Sweet sound of charity from Oldershaw Singers

A big-hearted Wirral singing group have donated £1,000 to the Hoylake Cottage Day Care Appeal.

The Oldershaw Singers raised the funds with a concert dedicated to the centre for older people.

Their founder Dorothy McIlhagga presented a cheque to Tony Twemlow, chair of Hoylake Cottage, after a later concert at St Andrew’s Church in New Brighton.

“It is extremely generous of the singers and we are very grateful for their support,” said Tony.

The Oldershaw singers was formed in 1979 by Dorothy McIlhagga, then Head of Music and Performing Arts at Oldershaw School in Wallasey, to give former pupils the chance to continue singing after leaving school.

Now numbering 35, singers are drawn from a wider circle of local churches and music groups and perform fundraising concerts throughout the year.

They have raised many thousands of pounds for local and international causes and we were one of the lucky charities to benefit this year!

Montse and Rafa Benitez have made a generous donation to the Hoylake Cottage Day Care Appeal. It is a parting gift from the couple as Montse gives up her voluntary role of chair of Hoylake Cottage’s social events committee. She has helped to galvanise support for a £1.5 million appeal for a new day care centre for older people. 

Now, Montse is house hunting and checking out schools in Milan, as Rafa prepares to take up his new job in charge at Inter Milan FC. Mrs Benitez said: “I was very close to my granny who had dementia for ten years until she died. She had a nurse at home, but not everyone is so lucky which is why I wanted to help Hoylake Cottage. “I will keep in touch with all the progress and hopefully once the new centre is built, I will come back to join in the celebrations.”

Hoylake Cottage Chair of Trustees, Tony Twemlow said: “The gift from Montse and Rafa is extremely generous and we are all more grateful than we can say for their tremendous kindness."

Hoylake Cottage celebrated 100 years at their Open Day...read more about it here on the BBC website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/liverpool/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8649000/8649614.stm

It was Beatles-mania at Vanilla Lounge in Hoylake on Saturday night with a 12 hour live music marathon held in aid of the Day Care Appeal.

Various acoustic bands played hits from the fab four from midday and guests were treated to a fantastic evenings performance by a Paul McCartney tribute. Donations were kindly given throughout the event and a raffle was held too, raising £400 in total.

A huge thank you to Vanilla Lounge for being amazing hosts and to their staff and customers for their generosity and support.

Beatles marathon in aid of Hoylake Cottage

 Beatle mania is hitting Hoylake with a 12 hour music marathon at the Vanilla Lounge on Saturday 27 March.

A series of bands will play hits from the fab four, from 12 noon until late in the Market Street venue.

Admission is free but donations will be accepted for the Hoylake Cottage Day Care Appeal.

Guests wearing Beatles costumes will be particularly welcome, though fancy dress is optional. For more information call the Vanilla Lounge on 0151 633 2390.

An open day is taking place on 18 April to celebrate the centenary of Hoylake Cottage.

The charitable trust opened as a cottage hospital in June 1910 and over the past 100 years has evolved into a centre caring for older people.

Its story will be told in an exhibition of the last 100 years, which will include a glimpse into the future, with plans on show for a new day care centre.

The event will replace the previously publicised open day planned for 28 March. This has changed to avoid clashing with the Easter Egg Run on the same day.

Meanwhile an appeal for memories and memorabilia has had a good response from local residents and former staff of Hoylake Cottage. Press cuttings, photos and programmes have been sent in from as far back as the early 20^th century.

Chief executive Lin Cooke said: “We can’t let our 100^th year go by without marking it in some way. This organisation would not be here without the fantastic support of the local community from its very early days right through to the 21^st century, so it’s only right that we invite local people to help us celebrate.”

The event will be held from 1.30pm to 4.30pm and visitors will be able to wander around the old building; view the exhibition; see a recreation of an old bedroom and nurses in post war uniform; and see artist’s impressions for the new day care centre.

A Buy a Brick campaign will be launched, offering people the chance to dedicate an engraved brick in a special path and wall to be included in the new centre.

Admission is free and fun quizzes for children and free refreshments will be available at the event.

Anyone who has information or photos to share can call into Hoylake Cottage or call event manager Caroline Kenyon on 07843 243913 or email caroline@kenyons.co.uk.

Two Wirral businesses have pledged to support the Hoylake Cottage Day Care Appeal.

Hoylake law firm The Hetherington Partnership was one of several which backed the charity during their Make a Will Month last November.

Now, senior partner Margaret Hetherington has offered to continue the service, offering new Wills or changes to Wills, in return for a minimum donation of £50.

She said: "My firm will continue to give support as there is an increasing demand for care facilities in our community and Hoylake Cottage offers wonderful respite and nursing care to our local residents."  

Wirral-wide estate agents Bradshaw Farnham & Lea have adopted the appeal as their charity. They are planning a series of fundraising events, including a St Georges Day themed party for staff.

The Hoylake Cottage Day Care Appeal aims to raise £1.5 million to build a new kitchen and day care centre for older people from all over Wirral, providing relief for them and their carers.

Hoylake Cottage community fundraiser Emma Keenan said: “It’s fantastic to get the continuing support of two well respected local businesses.”

An appeal for memories and memorabilia is being made for a journey back in time at Hoylake Cottage. Photographs and stories about different chapters in the life of the former cottage hospital are needed for an exhbition and open day taking place in the Spring.

Artists impressions of the planned new day care centre will be on show, along with information about the appeal to raise funds for the new building.

A Buy a Brick campaign will also be launched, offering people the chance to dedicate an engraved brick in a special path and wall to be included in the new centre.

Admission is free and fun quizzes for children and free refreshments will be available at the event.

Anyone who has information or photos to share should call event manager Caroline Kenyon on 07843 243 913 or email caroline@kenyons.co.uk

Staff and customers at a West Kirby wine bar raised £3,150 for the Hoylake Cottage Day Care Appeal.

An initial target of £3,000 was set by The Wro wine bar and the last four months have seen a series of events aimed at beating it.

A trip to France for the first crop pf Beaujolais wine was the latest venture, which followed a race night, a French wine tasting, Dior and Chanel events, quiz night, carol concert and a post-London to Paris cycle ride celebration.

Community Fundraiser for Hoylake Cottage, Emma Keenan said: "The Wro has been  fantastic to raise such an amount of money for your appeal. The events they held were really novel and great fun and I'm sure all the staff and customers had a great time. All of us at Hoylake Cottage are incredibly grateful for all their hard work."

Having run seven ‘ultra’ marathons in seven days on seven continents early last year, Jack Jones is urging others to follow his example. He was the only Brit to complete the gruelling challenge which involved     running a total of 219 miles and his only chance of sleep was on the plane in      between stops!

He used his adventurous spirit and exceptional fitness to raise funds for our Day Care Appeal and he’s hoping others will be inspired to do the same. Jack said, “Once people set themselves a tough target, with the right training and support they might surprise themselves. I have committed to raising funds for Hoylake Cottage and I would like others to do the same. I will then help them will planning and preparation for anything from a 10k run or a long distance cycle ride to a parachute jump.”

Anyone who would like to join Jack’s Hoylake Cottage Challenge Team can choose their own challenge or sign up for one of the extreme endurance events being planned for the coming year, including the four deserts - covering 250km in six days in the Sahara, Gobi, Patagonia and Antarctic Deserts. Companies are also   being challenged to enter a team to fly their corporate flag. To be a part of Jack’s challenge team in 2010, call Jack on 0151 632 7302 for more details or to discuss your own challenge ideas!

Indulge yourself...with fine wines, a delicious 3 course meal, all served in the unique art deco elegance that is Leverhulme Hotel in Port Sunlight. 

On Saturday 13th February, enjoy a champagne  reception, live music by the ‘Upbeat Beatles’, 3 course dinner with wine and dancing until late. Tickets £75 and for more information please call 0151 632 7302 or email fundraising@hoylakecottage.co.uk

It’s the first time the nursing centre has achieved the top rating. Chief Executive Lin Cooke said: “It is extremely satisfying. The three stars are               acknowledgement of the hard work of the management team and of every member of staff who consistently provide a high level of care”

A Wirral man has walked the Great Wall of China in aid of Hoylake Cottage.

Tony Collins, 39, from Wallasey completed the mammoth challenge of eight days of walking and climbing as part of a guided group.  The climb took walkers across desert, grasslands and mountains in the most remote and isolated parts of Beijing. 

Tony said: “The whole experience was amazing, the weather was good, the food was good and it was a great personal achievement.

“What made it for me were the views, I was just gobsmacked the whole time.”

Tony, a driver for Wirral Council, decided to take on the challenge when he heard about it through Hoylake Cottage Community Fundraiser Emma Keenan.  This was his first fundraiser for Hoylake Cottage but last May he successfully completed a marathon in Windermere and is hoping to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as his next challenge.

So far Tony has raised £1000 of his £2100 target for Hoylake Cottage Day Care Appeal but still needs to raise more.

Hoylake Cottage Community Fundraiser Emma Keenan thanked Tony for his support.  “We are thrilled that Tony has completed such an amazing challenge and want to congratulate him for all his efforts and thank him and everyone that has supported him.”

If you would like to show your support for Tony, you can make a donation at www.justgiving.com/tonycollins2