Dorincourt’s Fashion Show
On the 30th May, the clients of Dorincourt hosted a magnificent fashion show.
Each client chose their own outfit to display and the accompanying music.
There was of course many hours of preparation beforehand with much attention to hair, make up and cloths.
The flexispace was turned into a catwalk with lighting and fashion posters.
And each client was magnificent in taking centre stage and parading their chosen cloths.
Warren’s Wedding
After a serious motor bike accident, Warren’s plans for getting married were put on hold. After undergoing an intensive rehabilitation programme he came to Dorincourt in 2009 to regain his confidence and life skills. His dream was to one day be able to walk again so that he could walk down the aisle with his fiance.
After over three years od patience, hard work and dedication, Warren has achieved his goals. On Saturday 25 May, he and Molly got Married in Leatherhead.
A number of staff and clients from Dorincourt were able to attend their wedding and the weather gave them a glorious day.
For those that couldn’t attend, Warren and Molly returned to Dorincourt for their reception. They had a wonderful cake cutting ceromony in the dining room to which everyone was invited.
We wish Warren and Molly all the very best for their future together as they move into their new house.
New staff joining the Care Department
During April and May we had the following new staff join the Care Department;
Katarzyna Fuszara
Razvan Rogozan
Georgina Demianow
Belinda Bright
Jacqueline Smith
Veronika Karing
QEF to Benefit from Mindtunes
DJ Fresh unveils his latest ground breaking project: ‘Mindtunes’ Music created using the latest brainwave technology
You may need to turn annotations on to access the links at the end of the video
In a world first, international music artist, DJ Fresh launches Mindtunes – a break through project where music is created using the latest brainwave technology*.
The Smirnoff Mindtunes project brings together chart topping British electronic music producer DJ Fresh and PhD. Julien Castet, a leading brainwave technology expert, to enable a group of disabled music fans, who cannot play regular instruments, to create a music track controlling musical software with nothing but their mind.
Supported by QEF, The Smirnoff Mindtunes project aims to raise money for the charity through proceeds of the sale of the track.
Brainwave technology (BCI) has many potential applications. The Smirnoff Mindtunes project – the first of its kind – focuses on how this technology can be used to transform brain activity and emotions into music, enabling physical barriers to musical creativity to be broken down. Technology expert PH D. Julien Castet uses an ElectroEncephaloGraphy device (EEG) to measure the electrical activity of the brain, turning brainwaves and emotions into musical beats. In collaboration with DJ Fresh, the beats and sounds are overlaid and produced to create a unique music track.
“Ever since I was a little boy I’ve loved technology and always wanted to work with something cutting edge. What a privilege to be given the opportunity to do just that and collaborate with some truly inspirational people. The power of the brain and this brainwave technology is amazing – to think that Mindtunes was created solely by a group of disabled music fans using only their minds. I am very proud to be part of this project – it just goes to show what people have the power to create if they’re given the opportunity,” says DJ Fresh, who produced the finished track.
This project follows on from Smirnoff’s long history of pioneering innovation and is the first in a series, which will demonstrate how innovation and inventiveness enables us all to realise our creative potential.
Emma Sherwood-Smith, Smirnoff Marketing Manager Western Europe says, “We are very excited to be releasing this brand new track produced by DJ Fresh. Enabling a group of musicians to fulfill their musical ambitions has been an amazing experience. Not only does The Smirnoff Mindtunes demonstrate there is a creator inside each of us, but will also raise money for a charity that helps thousands of disabled people every year realise their true potential.
Jonathan Powell, QEF Chief Executive, says, “Smirnoff Mindtunes is a brilliant project and we are very proud to be a part of it. Giving a group of talented disabled individuals the opportunity to realise their potential and turn dreams into reality has been an unforgettable experience for all. It is the very essence of what QEF stands for and it is very refreshing to see a brand invest so much to offer people the chance to use technology that has previously been beyond their reach. I hope that this is the first of many successful projects and opportunities we have a chance to be involved in – Smirnoff Mindtunes has set a precedent.”
Mindtunes is available for download from iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers.
Click here for more information.
If you would like to donate to QEF yourself click Donate to give online.
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!
Graham’s Personal Challenge
Graham Clark from East Sussex is currently training on the QEF Vocational Services Computer Aided Design employment training programme.
On Sunday 5 May, Graham set himself a personal challenge and took part in the Bluebell 10K run on Headley Heath near Leatherhead Surrey.
This was his first fundraiser and cheered on by friends; Graham successfully completed the run in a brilliant time of 00:57:02 and raised £513.85 for QEF which is fantastic!
We thank Graham for his fundraising support and a huge well done!
You can still support Graham’s efforts by donating using this link
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/grahamclark
Virgin London Marathon
The 2013 QEF Team of runners did fantastically well in the Virgin London Marathon with all of our runners completing the race!
Latest News on our Building Programme
Work in the Medway corridor to convert the old bedrooms and bathroom has now been completed. As you can see from the photos they look fantastic and staff have now started to move into their new ‘homes’. We envisage this will take a couple of weeks and will inevitably cause some disruption, but we will of course strive to keep everything running as smoothly as possible.
The next stage of our programme is the refitting of our main kitchen and then the dining room. The clients are all very excited about this. We have a mobile kitchen being delivered on site in the first week of June, and work starts on the kitchen, week beginning the 10 June.
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