Funny Women Seek King of Comedy

Funny Women are challenging twelve amazing high profile men to perform stand-up for the first time in their lives and raise vital funds for charity!  Come and see who will be crowned Funny Women’s ‘King of Comedy’ at the beautiful Goldsmiths Hall in the City.  Each participant has been mentored by some of Funny Women’s top female comics – including finalists in the Funny Women Awards and improvisation experts.

The show will be hosted by former Erotic Review editor and 2012 Charity Challenge winner Rowan Pelling and business woman and comedian Julia Streets, with a special guest appearance from 2012 Funny Women Award winner Gabby Best.

Graham Ball, chief executive of The Victoria Foundation is taking part along with Mick Glossop, music producer, most noted for producing Van Morrison.  Mick has kindly offered to fundraise on behalf of MERU to raise money for a Bugzi wheelchair.  The link to his page is http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/mickglossop1  and for tickets contact http://www.wegottickets.com/funnywomen/event/220076

The Victoria Foundation is a huge supporter of QEF and have donated over £24,000 to date to the Bugzi Loan Scheme.

Break a leg Mick and Graham!

Visit our Show Garden at Hampton Court

Spring has sprung, the bluebells are flowering in our woods and we will be exhibiting a show garden for the very first time at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2013, which takes place on 9-14 July.

Our Garden for Joy is named after an inspirational, indefatigable and dedicated friend of QEF, as well as celebrating the life changing work which focuses on what people can do rather than what they can’t.  Here we focus on the joys of achieving greater independence, increased mobility, securing a job or realising tiny personal goals.  It will be the first therapeutic garden ever designed completely from the perspective of wheelchair users.

Bringing the garden home

The whole point of the show garden is to take it back to QEF Independent Living Services at Dorincourt, home to 37 severely disabled young people who are looking forward to having their own space to socialise, enjoy quiet areas in the fresh air and show off their plant growing skills to their families and friends on Open Days

For our residents being outdoors, with the ability to easily navigate  around their garden space provides the opportunity to shape and take ownership of their environment.  To take care of feeding and watching the antics of birds and wildlife and growing and nurturing their plants is achievable, therapeutic and enjoyable.

Therapeutic, training and social value

Horticulture and the art of growing things from tiny seeds is a huge and rewarding part of our therapy programme. There is an army of disabled residents and volunteers many from local supportive companies itching to rebuild the show garden back at Dorincourt and develop a thriving horticultural therapy programme.  The rebuild is a key part of the garden and will also involve disabled trainees from QEF Vocational Services who are training for a qualification in horticulture and landscaping.

To visit the QEF Garden for Joy and experience it for yourself , click here to book your tickets from the  RHS Hampton Court Palace website .

Hitting the High Notes

Grateful thanks to the Police Unity Memorial Band for a fabulous donation of £1,100.  The Band have been great supporters of QEF and their tuneful efforts are much appreciated.  By all accounts their concerts are extremely enjoyable and the quality of their musicianship very high.  Cue fanfare!

QEF Corporate and Community Manager Sue Pressey joined them with Ashleigh from QEF Independent Living Services to receive a cheque from Band Master Graham.  

Breakfast Club Launch on Monday

The clock is counting down to the launch of our new Ambassadors Club.  This initiative gives the opportunity for businesses to support QEF and at the same time find benefits that deliver value to the business and its staff.  The launch takes place this coming Monday (11 March 2013) in the Oak Room at the Woodlands Park Hotel, Woodlands Road, Cobham, with celebrity host Nick Owen.

For further details contact Sue Pressey on 01372 841223 or sue.pressey@qef.org.uk

Guinness and Oyster Luncheon 2012

The 47th Guinness and Oyster Luncheon took place on Thursday 22 November, 2012, at Mansion House in the City of London.  Over 400 guests attended this historic City event, kindly sponsored by Diageo and co-sponsor Oracle.  Former England Rugby Captain, Martin Corry, entertained guests talking about some of his rugby experiences and there was a surprise special guest appearance from Welsh rugby legend JPR Williams.  QEF Vocational Services trainee, Sean,  gave the audience a moving account of how a life changing event in his late teens had brought him to QEF and how this had transformed his life.

As well as the Guinness and sumptuous oysters guests partook in a Silent Auction and Grand Draw and over £53,000 was raised from the event in aid of QEF.

ExxonMobil Adopts QEF

John Chamberlain, Director of Fundraising and Marketing (right) receiving a cheque for £871 from ExxonMobil Chairman, Brad Corson, the proceeds from their Staff Summer Olympics Day, held at their Headquarters in Leatherhead.

ExxonMobil have adopted QEF as their Charity of the Year in 2012 and staff are raising funds in all sorts of ways including a Pedometer Team Challenge.

QEF Charity Golf Day 2012

Join us at The Berkshire Golf Club, Ascot on this championship golf course for 18 holes. This event is taking place on 8 November 2012 and includes early morning coffee and bacon rolls served in the newly refurbished club house, a shotgun start on the Blue Course, halfway-house refreshments and luncheon including wine.

The Berkshire Golf Club is home to two Herbert Fowler designed courses laid out amid the extensive trees and heather to the South and West of Windsor Castle.

Fees: £125 per person or enter as a team of 4 for £500.

To book your place please click here.

For more information please e-mail sue.pressey@qef.org.uk or telephone 01372 841223.

We hope to see you there!

Better Together as QEF and MERU Merge

Jonathan Powell, QEF, and Susan Brumpton, MERU, join forces at Leatherhead Court.

Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People (QEF) has joined forces with MERU, a children’s disability charity. The move, effective from 1 April 2012, followed discussions between the respective trustee boards and chief executives.

Jonathan Powell, CEO at QEF, commented, “For us the key driver in joining with MERU is to expand the range of services for disabled children and young people as well as to create more opportunities in more disabled people’s lives.”

This merger follows on the heels of another merger for QEF last November when VASD (Voluntary Association Surrey Disabled) became part of the QEF Group. It is part of strategic move by the charity to use its resources and specialist knowledge to impact directly on the lives of more disabled people, particularly in London and the South East where its operations are concentrated.

The number of disabled people QEF supports will rise from around 2,700 each year to over 3,800 and will also give the charity a much stronger campaigning voice in pressing for a better deal on issues directly affecting people’s lives.

Susan Brumpton, CEO of MERU, stated, “The merger will create opportunities for MERU to design equipment for QEF’s younger service users or to use MERU’s workshops for QEF’s work in the re-training and rehabilitation of disabled people. It will also give us the resources to invest in new innovative products and services currently in development.”

The MERU board will cease to exist, but many members will continue to volunteer their expertise through various project committees. MERU will continue to exist as a charity in its own right, designing, developing and manufacturing equipment for disabled children and young people at its site in Epsom. However, support functions will be spread across the QEF Group, making the organisations more efficient and cost effective.
Susan Brumpton will also continue as CEO. The merger will not result in any redundancies but some cost savings have already been made and further efficiencies will be realised as the charities move forward.

MERU designs and manufactures specialised equipment for children and young people with disabilities. The charity provides design and engineering skills to custom-make individual and personalised equipment for children whose disabilities are so complex that no available equipment meets their needs.

Current collaboration
MERU and QEF are currently working together on Try B4 U Fly, a free assessment service so that disabled children and their families can trial the various seating options available on board aircraft, including the MERU TravelChair.