A fund-raising weekend on February 9/10 at Sainsbury's Eltham earned £730 for the Freddie Farmer Foundation.

The store that has adopted the foundation as its supported charity for a second year raised the funds through a raffle, bucket collections and homemade cupcake, candy floss and cake sales, including a large walnut cake donated by Eltham's Coffee Town café.

Party planners My Own Couture Party provided the Buzz and Hello Kitty mascots free of charge and Pink & Fluffy Candy Floss donated 50 percent of all candy floss sales to the foundation.

“We are a very busy store but our customers really take to our Freddie days,” said bakery manager Chris Trott.

“Freddie was there both days and people just love him.

“We're planning a few more fund-raising events these next few months including a medium night for staff on February 28, an Easter Egg Hunt at Middle Park Community Centre on March 31, and a big finale event in June to mark the end of our charity partnership.”

The charity partnership started on June 21, 2011 after shoppers were invited to vote for their favourite local cause.
 
“It's been great to be a part of it, and to see the foundation grow,” said Chris.

Europa Worldwide Logistics has presented the Freddie Farmer Foundation with a cheque for £1,000.

Chief Executive Russell Keep presented young Freddie Farmer, aged 8, with the cheque on 25th January at Europa’s headquarters on Hailey Road in Erith, south-east London.

"We’re very proud to be a part of assisting the foundation towards achieving its overall goal and it was wonderful to meet Freddie in person to present the cheque to him,” said Russell.

This most recent donation brings the foundation’s fund-raising tally to £150,000, in its campaign to raise £250,000 to set up and run a specialised physiotherapy centre in south-east London for children and young people with cerebral palsy and serious mobility problems.

Freddie gave a touching speech afterwards thanking everyone there for helping the foundation.

“We’re very proud of our Freddie”, said mum, Deanne. “We didn't tell him what to say he just took it upon himself to thank everyone on behalf of the foundation.”

The Freddie Farmer Foundation was set up in February 2011 to establish a specialised physiotherapy centre in south-east London for children and young people with cerebral palsy and severe mobility problems. The inspiration behind it all is eight-year-old Freddie Farmer who was born at 28 weeks with cerebral palsy, weighing just 2lb 12oz.

The Priory Players have raised £447.41 for the Freddie Farmer Foundation during their production of Dick Whittington and The Cat at the Progress Hall on Admiral Seymour Road, Eltham (23-26 Jan).

Terry Wheeler, who played the Night Watchman and helps do the publicity for the amateur dramatic company, said: “This year’s panto was a great success. It’s the second year we’ve supported Freddie Farmer’s charity, and we’re delighted to support the campaign to raise £250,000 to set up a specialised physiotherapy centre in south-east London for children and young people with cerebral palsy and serious mobility problems.

“The campaign for a specialist physio centre for children like Freddie seems such a good cause.

“Funds were raised through a raffle, and the winning tickets were drawn by the Mayor of Greenwich, Councillor David Grant.

“We had some great prizes donated by local businesses,” said Terry, who organised the prizes and coordinated the raffle on the night. “Our top prize was a luxury hamper but there were lots more great prizes, including manicure and pedicure treatments from Terri's Nail & Beauty Place on Well Hall Road and a meal for two at Gurkha's Inn in Greenwich.”

The Mayor of Greenwich, who stayed until all the prize winners were drawn, donated £20 to the foundation.

THE Priory Players will be raising money for the Freddie Farmer Foundation during their production of Dick Whittington and The Cat in Eltham, south-east London from Wednesday, January 23.

The amateur theatre company will be raising money for the foundation for the second year running at their annual panto at the Progress Hall on Admiral Seymour Road, Eltham (Jan 23-26).

The production follows the fortunes of Dick Whittington and Benjamin his faithful cat as they take on the evil Baron Blunderspell and his two half-wit henchmen, Nickitt & Runn. Can Dick save the day, defeat the evil Baron and win the heart and hand of the beautiful Alice?

Terry Wheeler, who plays the Night Watchman and helps do the publicity for the amateur dramatic company, said: “Freddie’s charity is such a well-deserving cause. When the centre is built locally lots of local children and young people will benefit. The campaign for a specialist physio centre for children like Freddie seems such a good cause.”

“We’ll run a raffle and also a lucky dip for the children to raise funds.”

The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Councillor David Grant, will attend Saturday’s performance on 26 January at 7.45pm to draw the raffle.

• DICK Whittington and The Cat will be performed at the Progress Hall, Admiral Seymour Road, Eltham, on Wednesday, January 23 (6.30pm); January 24 - January 25 (7.45pm) & January 26 (2.30pm and 7.45pm). Tickets £7 (£6 cons) available at the box office on: 07502 450 983. www.theprioryplayers.com
  

MICKEY and Minnie Mouse joined the League One trophy won by Charlton Athletic as star turns at the Freddie Farmer Weekend at Sainsbury’s Eltham on December 15/16.

The store that has adopted the Freddie Farmer Foundation as its supported charity for a second year also had signed balls and shirts from both Charlton and Millwall to raffle over the two days.

The weekend was organised by the store’s bakery manager Chris Trott, himself a big Addicks fan, who said: It’s been another great event that our customers have got behind. It touches people’s hearts when they meet Freddie, and I’m particularly pleased with the support from my colleagues, who have all chipped in to help.

“MyOwn CoutureParty supplied the Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and Buzz Light Year costumes and helped with the face painting and glitter tattoos.

“We sold loads of bread pudding, which we called Fred Bread, made on the premises by one of our bakers, Michael Allen. My children, Jake and Phoebe, were pictured with the trophy but the most excited person was me!

“I’m doing the PR for Sainsbury’s here and I’m really enjoying it, doing something for the community, that’s the key. My passion is Greenwich borough. I went to Crown Woods and both my children go there.”

The event has raised £1,397 for the Freddie Farmer Foundation, including one lady called Lisa who donated the Sainsbury’s luxury “Taste the Difference” Christmas hamper back to the foundation.

Freddie’s dad, Dean Farmer, said: “It was great on Saturday. One surprise was that raffle tickets for the Millwall ball and shirt outsold the Charlton ones, but people from Bermondsey, including our family, have moved this way over the years.”

IT’S the charity that’s captured the hearts and minds of the Eltham community.

Launched in March, 2011, the Freddie Farmer Foundation is already half way towards its target of raising £250,000 to open a specialist physiotherapy centre in SE London or north west Kent.

Supporters have climbed mountains, walked and run marathons, cycled to Paris, jumped out of aeroplanes and had a ball at all kinds of social events for the charity.

The foundation has been chosen as the adopted charity by both Sainsbury’s Eltham – for two years – and the Mercury newspaper.

And without a doubt the inspiration has been the young man himself, eight-year-old Freddie Farmer, of Eltham, whose smile and infectious personality has lit up every event he attends.

Freddie, who goes to Montbelle primary school, was born at 28 weeks with cerebral palsy, weighing just 2lb 12oz. That first fighting spirit has developed into a bright, popular and seemingly tireless lad.

At present Freddie goes to a specialist centre near Oxford three times a year for three weeks. That’s getting up at 5am to get there in time. The treatment includes the “Spider”, elasticated ropes that allow the children to get vital support as they do their exercises.

A local centre for Freddie and children like him with severe mobility problems is the goal of the charity. Freddie’s mum, Deanne Farmer, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received. People have been wonderful, including shoppers at Sainsbury’s Eltham who have really come up trumps.

“It can be exhausting at times and Freddie does get tired, but we are all inspired by the kindness and generosity people have shown. We’ve made great progress and are confident that we can reach our goal.”

Freddie’s granddad, Danny Catchesides, is one of the driving forces behind the campaign and it’s his quote that underpins the foundation as it goes into 2013: “We just want to get Freddie and children like him up on their feet.”

The Amsterdam Marathon passed through the city centre including the Olympic Stadium, built in 1928, the Maritime Museum, nature reserves on each side of the river Amstel, the historic canals, Rijksmuseum and the Vondelpark.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MattFowler

Sainsbury’s Eltham are holding a Freddie Farmer Foundation charity fundraising weekend on 15th and 16th December enabling visitors to see and be photographed with the Npower League 1 trophy won by champions Charlton Athletic last season.

The trophy will be at the store on Philipot Path between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday, 15th December as part of Sainsbury’s charity weekend for the Freddie Farmer Foundation.

Charlton Athletic and Millwall FC shirts and balls and a luxury “Taste the Difference” Christmas hamper will also be raffled over the weekend devoted to the store’s adopted charity.

There will be lucky dip prizes for children, and Christmas-themed fun including glitter tattoos, face painting and helpers dressed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Marissa Arnold, the store’s human resources manager, said: “We’re really grateful to Charlton and Millwall FC for supporting the weekend. Adopting the Freddie Farmer Foundation as our annual charity for the second time has been a fantastic success. Our customers have really taken it to their hearts as it’s a local charity involving local residents.”

Freddie’s mum, Deanne Farmer, said: “The success with Sainsbury’s has been unbelievable and the whole family is so grateful for their support. I also know many of them will want to be photographed with the trophy!”

A FANTASTIC night of 70/80s disco raised more than £3,000 for the Freddie Farmer Foundation.

The event at the Meridian Sports Club in Charlton on October 13 was organized by Vicky Smith and her two sisters, Georgina Hepden and Katie Chapman, daughters of Freddie Farmer Foundation stalwart Mike Ash.

“We sold 250 tickets with prizes for the best retro outfit, plus the raffle. We couldn’t be more grateful to Meridian for staging the event for free and we’re hoping to do the same next year.”

The sisters took advantage of the Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet (HSDY) website, set up for people outside the 18-30 age range set by many clubs.

“We’d been to one of their events and thought it would be a great way to raise money for the charity,” said Vicky. “It worked fantastically well and is a great money-raiser that people really enjoy.” 

A fund-raising weekend at Sainsbury’s Eltham earned £997 for the Freddie Farmer Foundation and inspired the idea for a series of themed weekends for the months ahead.

Bakery manager Chris Trott, who has taken over the store’s charitable efforts, said: “It was such a great weekend that we’ll be looking at peak times of the year to do it again – Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day, for example.

“We want to carry on right until the end of our two-year support for the charity because it has really captured the interest of the local community.

“The MP, Clive Efford, came in on Sunday and knows all about the charity, and one raffle winner didn’t want the prize but asked for it to go back into the raffle.”

The store donated left-over Olympic stock for the charity to sell on the day, T-shirts and stuff like that. “We also donated a television and a digital camera,” said Chris. “In the buckets alone we got about £600, which is amazing at times like this. We also gave the charity £1,600 that we’d collected from tins in the store. Freddie was there both days and people just love him.

“We are a very busy store but our customers really take to our Freddie days.”

One customer, who just gave his name as Paul, was even moved to make a monthly donation to the charity. He said: “Today I was feeling very sorry for myself with life and family issues, then I saw Freddie in Sainsbury’s in Eltham. I put all my change in his bucket and it made me realise how grateful I should be and my worries were nothing but the things life threw at you.

“Sometimes life places seeing people like Freddie to put your own life into perspective. Thank you, Freddie.”