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Welcome to the Rainbow Centre
Specialists in conductive education helping children with Cerebral Palsy throughout the South of England.
News from the past twelve months
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| Andy's back! |
Rainbow supporter Andy Milner is home after competing in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Andy, sailing on "Team Finland" left Gosport back in September 2008 with nine other yachts bound for Hull where the round the world race started.
"Team Finland" had a very successful race, finishing in overall second place, despite a broken mast, and days lost rescuing the crew of a sinking rival.
Andy has so far raise £7,000 for the Rainbow Centre and hopes that this figure will rise to £10,000.
The Rainbow Centre is proud to be associated with this outstanding achievement, and very grateful to Andy for the money raised. Andy's's account of the race can be found at http://www.meridian360.me.uk/index2.html and makes exciting and interesting reading.
Full race results can be seen at http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/index.php/Home |
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Mangold Dangling 2010
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Yet again, members of the Rainbow Centre staff joined RN Officers from HMS Sultan to participate in the annual Mangold Dangling event. For the past few years, the event has been followed by a donation to the charity. |
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"Mangold Dangling is an old maritime combat game .... it involves swinging a five-stone sack called a mangold, at five opposition contestants each perched on a barrel standing on one leg" |
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Rainbow Centre LIVE Festival
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The Rainbow Centre's third LIVE festival took place on Saturday 17th July 2010 in Fareham's town centre.
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This year's sponsors were Santander and employees from the Whiteley Business Park location were out in force, joining volunteers and other Fareham businesses running stalls and collecting donations in buckets. Santander will match the £2000 raised on the day.
Three live bands played throughout the day and Heart Angels, bouncy castles, carousels, Police and fire-engines were on hand to make the day go with a swing. |
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Romsey Shop Closes
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Sadly, the Rainbow Centre's Romsey shop has had to close. For nearly a year we have been there under a "tenancy at will" lease. The Rainbow Centre paid no rent, and the landlords, (Clarke's Shoes) were not required to pay empty building taxes. This situation suits both lessor and lessee.
Now however, the full lease has been taken over by another charity and we were given notice to leave. The shop's final trading day was Saturday.17th July. |
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Romsey Young Farmers raise £400 for the Rainbow Centre - June 2010
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Helen Somerset How receives a cheque for £400 from the Romsey Young Farmers
Our thanks to them for their support and for choosing the Rainbow Centre. |
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Piano Concert raises nearly £20,000 - 6 June 2010
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Once again, Lyndsay & Allan Chamberlain opened the doors of their Sarisbury home to host a concert in aid of the Rainbow Centre.
The star of the show was savant Derek Paravacini, back for a second time by popular demand!
The evening sun shone down as guests, including the Mayor & Mayoress of Fareham and representatives from Coutts Bank, the evening's main sponsors, were welcomed by Pimms on the lawn.
As dusk fell, Derek began his concert with a selection of classical, jazz and popular pieces. |
Derek Paravacini |
Singer Becky Parvin, the Mayor's grand-daughter joined Derek for a set of songs in the first half.
After an interval of champagne & canapes in the marquee, the second half of the concert took on a less formal air, with members of the audience calling out requests. Derek immediately played each request from memory, although "To be a Farmers Boy" did manage to defeat him! |
Derek accompanying Becky Parvin |
After the concert, Allan Chamberlain and Councillor Brian Bayford thanked the performers, sponsors, helpers and guests, and announced that the concert had raised in the region of £20,000 for the Rainbow Centre. CEO Helen Somerset How accepted cheques from the Mayor and Allan and sponsors Coutts. She told the assembled audience a little about the work of the charity. Everyone agreed that it had been another memorable evening. Rainbow thanks everyone (too many to mention) who helped to plan and organise the event - especially Allan & Lyndsay Chamberlain. |
Helen Somerset How, Cllr Brian Bayford,
Allan Chamberlain
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Helen with executive Angelo Rana representing Coutts Bank |
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Sun shines on Rainbow Golf Day - 3 June 2010
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Great weather yet again made our 5th Annual Golf Day a brilliant success.16 teams took part at the South Winchester Golf Club on a day which started with bacon rolls and coffee! Various sub-competitions included "nearest the pin", "beat the pro", "longest drive" etc.
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At the presentation dinner in the evening, Hugh Dixon was the fine master, making the golfers dig deep for such indiscretions as showing their knees during play and loosing balls in the water hazards!
Rob Marchant (of Clive Emson Auctioneers) auctioned four lots, including a two-week holiday on Granada (donated by Hugh Dixon) and a weeks holiday in Tenerife (donated by Ray Khan). |
| The winning team from Khan Morris were the "Firestarters": Ray Khan, Andy Brown, Glyn Ball and Ben Jones. |
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The second team, who were unable to stay for the presentation were the "Sally Gunnels": Paul Wallis, Duncan Fisher, Keith Beauchamp and Colin Potter. |
| The third team (pictured with Beth, Julie & Helen) were TJ Transport: Matt Bowles, Gareth Nichols, Andy Hawkins and Andy Owen. |
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The golf competition raised over £8,500 for the Rainbow Centre. This will be "match-funded" by the ACT Foundation at Basepoint, Gosport Business Centre giving a grand total of over £15,000.
Our thanks to everyone who participated, and to the volunteers and Rainbow staff who organised and ran the event. |
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Post-Marathon Get-Together
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Three of the seven runners who raised money for the Rainbow Centre at this year's London Marathon met up again at the Centre on 25 May 2010.
Ben Somerset-How, Kathleen Madziya and Jon Pender all contributed to the total of £13,000 raised by our runners.
A big thanks to all of them.
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Ben, Kathleen, Jon |
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Mayor of Fareham Launches his 2010/11 Charity Appeal - 23 May 2010
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The Mayor and Mayoress of Fareham, Councillors Brian & Susan Bayford, chose the Rainbow Centre as the location to hold their Charity Launch and announce their supported charities for the mayoral year. |
Cllrs Brian & Susan Bayford
(& Grandaughter)!
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The Mayor announcing his charities |
At a buffet lunch reception, attended by over a hundred guests, Councillor Brian Bayford, Mayor of Fareham 2010/11, announced that the Rainbow Centre would be one of three charities he has chosen to support during his mayoral year.
Entertainment was provided by the Global Voices Band. |
Guests |
Global Voices |
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Rainbow 5-a-side World Cup hailed a success!
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The Rainbow Centre held its Hampshire FA-sanctioned, World Cup 5-a-Side Football Tournament on Sunday 23rd May at Fareham Town Football Club.
Two hundred people spent the day vying for the coveted Rainbow World Cup Trophy. Twenty eight teams were assigned names of countries competing in the real World Cup in a draw that took place two weeks ago and added to the competitive nature of the tournament.
Although the Rainbow Centre has organized 5-a-Side tournaments before, they have previously been indoor events. This was the first outdoor football event and was made possible by Fareham Town Football Club donating their pitches and their newly refurbished hospitality suite "V". Tommy Frampton and Express FM's Adrian Knight - both staunch supporters of The Rainbow Centre gave many hours of their time over the last few months to organize and MC the event.
Julie Woodward , Community and Events Fundraiser from the Rainbow Centre said, "We had a brilliant day, the weather was great and everyone had a fantastic time but we couldn't have done it without all the volunteer help and donations of facilities and equipment."
Chris Carrington from Eaton said, " The tournament went really well. It was a good all-round organised event. The level of football was a lot higher then we expected but we managed to get through to the semi finals. All in all was a good result."
Just under £3,000 was raised for the charity on the day and this will be match-funded by ACT Foundation through Basepoint - Gosport Business Centre. |
Winners (A Cup) - France
(Taylor Cocks Accountants) |
Winners (B Cup) - Holland
(Bullen's 8)
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The A Cup final was played between France and Slovakia - France represented by Taylor Cocks - Accountants and Slovakia represented by Boarhunt Garage. France narrowly beat Slovakia with a score of 3-2 the winning goal coming in the last few minutes of the game.
The B Cup final was played between Holland and Greece - Bullen's 8 and Footy Fanatics from RBSNatwest. Holland had a decisive win 9-2 over Greece.
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Professional photographers PostArt took hundeds of photos on the day. These will appear on their website and can be purchased by contacting them. http://www.postart.co.uk/ |
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Two Marathons not enough for Steve! |
Helen, Adela & Steve Jackson. |
Adela & Steve Jackson from AS Capabilities have been staunch supporters of the Rainbow Centre for five years now, ever since Steve responded to a plea for London Marathon runners. Steve subsequently ran two marathons for us.
At the time, Steve was working at HMS Collingwood but now owns his own consultancy and has pledged his support via his business indefinately. He proudly presented his first cheque for £1100 last week.
We are very grateful to Steve and Adela for their ongoing support. |
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Virgin London Marathon 2010
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Eight runners ran for the Rainbow Centre this year:
Everyone finished!
In alphabetical order with their times, they were:
- Richard Erdilek 4:35:35
- Paul Howe 5:26:26
- Matt Jones 5:50:11
- Kathleen Madziya 5:17:15
- Jon Pender 3:31:55
- Chris Shakespeare 3:34:20
- Aubrey Slade 4:01:10
- Ben Somerset How 4:12:59
Helen and Julie were at the finish to meet some of the runners, including Helen's son Ben |
Helen & Julie with Aubrey, Ben & Jon after the run |
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Running shirts were sponsored by Basepoint - Gosport Business Centre |
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..... and .....
We mustn't forget to mention Richard Erdileck of RealBuzz.com. Following a visit to the Rainbow Centre to promote other Marathon places (Reading, Berlin etc), he was so enamoured by what he saw that he chose to run for us dressed as a beer bottle! He reached his £1,000 target and Fullers the brewers have donated an additional £250.
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Our thanks to all our runners and thebusiness and individual sponsors for their support..
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Rainbow Centre Finalist in Children's Links Awards
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We are proud to announce that we were finalists in the 2010 Children's Links Awards in the Team Category. These awards celebrate excellence in delivering services to Early Years children and are supported by Hampshire County Council.
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Portsmouth & Southsea Round Table donate £1000
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Following a talk given by Helen Somerset How last Summer, Portsmouth & Southsea Round Table adopted the Rainbow Centre as its Charity for the year. At a Comedy Night held at the Mountbatten Centre on Saturday 24th April, Rainbow Patron Stuart Boreham was presented with a cheque for £1000. Stuart gave a vote of thanks on our behalf and told us how much he enjoyed the comedy.
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AGM & "Once upon a time ..."
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The Rainbow Centre AGM was held on Saturday 24th April 2008. This was followed by a "Once Upon a Time ..." fairy-tale-themed fete in the field outside.
Attractions included roundabouts, games, food and produce stalls and even a police car. Probably the biggest attraction was the sun which shone non-stop!
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Centre picture, L-R Patrons Lyndsay & Allan Chamberlain,with Chairman of Trustees Mrs Susan Bayford, Deputy Mayoress of Fareham
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| Rainbow Tops the UK (well for a few minutes) |
A group of climbers wearing Rainbow tee shirts pose on top of Ben Nevis after a re-union with a difference.
Ex West Hill Park pupil Tom Jeffrey said: "We drove for 21 hours over the weekend. The walk itself took 8.5 hour. It was Rob Martin's idea who now lives in the Borders. We wanted something to do which was an excuse for us all to meet up again".
Sponsorship money raised will be donated to the Rainbow Centre.
Our thanks to the lads. |
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Pictured from left: Hugh Williams, Radalf Hart-George, Ashley Bennett-Freeman, Rob Martin, Tom Jeffrey, James Broad
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Rainbow Centre is finalist in Children's Links Early Years Awards
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Tuesday 30th March saw members of the Rainbow Centre receive a runners-up award for the team category at the Children's Links Early Years awards held at the Holiday Inn in Winchester.
The awards were established to recognise the commitment of childcare providers based in Hampshire and to encourage them to continue their hard work. Group Children's Services Director Elaine Clowes commented "people working with children are often not recognised or thanked for their hard work, achievements, dedication and commitment to delivering services that make a difference to the lives of children, young people and their families. We are looking to change that and are therefore pleased to launch the Children's Links Early Years Awards, which will be an annual event to celebrate the sectors achievements in the region".
The team was delighted to receive this commendation ahead of hundreds of other nominees from across the region
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Three in a row!
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For the third time in a row, Ofsted has assessed the Rainbow Centre as "Outstanding" . This follows an unannounced inspection visit in January. Although the entire organisation is assessed, particular praise should go to Magdi's Service team for year on year achievement of this highest level of childcare assessment. |
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You meet the nicest people (13/3/10) ...
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Spending the weekend in London, Helen ran into a group of "Norwich hens" in the hotel, celebrating " Marie's" forthcoming wedding in two weeks. The girls chatted to Helen and when they heard about the work of the Rainbow Centre, "Tina" immediately organised a collection.
Our thanks to them for this act of spontaneous generosity and our best wishes to Marie. |
The Norwich Hens |
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Burns NIght Celebrated
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On Saturday January 31st about 50 friends of Rainbow celebrated Burn's Night in Wallington Village Hall. The traditional meal including haggis was prepared by Paul & Mark Mortimer of "Amuse Bouche". The haggis was piped into the dining room by David Smith. Before the meal, Charles Gilchrist delivered the formal "address to the haggis",.
At the end of the meal, Peter Brent (whose wife Fiona is Robbie Burns great-great-great-great granddaughter) proposed the toast to the "Lassies". Sandra Donaldson responded.
The evening concluded with some traditional Scottish Dancing led by Elizabeth Dean .Confusion reigned, but by the time Auld Lang Syne was sung, guests departed tired but happy!
Our thanks to all those mentioned above for their contributions, but special thanks to Julie Woodward and Ros Ducker of the Rainbow Centre for all the organisation and hard work they put into making the evening such a success.
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Rainbow Children delight with their annual Christmas Concert - 15 December 2009
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Yet again, the tissues were out as the Rainbow Centre Children performed "The Elves and the Shoemaker" before a full house of parents and supporters.
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Each year the audience is enthralled, not only by the wonderful array of colourful costumes and scenery, but is held spell-bound by the enchanting performances of the children. 2009 was no exception. |
| As usual, at the conclusion of their performance, the children were rewarded by presents from a special visitor. |
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Following the concert, the Rainbow Centre recognised its supporters by inviting them to a lunch at "V", the club and hospitality suite at Fareham Town Football Club. The Ralls Group runs "V" and Fareham Town Football Club. Will Ralls has offered the use of this superb, newly refurbished facility at no cost to the charity.
This special thank you is more than a seasonal get-together. It's a chance for the Rainbow Centre to formally recognise the dedication of its many supporters, Corporate and otherwise. These supporters generously give their time, energy, patience, love and money, to provide warmth and hope for the future to the many children, adults and families that pass through the doors of The Rainbow Centre.
The lunch was sponsored by TJ Transport and NATS (National Air Traffic Control Centre). TJ Transport is The Rainbow Centre's latest Corporate supporter and provides total waste solutions.
Following lunch, two cheque presentations were made to The Rainbow Centre. One from the Portsmouth Property Association and one from The Millbank Group in Southampton. Both organisations have run events throughout the year and for the PPA, this is the second year of The Rainbow Centre being their chosen charity.
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Ocean Brass Concert - 12 December 2009
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Ocean Brass demonstrated their standing as one of the leading local brass bands in a varied concert which included a Christmas Theme. Proceeds went to the Rainbow Centre, although the concert also paid tribute to Tony Hickson, who died in 2009 and was one of the band's founding members.
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Visit to the home of Sir Patrick Moore - 19 November 2009
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| This was a rare opportunity for Circle Members to meet Sir Patrick Moore at his house in Selsey, West Sussex. Members spent 45 minutes informally chatting to Patrick before taking advantage of the good viewing conditions to go stargazing in his garden observatory. |
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This was the same telescope through which Sir Patrick mapped the moon for NASA back in the 60's in preparation for the first Apollo Landing. It was also used during his days as a consultant for the USSR's space programme.
Tonight the visitors were given an excellent view of Neptune and its four moons, before the telescope was rotated for a look at the Seven Sisters (Pleiades) Star Cluster.
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Patrick's "Sky At Night" programme, first broadcast in 1957 is still transmitted, making it the longest running programme with the same host in television history. Patrick has only missed one episode in 50+ years when he suffered food poisoning in 2004!
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To find out more about the Rainbow Circle ...
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The group with Sir Patrick Moore |
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The evening was rounded off with a congenial meal at a restaurant on the way home. |
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Test Way Walk raises over £10,000 |
After 26 miles ...! |
On Sunday 11th October, the Rotary Club of Romsey Test held its annual Test Way Walk. Walkers were able to choose from a variety of starting points, allowing walks from 2 miles to a full 26 mile marathon to be undertaken for chosen charities.The usual superb organisation provided marshals all along the route, first aid facilities, buses to the drop off points, and emergency rescue for those who needed a bit of help getting back! This year the event has grown to over 600 walkers, with the Rainbow contingent (the largest single group) number over 70! Current sponsorship estimates indicate that our walkers will generate between £10,000 and £15,000. Our thanks go to the Rotary Club of Romsey Test and all our walkers. A special thanks must go to Rainbow supporter Richard Gigg who cajoled over 50 business associates to swell the Rainbow ranks!
Photos .....
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Hayling Billy 5 Run
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The Rainbow Centre is lucky enough to be Portsmouth & Southsea Round Table's chosen charity this year and their annual fundraiser took place in June. It's not clear yet how much money was raised from this event but the Club also has a Race Night planned for 24th October at Seacourt on Hayling Island , the proceeds from which will also be donated to the Centre. If you want tickets get in touch!
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Rainbow Centre Annual Open Day & EGM
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Following a short EGM at which legal updates to the Memorandum & Articles were agreed, the second annual Rainbow Centre Open Day took place. |
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Many Rainbow families and friends attended on a warm and sunny September day. Stalls included, face painting, crockery smashing, duck racing and making pots. Guest of Honour was the Mayor of Fareham, Councillor Ruth Godrich. The children enjoyed the bouncy castles, exploring the fire engine and police van that arrived, seeing how bees made honey and participating in the obstacle races! Families enjoyed watching the fathers' race, even though only two were brave enough to participate.
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Alfie & Chloe
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One unexpected, but popular guest was Alfie the Aylesbury Duck, belonging to Chloe a Rotarian friend. Adults and children enjoyed petting him and watching him follow Chloe around like a dog! There was little danger of him taking wing, as Chloe said - "He's too heavy to fly"!
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Centre of attention |
A budding potter |
The obstacle race |
Bouncy castle |
The Mayor of Fareham |
Crockery smashing
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Face painting |
During the afternoon, a cheque for £2,200 was presented by Basepoint Business Centres, part of Airways Charitable Trust. This was the proceeds of a skydive by one of their employees, matched by ACT.
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All at Sea with Segensworth Automobiles - September 2, 2009
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During a recent charity auction, Rhianon Lewis, Managing Director of Segenswoth Automobiles bid for a day's sailing for twelve with "Ocean Experience". She then sold places to local businesses and private individuals and gave the profits to the Rainbow Centre. The twelve assembled at Southampton's Ocean Village and proceeded out into the Solent onboard Ocean Experience's 67 foot ocean-going yacht. The stiff breeze made for exciting sailing and the skipper and mate ensured the full participation of all on board. Heaving, winching and helming worked up an appetite for lunch, taken in the relative calm of Osborne Bay. The day was enjoyed by everyone and the Rainbow Centre thanks Rhianon for her continued support.
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Rhianon, Steve & Sean |
Not quite a millpond! |
Woman driver! |
Everyone worked! |
We thank the following companies for their support in buying places: Quayside Associates, Segensworth Automobiles, S A Mason - Electrical Contractors, Proposal Genie, Butlers2go, Creative Clique, Landmark Construction and Ocean Experience for a brilliant day! |
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Andy Milner and the Clipper Round-the-World fleet depart Gosport for the Humber
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On Monday September 1st, Rainbow supporter Andy Milner (fourth from left) set sail from the Royal Clarence Marina, Gosport, with the Round-the World clipper fleet bound for the Humber and the start of the race in mid September. For more details click here ....
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Mayor of Eastleigh adopts the Rainbow Centre
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Councillor Pamela Holden-Brown
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We are delighted to announce that the Mayor of Eastleigh, Councillor Pamela Holden-Brown is supporting the Rainbow Centre through her Mayoral Year 2009/10. The Mayor visited the Rainbow Centre earlier this year with Round-the-World clipper yachtsman Andy Milner and was so impressed with the work being done that she has made the centre one of her designated charities. We thank her for choosing us from a field of other very worthy causes. |
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New Rainbow Shop opens in Romsey
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On Friday August 7th 2009, the doors opened at the latest Rainbow Shop at 25 The Hundred, Romsey.
New manager Beth Rogers and volunteer Ann Clarkson joined Susan Bayford, Chairman of Trustees and Helen Somerset How in welcoming the first customer Sara Barnes who was presented with a celebratory bottle of wine. |
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The Romsey Shop |
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New manager Beth Rogers (left) presents first customer Sara Barnes of Romsey, with a bottle of complimentary wine
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Manager Beth Rogers
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Volunteer Ann Clarkson |
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Rainbow Live Festival - Fareham Town Centre 11 July 2009
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On Saturday 11th July, the Centre of Fareham became the venue for the second Rainbow Live Festival. Whilst damp weather reduced the hoped-for numbers, it didn't dampen the spirits of the dozens of volunteers who turned out to man stalls, sell raffle tickets and generally help organise the day. Shoppers were entertained by live events, live bands, free demonstrations and a "Spicy Chicken eating contest" organised by Nandos of Fareham. |
Click for YouTube video
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Helen Somerset How awarded MBE
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| In the Queen's Birthday Honours list, published on June 13th 2009, Rainbow co-founder Helen Somerset How was awarded an MBE for her services to the charity |
When Helen and her husband discovered son Tom, then aged seven months, had cerebral palsy, they travelled to Hungary with another set of parents, to the Peto Institute in Budapest where conductive education was pioneered. From this start, Helen brought conductors back to the UK and the Rainbow Centre had its beginnings!
When she heard the news, Helen said: "This is truly an amazing honour but we are a team and so many other people have helped along the way. Seeing a disabled child take its first steps is wonderful and reward enough". |
Helen Somerset How |
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Apollo Fire Detectors play Fratton Park charity football match for the Rainbow Centre
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Helen Somerset How and the Apollo players |
Apollo Fire Detectors, a Havant-based supporter of the Rainbow Centre arranged a charity football match against a team of Pompey Legends. Despite having a bench of 30 players to call on, the visiting team soon fell behind to the marginally more skilled Portsmouth ex-professionals!
Rolling substitutions frequently enabled the visitors to have up to 13 players on the field, but this failed to stem the tide and a half-time score of 11-0 was probably representative of the difference in class!
Nevertheless, good humour prevailed and the Apollo team will remember for a long time their opportunity to play on premiership turf!
Three charities were supported on the day and an auction of sporting memorabilia helped raise funds.
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Shirt pulling - who me ref? |
Are we worried?
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Did you know?
A recent survey reveals that 26% of adults are "very" or "fairly" likely to leave a gift to charity in their wills.
Public awareness has been raised by the recent "Everyone can leave the world a better place", press and TV campaign run by "Remember a Charity" www.rememberacharity.org.uk/ . See our legacy page if you would like to become one of the 26%.
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Sponsors .
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Andy's back
Mangold Dangling
Another Paravacini Concert
Rainbow Live
Romsey Shop closes
Mayor of Fareham launches his charity appeal
Rainbow World Cup hailed a great success
Rainbow Centre benefits from Ben Nevis climb
Latest Ofsted report
Outstanding...!
Annual Report 2008/9 download here ...
Queen presents Helen's MBE
Our children. Stars of the week...
Join the Rainbow Circle and smile every day. More ...
Bequests & Legacies More information ...
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