The AAIR Charity

Your Events

	Pull! Childhood sports day games helped raise money for AAIR when staff at the research department held their annual BBQ... (more)
	Scaling New Heights Thank you to the Royal Solent Yacht Club for making me feel so welcome at their prize giving dinner... (more)
	AAIR Ambassador Joan Whitcher Long standing supporter and asthma sufferer Joan Whitcher raised almost £2,000 (£1,982.71 to be exact) during 2009... (more)
	Scaling New Heights Anthony Pink (plus friends, Toby White, Mark Leggett, Rob Leggett and Stuart Baker) successfully scaled one of the UK’s ultimate challenges to raise £280 for AAIR... (more)
	Daniel Jolly Thank you to everyone who has helped raise over £2,000 in memory of Daniel Jolly, 17, who sadly died of an asthma attack last year... (more)
	Just don’t look down! “When my staff jokingly dared me to take on the abseiling challenge offered as part of learning at work week I was (eventually) pleased to be able to put my bravado to a good cause. With a prompt retort "I will if you sponsor me", I found my abseil being advertised across the council... (more)
	Thank You's
	Tower Party Isle of Wight John Caucutt kindly threw open his doors at Tower House on The Isle of Wight in support of AAIR... (more)
	For The Chop Thank you to Jennifer Marvin who had 20 inches cut off her hair to raise £600 for AAIR and The Little Princess Charity which provides wigs for children suffering hair loss... (more)
	Mayor of Test Valley AAIR is set to benefit from 100’s of fundraising events throughout the Test Valley thanks to a nomination from the new mayor of the borough Cllr Ian Hibberd... (more)
	Biggest challenge yet Asthma sufferer Anthony Pink will be taking on his biggest fundraising challenge for AAIR yet – completing The Three Peaks climb... (more)
	Hamptworth Golf and Country Club Thanks to new club captain, Andy Lake, AAIR is the adopted charity of Hamptworth Golf and Country Club for the 2009/10 season... (more)
	A Wheely Good Donation AAIR is donating a Ł500 wheelchair to be used by the clinical trials patients whose asthma makes the long walk from car park to clinic difficult... (more)
	Fundraising ‘Drive’ Comes to an End Thank you to Paultons Golf Centre, Romsey, for raising a total Ł4195 for AAIR... (more)
	Fancy a dip? While most of us were still sleeping off our Christmas dinner Linda Milburn was braving the icy cold North Sea for a Boxing Day Dip to raise money for AAIR... (more)
	Fundraising Drive Months of fund raising at Paultons Golf Centre have enabled AAIR to purchase more vital equipment... (more)
	'Up' for a challenge? At just 10 years old, adventurous Hannah Hewitt has set a parascending challenge to raise funds for AAIR... (more)
	Donation From New Forest Golf Club New Forest Golf Club has raised a whopping Ł2,200 for AAIR thanks to 2007 club captain Paul Tatler... (more)
	Sticky Fundraiser Residents at Cedars Nursing Home are staging regular fund-raising events after choosing AAIR as its charity for 2008... (more)
	Four cyclists from Dorest Rough Riders Four cyclists from Dorset Rough Riders have raised Ł810 for AAIR after cycling 540 miles through France... (more)
	‘Bowled’ Over Atherley Bowling Club closed their indoor season with a sociable charity game which raised Ł200 for AAIR... (more)
	The Grizzly Run - it’s as tough as it sounds! Local asthma sufferer Antony Pink has completed one of the toughest running challenges in Europe to raise money for AAIR... (more)

PULL!
Childhood sports day games helped raise money for AAIR when staff at the research department held their annual BBQ.
Egg & spoon races, tug-of-war, the 3-legged race and raffle together benefitted AAIR.

Royal Solent Yacht Club
Thank you to the Royal Solent Yacht Club for making me feel so welcome at their prize giving dinner. It was wonderful to receive a huge cheque for £14,000. This really is an amazing contribution to the charity's research programme. Particular thanks to John Caulcutt and his family for nominating AAIR.

AAIR Ambassador Joan Whitcher
Long standing supporter and asthma sufferer Joan Whitcher raised almost £2,000 (£1,982.71 to be exact) during 2009, and £1,000s more since she started supporting the charity many years ago. She tells me that she's determined to make it at least £2,000 in 2010. In recognition of her wishes, part of this money will be used to provide additional asthma training for Respiratory Research Nurse Emma Ray, this will in turn help Emma's work on a study involving 300 severe asthmatics which was established by AAIR's Dr. Peter Howarth.
We would also like to take this opportunity to wish Joan a very happy 60th Birthday on March 12th! (Sorry Joan, couldn't resist).

Scaling New Heights
Anthony Pink (plus friends, Toby White, Mark Leggett, Rob Leggett and Stuart Baker) successfully scaled one of the UK’s ultimate challenges to raise £280 for AAIR. The Three Peaks Challenge involved reaching the summits of the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales in just 24 hours. Anthony is a great supporter and has done several fund raising challengers for AAIR.

Daniel Jolly
Thank you to everyone who has helped raise over £2,000 in memory of Daniel Jolly, 17, who sadly died of an asthma attack last year.
Daniel was a popular A level student at Barton Peveril College, Eastleigh, as well as a member of Fareham and Gosport District Football Club and the Tigers motorcycle display team.
The huge sum of money was raised thanks to Tigers motorcyclists, college friends, pupils from Daniel’s junior school, St Anthony’s Catholic primary School in Fareham, together with memorial donations.
Daniel’s parents Jim and Brenda said: “We would like to thank St Anthony’s, Barton Peveril, The Tigers and everyone else for their generous donations and it showed that Daniel was much loved by everybody.”

Just don’t look down!
“When my staff jokingly dared me to take on the abseiling challenge offered as part of learning at work week I was (eventually) pleased to be able to put my bravado to a good cause. With a prompt retort "I will if you sponsor me", I found my abseil being advertised across the council. Now, I am terrified of heights but as the pledges arrived I knew there was no turning back. My daughter then had the inspiration of AAIR as the beneficiary.
On the day I was terrified. As I started the climb up the ladder I wanted to turn back but it wasn't an option. Looking out across Portsmouth was wonderful and then I looked down, the trembling began. The instructors were patient and supportive and then I was off. Bizarrely once over the edge all fear went and I cheerfully bounced and slid my way down although admittedly I finished with a massive sigh of relief.
I had never done anything like this before and certainly never ventured into sponsorship. The fear was worth it, the exhilaration far outweighed the achievement and a good cause benefitted into the bargain. They saying feel the fear and do it anyway was really apt in my case - but I am still scared of heights”
Jan Paterson, 54, raised £374.77 for AAIR. Thank you.

FOR THE CHOP
Thank you to Jennifer Marvin who had 20 inches cut off her hair to raise £600 for AAIR and The Little Princess Charity which provides wigs for children suffering hair loss.
Jennifer said: “It was a very liberating, if mildly traumatic, experience but am very glad that I did it. Not only was I able to give far more hair than I had hoped to Little Princesses, but as you can see, I raised far more than I thought possible for a very worth cause.”

Tower Party Isle of Wight
John Caucutt kindly threw open his doors at Tower House on The Isle of Wight in support of AAIR . Daughter Sophie was there to lend a hand during this annual fundraising evening of live music. John also took to the stage playing guitar while guests danced and tucked into a hog roast.
John explained: “We chose an asthma charity to support this year because many of my family have been, or are, asthma sufferers. Sophie is affected as is her aunt (my sister) and we wanted to make the occasion in memory of Sophie’s grandmother, my mother, who suffered from asthma all of her life and who passed away this year."
The event raised an amazing £13,500 – one of the highest amount we have received from a fundraising event. Thank you to all those involved.

Photograph courtesy: The Daily Echo.

MAYOR OF TEST VALLEY UPDATE
"We have been so busy since May with around 300 engagements to date carried out. Our duties have covered practically everything from visiting hospitals, schools and retirement homes to opening shops and businesses as well as presenting awards. The whole thing has been extremely rewarding and it has been a particular privilege and a pleasure to meet so many unsung volunteers who often work 'below the radar' doing so much work for others. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported our events and fundraising so far and would welcome any new faces at the rest of our events."

Hamptworth Golf and Country Club
Thanks to new club captain, Andy Lake, AAIR is the adopted charity of Hamptworth Golf and Country Club for the 2009/10 season.
Andy nominated AAIR because his 3-year-old daughter Holly is an asthma sufferer and says other members have been very supportive of his choice of charity.
The club, beautifully situated on the edge of The New Forest and enjoying some of England’s most magnificent and ancient countryside, is also open to non members. To find out more about the club log on to www.hamptworthgolf.co.uk

Biggest challenge yet
Asthma sufferer Anthony Pink will be taking on his biggest fundraising challenge for AAIR yet – completing The Three Peaks climb.
Anthony, 34, and three friends aim to climb Snowdon, Scafell, and Ben Nevis July 3rd in just 24 hours. You can sponsor Anthony at his Justgiving web page.

A Wheely Good Donation
AAIR is donating a Ł500 wheelchair to be used by the clinical trials patients whose asthma makes the long walk from car park to clinic difficult. Grateful thanks for the funding goes to supporters of The AAAIRE Bear Campaign who took part in a 24-hour bounce to raise the money.

Fundraising ‘Drive’ Comes to an End
Thank you to Paultons Golf Centre, Romsey, for raising a total Ł4195 for AAIR. The Romsey club raises money for a different charity each year but chose AAIR during 2008 thanks to a nomination by club member Clive Downton.

Keryn Chalmers, sales manager at the 27-hole golf centre, said: “Our aim was to reach Ł4,000 so we’re delighted and would like to say thank you to all the visitors and members who supported our fundraising events, particularly the Ladies and Senior sections.”

The funds have been used to purchase a Computerised Spirometer – a machine which enables asthma patients to receive better and more accurate diagnosis and treatment.

FANCY A DIP?
While most of us were still sleeping off our Christmas dinner Linda Milburn was braving the icy cold North Sea for a Boxing Day Dip to raise money for AAIR.
Linda joined 800 other people taking part in Lions Club fancy dress Boxing Day Dip
in Seaburn, Sunderland. Linda said: “The day itself was quite mild for the time of year but the sea, however, was freezing and took away my breath. Although a wave nearly knocked me over as I first dipped into the sea the whole ordeal was a fantastic experience that I will never forget. It was well worth doing I would definitely take part again.”
Linda’s raised Ł266 For AAIR

Photograph Ken Routledge

Fundraising Drive
Months of fund raising at Paultons Golf Centre have enabled AAIR to purchase more vital equipment.
Generous golfers and visitors to the Romsey club have raised a remarkable Ł3,888 via a host of golf events and raffles which teed-off in January, thanks to club player Clive Downton who nominated AAIR as Paulton's charity of the year.
The money has now been used by AAIR to purchase a computerised spirometer - a machine which enables asthma patients to receive better and more accurate diagnosis and treatment as well as helping the team secure funding for crucial medical trials.
Paultons club sales manager Keryn Chalmers and long serving club members Doreen and Alan Swan visited the state-of-the-art laboratories at Southampton General Hospital to see the machine in action. Alan said "It's marvellous to know that all the hard work and generosity of people has been so worthwhile. And it's fabulous to see what an amazing research centre we have in Hampshire, I had no idea it was so impressive."
Keryn hopes the club will be on target to raise just over Ł4000 by the end of 2008.

'Up' for a challenge?
At just 10 years old, adventurous Hannah Hewitt has set a parascending challenge to raise funds for AAIR.
Hannah was asked to nominate a charity to benefit from the 2009 annual charity sponsored event with 'Humber Parascending' after raising the most sponsorship during her 2008 parascending adventure.
Hannah said she chose AAIR because she suffers from allergies, especially hay fever and asthma. And she said she highly recommends parascending! "I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I felt happy, confident and pleased when I was in the air."
If you would like to take part in the challenge please telephone 01962 603018 and ask for Jill. The event is open to anyone who raised Ł40 or over. Full details at www.humberparascending.co.uk

Cecil Rosen Foundation - £200
Mr & Mrs Williams - £30
Mrs E Hatfield £190 - Brighton
marathon
Steve G - £50 from his UKAEA
Awards scheme
Brea Whitlock £430 in memory of
friend Jane Miller
Angie Moses £300 in lieu of
wedding gifts (nee Denton)
Mr & Mrs Thomas - £250
Mrs Celia Ellison £30 in memory of Aunt
Roger Brook £3000 - Doris Grace
May Brook
Joan Whitcher - £126.50

Mrs M E Mills - £10
Jacqui Matthews - £50
Black & Veatch Limited £1,250
Thank you to the former Test Valley Mayor Cllr Ian Hibberd, his wide Teresa and the fund-raising team for putting so much effort into the 2009/10 Mayoral Year to ensure it was such a success. Cllr. Hibberd did a brilliant job, both in representing Test Valley and in helping raise so much money for local charities. We are very grateful and would like to say thank you so much for allowing AAIR to be part of it. Thank you also to Karen Hamilton and Barclays Bank which match funded all the money.

Your suppoert is much appreciated.
Every penny ensures we remain a world leader in
asthma & allergy research.

Donation from New Forest Golf Club
New Forest Golf Club has raised a whopping Ł2,200 for AAIR thanks to 2007 club captain Paul Tatler.
Paul nominated AAIR to benefit through the traditions of the Club by 'friendly' fines at the end of Sunday morning competitions, individuals donating sweeps from club matches and collections from away fixture pots plus other miscellaneous contributions.

Paul said: "I chose AAIR because I suffer from asthma, my two sons have suffered from asthma at points in their life, my eldest requiring three hospital admissions as a baby and also sadly, my father died from an asthma attack at 63 years of age. As I am sure you can understand, asthma has affected my life in a big way and it also affects a large amount of the population, it was therefore an honour to hand over the cheque to Caroline Pope and I would like to extend my thanks to all of those who have contributed."
Paul and AAIR would like to thank all of the members of the New Forest Golf Club for their kindness and generosity in making their contributions. www.newforestgolfclub.co.uk

Sticky Fundraiser
Residents at Cedars Nursing Home are staging regular fund-raising events after choosing AAIR as its charity for 2008.
So far the residents have enjoyed a coffee morning and chocolate fountain day. The next event is a coffee morning on Friday 25 April 10.30am – 12pm. All welcome.
Cedars Nursing Home, Northlands, Landford. SO5 2EJ.

Four cyclists from Dorest Rough Riders
Four cyclists from Dorset Rough Riders have raised Ł810 for AAIR after cycling 540 miles through France.
Martin Zepler, Kim Hills, Martin Marinovic and Andy Web took part in the 3 day road ride from Caen to Beaune in aid of Wessex Heartbeat and AAIR.
Martin Zepler, who has asthma, said: “We took turns to cycle for an hour while the others either drove, navigated or rested. It was quite tough but there was some beautiful scenery and great camaraderie.”

‘Bowled’ Over
Atherley Bowling Club closed their indoor season with a sociable charity game which raised Ł200 for AAIR.

Around 50 members took part, dressed head to toe in red and white to mark St George’s Day. Mal North of the asthma and allergy research unit said: “A great afternoon of bowls was had by all. Marion Collins organized the event in aid of AAIR as she has supported our research over the years by helping us with our clinical trials. This year Marion underwent her 6th bronchoscopy for research, six being the maximum number anyone person can undertake for research.”
This event also marked the end of Marion's year as president of Atherley Bowling Club, the first female to hold the post in the club’s history. Many thanks from AAIR to all who took part.

The Grizzly Run – not for the faint-hearted!
Local asthma sufferer Antony Pink has completed one of the toughest running challenges in Europe to raise money for AAIR.
Antony, 32, from Southampton has raised more than Ł600 in sponsorship after running ‘The Grizzly’ - a gruelling 20 mile race across some of the toughest terrains in Devon. The route goes through two bogs, four beach runs and steep hills: including a 100-yard near-vertical hill that most runners could only conquer with the help of a rope.
Anthony, a fire prevention engineer and part-time a personal trainer at Totton College Leisure Centre, said he decided to take on the truly energy-sapping course to prove that asthma need not stop him from enjoying sport: “As an asthma sufferer I know how hard it can be to exercise. I wanted to prove that, with the right training and planning, asthma need not stop people from enjoying practically any sport they enjoy.”
Antony did incredibly well completing the course in 4 hours and 1 minute, particularly as the cold, wet and muddy conditions made for a very slippery course. Fortunately the only problem Antony encountered was when he woke up the next day. He said: “My chest was fine but my muscles were incredibly stiff, in fact I could hardly move.”
AAIR’s fund raising director Caroline Pope said: “I know Antony suffered from food poisoning just days before the race so this was a particularly incredible achievement. Hopefully it will inspire other asthma suffers to enjoy sport and excise - with the right advice of course.”

Antony and The AAIR Charity would like to thank all those people at David Lloyds Southampton, Totton Health and Leisure and Antony’s friends and family for their sponsorship.

The AAIR Charity, AIR, Mailpoint 810, Level F, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 6YD.
Tel: 023 8077 1234 Fax: 023 8079 6866