annie said "it made me feel really good to have John’s photo on
my vest even though I did not know him. I feel I am getting to know
more about him as I have got more involved with JTYAF."
A very big thank you to Annie for choosing the JTYAF and donating over £300 in sponsorship
Picture Right: Annie receiving her Marathon Medal.
Picture Left: Annie with her sons Rad and David,
who supported her all the way.
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Saturday 27th March 2010
Annie Bury does Coffee Direct
Annie Bury hosted a coffee morning on Saturday 27th March as a fundraiser for the JTYAF. She organised a raffle and coffee and cakes for all her friends and raised an amazing £220. All at the JTYAF would like to pass on their thanks to Annie for organising the event and also to the friends that so generously supported her.
Well done Annie!
Tuesday 2nd March to 30th March 2010
Round the World with Dr Pilling
Dr Patricia Pilling from Penny’s Hill Practice in Ferndown raced across the Pacific Ocean raising funds for the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation. Pat sailed from Quingdao in China to San Francisco, a distance of 5,680 miles and came in first, ahead of 9 other yachts! She took part in leg five of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. This is the longest individual race of Clipper 09-10 and the crews were at sea for approximately 4 weeks.
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This was the challenge of a lifetime for Pat and a rare opportunity to join a team of people from all walks of life to compete in a round the world yacht race. Life as a member of the crew revolved around a four-hour watch system. Pat took her turn below deck with cooking and cleaning duties as well as on deck, helming and trimming the sails, as her team attempted to win the Clipper Trophy. As a member of the Clipper crew Pat worked in every position. The experience was total. The crews need to be chefs, plumbers, electricians, tacticians, navigators, cleaners, IT specialists, bakers, sail repairers, quartermasters, weather forecasters, engineers and medics. |
Each crew is a self-sufficient unit capable of taking care of every situation - no matter what the conditions. There was no Yellow Pages in the middle of the ocean. If something needed doing, they had to do it.
Pat raised an amazing £1,744 for the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation which has made a really important contribution to our continued provision of opportunities for young people to ‘climb as high as they can dream’. We are very grateful to Pat, her colleagues and all the patients at Penny’s Hill Practice who have supported her so generously. A very big thank you to you all from the Thornton family and the trustees at the JTYAF.
Registered Charity No: 1125277 Patron:
Simon Weston OBE |