Therapies & Treatments Tasters & Tombola
Bognor Regis, 6th May 2006
WHAT DID WE DO WRONG?
By Jeanne Hambleton
After a month’s solid work by two of the committee with masses of publicity sent to radio stations, TV, local newspapers and on six websites spread from Brighton to Portsmouth and up to Horsham and Crawley, our hopes for a big fund raising failed to materialise.
We billed our complementary therapy and taster day with mind, body and soul influences, as a celebration for World Fibromyalgia Day. We were five days early but this was the nearest date we could get to May 12th.
We had a lovely venue in the Bognor Royal Masonic Hall with 30 exhibitors and therapists. Lots of members donated unwanted gifts to Jonathan Bowles’ monster tombola for his skydive expenses, leaflets were posted and delivered throughout Chichester and Bognor and then we waited.
Well I am sure the therapists enjoyed themselves – trying out each other’s skills. Bognor’s Town Mayor Councillor Mrs Jeanette Warr visited most of the therapists and she had a great time.
The local MP for Bognor and Littlehampton Nick Gibb came and talked to lots of people and then pledged his support to help our fibromyalgia cause – but where were all the people?
The visitors just did not come. We were delighted to see a few people but not the crowds we had hoped for.
Maybe we should have booked a streaker with our posters covering the vital statistics. As it was raining I don’t think that would have worked either.
WHAT DID YOU MISS?
Therapists included homeopathic advice, Emotional Freedom Technique, the Bowen Technique, Bio-Energetic health therapy, reflexology, spinal touch, Spectrum Reiki Master, Skenar pain management, body mass index testing, Herbalife, astrology, crystals and angel healing, cranio-sacral therapy, osteopath, stress management, counselling, colour therapy, Feng Shui and Chinese astrology, Shiatsu, Aloe Vera products and soocovers, spiritual healing, clairvoyant, yoga books, organic aromatherapy, Indian head massage, kinesiology, facial rejuvenation and acupuncture. There were also exhibitors to help you make a will, a Living will and provide details of the Power of Attorney, and a self-publishing company for family genealogy or the book you have always wanted to publish. More information with names and contact details are available here.
At the end of the day with less than £100 clear profit after all the expenses, I was wondering was it all worth it.
Visitors and therapists who did come made a point of saying how much they enjoyed themselves. It was a good day but just a bit lonely without the crowds.
OUR VIP
Our real celebrity of the day who put everyone else to shame was trustee Stella Bernardi, who just weeks ago in March, had a hip replacement. She accepted our invitation to come – we found her a chair and with her devoted husband she chatted to visitors and the four other trustees and four members who were helping with the event. She then told us that this was her first outing since her operation.
Stella you are a STAR. We really thank you for making the effort and travelling such a distance. Keep up the good work and get totally well soon. We have missed you and are now pleased to see you back making sure our website is up to date and keeping us in line.
Our thanks must also go to Jo Fisher, who took on the role of Agony Aunt for the day, talking to people who had symptoms they could not understand and bringing in new members. Tony Ede, our esteemed Editor and Treasurer and Norman Lawrence, our Vice Chairman, who also worked hard all day keeping things together at the event.
We must also recognise the efforts of Jon and Philippa Bowles who organised the monster Tombola, collected things from their friends, folded up raffle tickets and generally pitched in together with Denise McSpadden and her husband Rick, and new member Rosie Knights.
It was also encouraging to see member Helene Fretter and her husband Chris. They brought a box of goodies for the tombola, took their coats off and pitched in. Chris was delighted his tombola prize was a red bucket and spade – just what he wanted for the visit of 5 year old Jade, their grand daughter. He was lucky - some folk got toilet rolls, deodorant, toothpaste and soap and even baked beans – all worth more than the price of a ticket.
We missed Sue Perryman and her husband. Sue had a bad flare up and was just not well enough to be with us. She was with us in spirit and hope she is now feeling better.
We also need to thank three “normals” without whose help we would not even have made the mythical £100. Deepest thanks to Sarah McCrae, astrologer and yoga teacher to the fibromites, who paid for and distributed extra leaflets to publicise our World Fibromyalgia Day event and to Ron Stewart who also did a lot of leg work around the shops with leaflets.
The man of the match as they say was Graham Herrington, himself a Freemason full of goodwill, who was available all day from 8am. He put up tables and sorted out chairs, and was available to help all day. He was a real Man Saturday or a Great Go-fer - if you know what that means – go for this and go for that!
I do apologise for boring the readers with a long list of thanks - but without the help of these people there would have been no celebration in Bognor for World Fibromyalgia Day. We may not have made much money but we were given air time for a broadcast which brought in two callers. We were contacted by the Brighton Argus newspaper that said there would be a story and we had two stories in the Bognor Observer – so hopefully we did raise some awareness if nothing else.
If anyone saw anything in his or her newspaper about our event, we would love to see it please. Email me and I will send a SAE for the cutting or you can send it to Jo Fisher at the office address - 14 Singleton Road, Broadbridge Heath, Horsham RH12 3NP - with my name on the envelope. Thanks.
If you are interested you can see the photographs and information about them by clicking on the highlighted link.
ENDPIECE FROM STELLA
Thanks to Jeanne for the ENORMOUS amount of effort she put in to organising and supervising the event. Her thanks to me are embarrassing as I did nothing but attend for a short time! But it was good to be there. Jeanne, I don't think you did anything "wrong". I guess our members weren't feeling well enough to attend. We feel for them.
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