Please look out for area committee dates on our website www.newstraid.org.uk All dates subject to confirmation. NewstrAid Events FEB 28th West Midlands Big Curry Night APRIL 10th Take a Break Quiz Night MAY 22nd Lingfield Park Race Day JUNE 13th NewstrAid AGM and Gala Dinner JULY 10th Fishing Festival SEPT 5th NewstrAid Golf Day London Golf Club SEPT 18th Summer Draw DEC 12th Carol Concert St Bride’s, London Key Group Events JAN 31st Key Group Bowling FEB 12th Key Group Wine Tasting MARCH 13th Key Group Pub Quiz MAY TBC Key Group Pub Quiz JUNE 23rd Key Group Football JULY 17th Key Group Pub Quiz OCT 16th Key Group Pub Quiz NOV TBC Key Group Karting Tfqu!6ui!OfxtusBje!Hpmg!Ebz Kvof!24ui OfxtusBje!BHN!boe!Hbmb!Ejoofs Kvof!34se!Lfz!Hspvq!Gppucbmm
Transcript
Please look out for area committee dates on our website www.newstraid.org.uk
All dates subject to confirmation.
NewstrAid EventsFEB 28th West Midlands Big Curry Night
APRIL 10th Take a Break Quiz Night
MAY 22nd Lingfield Park Race Day
JUNE 13th NewstrAid AGM and Gala Dinner
JULY 10th Fishing Festival
SEPT 5th NewstrAid Golf DayLondon Golf Club
SEPT 18th Summer Draw
DEC 12th Carol ConcertSt Bride’s, London Key Group Events
JAN 31st Key Group BowlingFEB 12th Key Group Wine TastingMARCH 13th Key Group Pub QuizMAY TBC Key Group Pub QuizJUNE 23rd Key Group FootballJULY 17th Key Group Pub QuizOCT 16th Key Group Pub QuizNOV TBC Key Group Karting
Welcome to our2013 issue ofNewstrAid News......where you can see some of theways in which we raise funds andwhere our money goes.We had our usual main events including the race day, golf day and carol concert in 2012. TheKey Group and area committees have, as always,been busy fundraising. As well as our traditionalfunctions, we had a special reception to mark the anniversary of the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, a former president of the charity.
If you are interested in individual sponsorship thisyear, the article on NewstrAid’s Year of Challengesmight give you some ideas!
We thank Brian and Lynne Braithwaite for theirlong standing organisation of the carol concertover the past 20 years.
Our charity has a new chairman, Mike Mirams,managing director of COMAG. He has been aNewstrAid trustee since 2004.
As always, the welfare team is hard at work supporting our growing number of beneficiaries.The extremity of the debt crisis has resulted inmore and more people needing our help, as life is hard for many at the moment. Some of our success stories include providing mobility assistance to an elderly beneficiary who has nowgot back his freedom. We also provided supportto a man who suffered the loss of his family homeand business, through a fire, which prompted aburglary attack. We gave financial assistance to
send a family on their first ever holiday after thefather was viciously attacked and was strugglingto bring up his family on benefits as he could notwork.
You may know of the financial debt Charles Dickens suffered himself, which spurred him on to become one of the first benefactors of the forerunner to NewstrAid – The NewsvendorsBenevolent Institution. We all had the pleasure ofgiving a surprise grant of £200 to many of ourbeneficiaries, marking the occasion of CharlesDickens’ 200th birthday in February 2012. Wehave included some of the responses from thebeneficiaries we surprised!
NewstrAid would not be the success it is withoutthe tireless effort of our team. We are delighted toannounce we have two new members of staff -welcome Ami Davis, our new events assistant, andLisa-Marie Salter the new welfare assistant.
If you are interested in supporting or attendingour events, please contact me on 01371 874198or [email protected]. If you need help orknow of anyone who may need help, we wouldbe happy to hear from you. Please telephone our welfare manager, Sinead Flood on 01371 874 198.
Louise FoxEditor
Follow us onTwitter.
NewstrAid News 2013
www.newstraid.org.uk 2
NewstrAid is challenging everyone in the UK news trade to make 2013 the year in which you grit your teeth and - just do it!
All those crazy ideas and thoughts you’ve had in the past – just do them: Running a marathon, getting that excess weight off, abseiling down the office wall, beating a Guinness world record, jumping out of an aeroplane, cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End, growing a beard, shaving half a moustache – the range of things you could do is limitless.
NewstrAid wants to encourage you, your friends and your company to make 2013 the year you make it happen by organising or joining a sponsored event for NewstrAid. With the advent of on-line giving, such as Virginmoneygiving.com and MyDonate.com, getting your friends, families and colleagues to sponsor your efforts has never been easier – with the added bonus that you can achieve that goal you have always set yourself.
Last year saw a number of amazing feats being done to raise sponsorship for NewstrAid. Menzies E2E cycle ride from John O’Groats to Portsmouth raised more than £20,000 for NewstrAid. Ian Tallamy from Smiths News raised more than £900 for NewstrAid on the Smiths News South to North Bike Ride. Mike Moore and Mark Simmons raised more than £600 for NewstrAid with a sponsored Longest Golf Day. Five runners, including NewstrAid’s own welfare manager, Sinead Flood, raised more than £1,500 for NewstrAid by taking part in the British 10K London Run in July.
You can devise your own event and we can help you publicise and promote it and also see if others would like to join you. Or you can join an already organised event, such as the London Marathon. Again, we can help publicise and promote your participation.
NewstrAid is registered with two of the big on-line giving sites: Virginmoneygiving.com and MyDonate.com, so going on line to obtain sponsorship is easy and straightforward. NewstrAid can provide full details of how to do it.
Just do it – make up your mind to do that thing you’ve always wanted to do – and do it for NewstrAid.
Make 2013 the yearyou do it for NewstrAid!
NewstrAid News 2013
www.newstraid.org.uk3
Mike Mirams took over as chairman of NewstrAid, when Simon Prodger resigned fromthe post at the annual general meeting on 21st June 2012. Simon had been chairmansince 2008 – a role he took up on the death of the previous chairman, Jeff Bardsley.
Simon followed in both his grandfather’sand father’s footsteps in taking on theNewstrAid chairmanship. Sidney Wilce-Taylor was chairman in 1950 and PeterProdger held the position in 1979, whenchairmen only served for one year. Thetrustees were very sad to see Simon stepdown as he had chaired the board withgreat diplomacy and good humour.
Mike Mirams joined COMAG as thecompany's prototype graduate trainee in the client relations department in 1981- an era when the job involved guessingthe print order and going to lunch. Beingskilled at both of these, Mike worked hisway through various roles before he wastempted by the glamour of publishingand left to become marketing managerof Marvel Comics UK business.
After a brief spell in the company of superheroes, Mike returned to COMAG,where he became account director andthen managing director of COMAG specialist division where he led its development from a niche operation intoa fully fledged national distributor of specialist magazines. Mike was mademanaging director of COMAG in April2004.
Mike is just a boy who can't say no andhas, consequently, served on every committee the industry has to offer, and is currently deputy chairman of the PPA Newstrade Committee, PPA representative on the self-regulatoryforum for the press distribution industry,a trustee of ACE and a trustee of theNewstrAid Benevolent Fund (since 2004).
A new chairmanfor NewstrAid
Mike Mirams
Simon Prodger
Tavistock RoadWest Drayton
Middlesex UB7 7QETel: 01895 433600
Fax: 01895 433602www.comag.co.ukG
et N
oti
ced
! COMAG is the UK’s most dynamic marketing and distribution company.
We aim to become part of your business, an extension of your own company. We will care about your product as if it were our own.
For further details, please contact-Hazel Isaacs, Business Development DirectorTel: 01895 433687 Email: [email protected]
Thank you Simon, welcome Mike
NewstrAid News 2013
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On 18th January 2012, a reception was held at The Foundling Museum in London to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of our former president,Charles Dickens. The evening was hosted by NewstrAid’s patron, Lord Rothermere, the chairman of the Daily Mail General Trust.
Two hundred guests from the newspaper and magazine industry attended theglittering party. Actor Edward Fox presented an adapted version of the speechCharles Dickens gave to the annual dinner of the Newsvendors Benevolent and Provident Institution in 1862. Following on, Lord Rothermere spoke about thework of the present day newsagents and how important they were to thehealth of the news trade. Terry Mansfield spoke on behalf of the President, Sly Bailey, who was unable to attend.
Celebrating the 200th birthday of Charles DickensLord Rothermere’s reception
Lord Iliffe and Georgina Harvey
Lord Rothermere and Alex vanStraubenzee
Mel Lewis, Margaret and Mike Newman
Lord Rothermere, Vyvyan Harmsworth and Edward Fox
Mike Mirams, Kevin Han
d and
Nicholas Coleridge
Terry Mansfield
www.newstraid.org.uk5
A Beneficiary’s Story
Peter Kenneby’s livelihood vanished in front of his eyes as a blaze
ripped through his Devon newsagent shop and his family’s home.
He and his wife, Julia, and their two children, aged 20 and 14, were left
with nothing after the fire destroyed the three-storey premises and all
their belongings inside. Nothing but the skeleton of the building was
left and the Kennebys were forced to live in a caravan and told under no
circumstances could they enter the burned-out shell.
However, the danger didn’t stop opportunist burglars, who, a month later,
stole cigarettes, tobacco, books of stamps and even the burned key to a
now destroyed ice cream cabinet. The raiders also removed the safe from
the lethal building to see if they could open it. So, just in the space of a
month, the family had lost their business, their home and anything that had
survived the fire.
Luckily, no-one had been hurt in the blaze, which, it is believed, was due to
an electrical fault, and Mr and Mrs Kenneby were fully insured and hopeful
that the shop could eventually be re-opened, but in the meantime, their
immediate welfare was a priority.
While the local community rallied round and offered support, Mr Kenneby, as a
member of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, also turned to the
Federation for a helping hand and was awarded an emergency grant of £500.
The NFRN, in turn, referred the Kennebys to NewstrAid to see if there was
anything we could offer in the way of assistance.
Recognising their immediate needs, we took up the case and made contact as
well as asking our almoner, David Ware, to visit the family. David reported back
to us on the devastation that met him at the scene of the fire and confirmed that
the Kennebys were, indeed, in need of immediate help with items like clothes
and even food. The almoner remembered the family from his time in the trade
and recommended that the charity could offer one-off help.
As their need was urgent, we asked the Chairman of the Welfare Committee to
authorise a one-off hardship grant of £1,000, to be later ratified by the Committee
at its next meeting. This was immediately sent, with a letter, to the Kennebys,
offering consideration of further welfare help if any was required.
Mr Kenneby said in response: “Julia and I were so grateful to receive the unexpected call from NewstrAid offering not
only financial help, but also some sound moral support. We cannot thank your organisation enough.
“When my weekly invoice from Smiths arrived, I often wondered why I bothered to donate such a small amount weekly,
but after our experience, we would have gladly donated a far more realistic sum. We can only say thank you and keep
up the great work that you do for the news trade.”
Val BrownWelfare Officer
Help for newsagent ashome wrecked in fire
Trinity Mirror plc
is proud
to support
NewstrAid
NewstrAid News 2013
www.newstraid.org.uk7
In 1992, while serving as Festival Chairman of Old Ben, Brian Braithwaitewas keen to leave his mark on the charity,once his year of office finished. Havingjust retired as a director of the NationalMagazine Company, Brian still fizzedwith enthusiasm, creativity and ideas ofhow to raise money for NewstrAid. Atypical example was an idea to collectforeign coins from holidaymakers, whichwould be useless unless the person returning from holiday intended visitingthat country again. This was before theEuro arrived. He called this brilliantfundraising idea ‘Old Yen’. Sadly, evenwith such an eye-catching pun, the initiative did not take off. Undaunted,Brian thought of another idea, which, thistime, would be a massive success andthe Old Ben Carol Concert was born.
On 4th December 2012, Brian and Lynn’s20th Carol Concert took place at StBride’s Church, Fleet Street. The first concert in 1992 was named the ‘DickensCarol Concert’, with readings fromCharles Dickens’ books. One of the readers, Colin Heber-Percy, is the onlyreader, apart from Brian Braithwaite, to readat every carol concert over the 20 years ithas been going. The one-off Dickens Christmas Carol concert was so popularthat it continued, under the name of theOld Ben Carol Concert, every year thereafter. Two other stalwarts of theevent each year have been Brian’s wifeLynne, and Robert Jones, the musical
director of the magnificent St Bride’schoir. Lynne has baked hundreds of delicious sausage rolls and mince pies in her own kitchen. It is rumoured thatGood Housekeeping produced these forthe first concert, but refused to continuethe next year. In typical response, Mrs Brolled up her sleeves and declared thatshe would do the cooking, as it would makemore for the charity and taste better too!
As the carol concert progressed, H Bauergenerously agreed to sponsor the event andCOMAG kindly sponsored the reception,always held in the Bridewell Hall. Also,Brian was able to twist the arm of his
son-in-law, the popular screen actor Martin Clunes, to become a regularreader at the concert.
Brian Braithwaite worked in the newspaperand magazine industry for more than 40years, starting in the advertising department of the Daily Mail and endingas group commercial director of the National Magazine Company in 1992.Many will remember him as publishingdirector of Good Housekeeping in the1980s, when he would tour the countryin August, giving lunch parties to localwholesalers during which, he would announce details of the forthcomingChristmas Issue. Many were the timesthat guests ate roast turkey and Christmaspudding on stifling hot summer days. Not first choice summer food, but the message got through and wholesalerscertainly did not forget to promote theChristmas issues! Brian always had ideasthat other publishers never dreamed of.He knew how important the news tradewas to the sales increase of a title. Whenhe launched Country Living in 1985, hisknowledge of the wholesale and retailnetworks and personalities ensured thenew magazine was an outstanding success.
Brian and Lynne say they will keep coming to future carol concerts. We hopewe can keep up the standard set by this great team, although it is unlikelythat the mince pies and sausage rolls willtaste as good.
Brian Braithwaite and theOld Ben Carol Concert
Brian Braithwaite and his wife Lynne
Claire Burgess, Chloe Fox, Ann Gowan, Lucy Keldon, Ken Moreton
We’ve gotFrank on themove againFrank Biddle is not a man to let things get him down and
always takes a cheery, optimistic view.
But lack of mobility due to a long-term hip problem was beginning to take its toll – and the fact that a hip
replacement operation was out of the question because of heart and other health problems only made matters
worse.
Mr Biddle and his wife, Janet, who worked as a shop assistant at WH Smith in West Sussex for 20 years,
considered buying a mobility scooter and had seen one on offer in a store in their nearby town, Burgess Hill.
But even at the special offer price, the vehicle was still more than the couple could afford.
After hearing about this during his April visit, almoner, Roddy Smith, contacted the Welfare team at head office
to ask if there was anything we could do to help. We advised that we would be pleased to recommend Mr
Biddle for a thorough assessment by the Mobility Bureau for the most suitable model for his needs. This way,
he would benefit from expert advice and there would be a safeguard should anything go wrong with the vehicle
at a later date, or an accident occur.
We reported Mr Biddle’s situation to the Welfare Committee at its next meeting and it agreed to Samaritan
Grants to fund both a Mobility Bureau assessment and the vehicle recommended by the Bureau.
Within six weeks, Mr Biddle was the proud owner of a brand spanking new mobility scooter. He told
NewstrAid News: “I would like to say thank you to everyone concerned. To say I’m pleased with it, would be
an understatement. I never dreamt I would be in possession of such a lovely vehicle.
“It has given me the freedom to go out in our local village and our nearest town and get right up to the shops.
Before, I took my wife shopping, but then had to wait for her in the car in the car park. Now, I can, if I wish,
be completely independent.
“So , many, many thanks to everyone involved in helping me get it and particularly my almoner, Roddy Smith,
who went out of his way to help me.”
Val BrownWelfare Officer
www.newstraid.org.uk9
A Beneficiary’s Story
www.newstraid.org.uk 10
NewstrAid News 2013
Bedfords are pleased to support and work in association with NewstrAid.
2012 Puzzler Quiz NightNeil Flockhart, Puzzler Media's managingdirector, hosted the 2012 Puzzler/NewstrAid Quiz Night on Wednesday18th April at Kensington Town Hall inaid of The NewstrAid Benevolent Fund.Twenty two teams joined the evening’sproceedings in an attempt to win theprestigious Quiz Trophy, together withan array of prizes.
A very welcome pre-quiz supper wassupplied by Cuisine on Cue, followed by an entertaining evening in the capable hands of our quiz master, Mark Whiteway. Towards the end of theproceedings, Alex van Straubenzee, NewstrAid’s CEO, thanked everyone forsupporting the evening. Prizes wereawarded for the raffle and trivia challenge. Finally, the Quiz Night trophyand prizes were presented to our third time winners - The Bauer Rangers.COMAG were runners up andChameleon PR in third position. Theevent was enjoyed by all and the eventraised more than £3,000 for NewstrAid. The Bauer Rangers, from left to right – Jon Peake,
Ben Lawrence, Tricia Martin and Nick Smith
COMAG, from left to right –Gavin Ainsby, Steve Cripwell,Barry Cain and David Orme2
Chameleon, from left to right –Steve Loynes, Paul Crouch, Matt Gass and Jonathan Simnett31
From failsafe logistics and the best retail presence
Teeing offfor charity Marketforce rallied the troops once more for its annual Golf Day and soiree, racking up an impressive £6,000 for their charities of the year.
Fourteen teams took part, with Marketforce’s own eight-strong team,competing against golfers from suppliers and publishers including Transland, Downtons, Gold Key Media, Puzzler Media, Menzies Distribution, INTERMEDIA, Woodland,OHL International, WWMD, Aimia,Smiths News and Panini.
The event, which took place at FoxhillsGolf Club in Woking (which played hostto the Team GB Olympic cycling team),was a Stableford four ball competition. It saw Marketforce’s own business information manager, Stewart Gillet,come away with the coveted title of Individual Winner of the Day, while other competitions included Nearest the Pin,Longest Drive and Beat the Pro. The
competition’s overall winning teams wereCM Downton, Menzies Distribution andAimia. Marketforcers and clients werethen treated to supper and a raffle, which included some fantastic prizes to bring inthe cash: a case of wine donated byDowntons, a London hotel stay donatedby Gold Key Media, various bottles ofwine and a Kindle donated by MenziesDistribution.
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NewstrAid News 2013
2012 Area Committee Events
www.newstraid.org.uk13
Peter Allan presents Diana Rushbrook with theprize for the best catch of the day by a lady.
South East Dickens Area Committee
Old Ben FishingThe ACE Fishing Festival has been an annual event in the calendar for very many years,but it looked like folding until the South East Dickens Area Committee took it in hand and produced a great event that looks likely to grow in the coming years. Based at Ramsgate and with some splendid help from the Kent District of the NFRN, Peter Allanand the committee set sail with five boats for some wonderful fishing, finishing the daywith some well earned refreshments at a harbour side café. Wonderful support fromSeymour, Bauer, Menzies, David Hall Fishing, Pulp Friction and the Kent NFRN made theday truly memorable – particularly since the NewstrAid boat won! Next year’s event isalready in the diary (10th July 2013) – so get your sea legs ready.
Nigel Swan, Simon Prodger, Adam Dickens, Kieran McDonnell
Wessex Area Committee
Dickens Bicentenary Gala DinnerOne of our founders in 1839 and our president from 1854 until his death in 1870,Charles Dickens, was a giant of his day and the bicentenary of his birth in 1812 was celebrated in style by the Wessex Area Committee. Dickens was born in Portsmouth andit was fitting that the Hilton Hotel in Portsmouth was the scene for the Wessex DickensGala Dinner. Superbly attended by people from all areas of the news trade, the eveningwas a great start to a year of celebration of probably Britain’s finest novelist – and awonderful supporter of our charity. Adam Dickens (pictured) read excerpts from his ancestor’s writing, to the delight of the guests. Wessex Area Committee don’t just hold superb Gala Dinners – they walk for Old Ben, play golf for Old Ben, quiz for Old Benand go to the greyhound races for Old Ben. They even race ducks for Old Ben!
Jim Marsh and Alan Pemberton award Mrs Monica Jones with her winning cheque in theNorth West’s annual Grand National Draw.
North West Area Committee
Grand National DrawIf you have ever wondered just how theNorth West Area Committee manages toraise such amazing amounts for the charity,here’s one of the “secrets” - the annualGrand National Draw. The dedication ofJim Marsh and his colleagues to helpingthose less fortunate in the news tradepays off year in, year out and their hardwork organising both a Grand NationalDraw and an annual Christmas Draw, aswell as their 200 Club has resulted insome quite amazing results each year.Long may they continue.
www.newstraid.org.uk 14
2012 Area Committee Events
Golfers bid for one of the items in the auction after the match.
East Anglia Area Committee
Adrian Clayden MemorialGolf Day Adrian was a much loved personality in the East Anglia areaand it is fitting that this annual event takes place in memory ofhim. Adrian’s wife, Olwyn, along with his daughters andbrother, Leigh, held the second Adrian Clayden Memorial GolfDay on the 28th September at the Stowmarket Golf Club. Theevent raised more than £3,700 for NewstrAid and kept alivethe memory of a greatly missed supporter of the charity.
Iain Steven enjoys the Scottish Area Committee’s dinner dance
Scottish Area Committee
Annual Dinner Dance A move to a central Glasgow venue paid off for the Scottish AreaCommittee when their annual dinner dance was held at theGrand Central Hotel, Glasgow, and attended by more than 100people from the Scottish news trade. Ian Shaw and his colleagues presented a great evening of fine dining and lively entertaining –all masterminded by Jean Neill with her usual flair. The only slipup of the evening was when the host, local celebrity Tam Cowan,mistakenly announced that Alan Mottram-Playfoot must be“posh” with a name like that – how wrong could he be!
Smiths News of Borehamwood are all smilesbefore they tee off
Thames Valley Area Committee
Annual Golf DayIt was back to the lush green fairways ofthe Winter Hill Golf Club for the 2012Thames Valley Area Committee Golf Dayin June and another fine day’s golf in aidof the charity. The occasional showercouldn’t dampen their enthusiasm andJohn Chapman and Terry Skipsey madesure they organised a memorable day’sgolfing. For those of a more sedentarynature, Thames Valley also held their famous annual Quiz Night in Novemberat another golf club, Stockley Park.
Alan Bowen presents a cheque to Vim Odedra
200 ClubsAround the country, hundreds of newsagents have had the good fortune to win prizesin the various area committee 200 Clubs. They are a great way, not only to raise fundsto help those less fortunate than ourselves in the news trade, but to win some amazingprizes. Here, two area committees (Thames Valley and Devon & Cornwall) present thelucky winners of their local 200 Club with the prizes.
Devon & Cornwall newsagents receive their prizefrom Harry Littlewood.
Maureen Coleman presents one of the winnerswith their trophy.
Our South Yorkshire and North DerbyshireArea Committee is merging with our WestYorkshire Area Committee, but that hasn’tstopped Brian Beeton and his colleaguesholding their famous Greyhound Night,yet again, at Owlerton Stadium inSheffield. October saw another fine nightof racing when Sheffield went to the dogs!
South Yorkshire and NorthDerbyshire Area Committee
AnnualGreyhound Night
The effects of a vicious attack on Mohammed Sulaman while trading as a
newsagent more than 12 years ago are still reverberating today.
When thugs threw hydrochloric acid in his face in November 2000, his business was
at an end. Having lost the sight in his right eye and his mental health in tatters, he
was no longer able to work and was forced to bring up his young family on benefits.
With three children, now aged 16, 13 and 11, Mr Sulaman and his wife and full-time
carer, Shanaz, struggled to meet everyday living costs and debts from their business,
with nothing left over for those unexpected costs that frequently crop up.
It was when their boiler broke down that they realised they needed some help and
having seen our advert in their local newspaper, the Journal, in Newcastle
Upon Tyne, Mr Sulaman contacted us to see whether the family qualified
for any sort of support.
As he already had an ongoing application for a grant to repair or replace the
boiler with Warm Front, the Government scheme, we decided to look at other
ways we could help. Almoner, Jeff White, visited the family to help them
complete our application form after Mr Sulaman’s initial contact with the
Welfare team at head office.
Mr Sulaman describes that first telephone call: “After my initial contact, when I
left a few brief details about how I ended up in the position I am now in – registered
disabled and partially sighted – NewstrAid rang me back and I was asked to go into
more details about my business, the attack and how it had changed my life and
affected me, my wife and my children.
“I found the Welfare team to be empathetic, understanding and interested in my
situation and I was told the NewstrAid was an organisation set up to help people like
myself in any way that it could.”
Having carried out a full assessment of the family to see whether they might also qualify for regular ongoing financial help
from us, we took their case to the Welfare Committee, suggesting that as Mr and Mrs Sulaman were unable to afford
luxuries, a family holiday might be just the thing to lift their spirits.
The Committee agreed and awarded, from the ACE children’s fund, a Samaritan grant to cover a week’s seaside holiday,
with petrol and spending money, as well as regular benefit. Mr Sulaman says: “We were so grateful for this gesture.
My family looked forward to having a holiday – the first we had ever had. If it wasn’t for NewstrAid, we wouldn’t have
been able to afford it.”
The Welfare team used a company, Haven Holidays, which comes highly recommended to provide reasonably priced family
breaks, and at the end of July, the Sulamans went on a caravan holiday to the Marton Mere resort, near Blackpool.
Mr Sulaman sums it up: “The holiday was a welcome distraction and my children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It was
good quality, family time and for that, we are extremely grateful to the committee for making this possible.
“I thoroughly recommend NewstrAid Benevolent Fund and hope that other families can benefit from it as much as we did.”
Val BrownWelfare Officer
First holiday for familydevastated by thugs’ attack
www.newstraid.org.uk15
A Beneficiary’s Story
www.smithsnews.co.uk
AGM Awards 2012NewstrAid
NewstrAid AGM Awards 2012
www.newstraid.org.uk17
Jim Marsh, Barbara and GeorgeThompson and Alan Pembertonreceive the Lord Riddell Shield forthe area committee with the biggestpercentage increase over the lastfour years. The North West also received a Premier Certificate forraising the staggering sum of£225,000 – the largest amount everraised for the charity in one year.
The Lord Riddell Shield
Following the NewstrAid AGM at the Caledonian Club in London’s Belgravia in June 2012, NewstrAid president Sly Bailey presented awards to those who make the charity’s work possible – the volunteers up and down the country, in area committees and as almoners. The previous year was the best ever for our area committees, raising between them nearly £800,000.
Alan Purslow and Terry Skipsey ofthe Thames Valley Area Committeereceive the Mirror Group Salver forthe area committee with the mostconsistent increase in fundraisingover the last four years. They alsoreceived a Premier Certificate forraising £111,380
The Mirror Group Salver
Dorothy King and John Green ofthe East Midlands Area Committeereceive the Joe Llewellyn-JonesSalver for a new or reconstitutedarea committee. The East MidlandsArea Committee has brought onboard a number of new membersthis year and increased markedlythe amount they have raised. Theyalso collected a Premier Certificatefor raising £13,000
The Joe Llewellyn-Jones Salver
John Stranger, David Hall, Dave Winn and Peter Bridge of the Wessex Area Committee receive the SundayMirror Challenge Cup for the most successful single event. Their annual Sway Swagger is becoming quitean institution, but the range of their events is unmatched. The committee also received a Premier Certificate for having raised £28,000.
The Sunday Mirror Challenge Cup
Tony Pucci receives the Sir SimonHornby Trophy for the person whohas been most helpful to the staffat Great Dunmow. Tony is a tirelessmember of the North East Area Committee and an energeticalmoner as well as taking every opportunity to spread the wordabout the charity within the localNFRN members.
The Sir Simon Hornby Trophy
NewstrAid AGM Awards 2012
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George Thompson, Alan Pemberton, Barbara Thompson and Jim Marsh of the North West Area Committeeagain collect the David Mackay Quaich for being the area committee that raised the largest amount ofmoney in 2011. Perennial winners of this award, the North West Area Committee continue to astoundeveryone with their amazing work on behalf of the charity. They also received a Premier Certificate for having raised £225,000 - the most money ever raised by an area committee, beating their own record from2010.
The David Mackay Quaich
Ian Aldous receives his GoodSamaritan Award from chief executive, Alex van Straubenzee,during the evening’s entertainment.Ian was unable to attend the actualAGM during the day. Ian has beentreasurer of the Bristol, Somersetand Wiltshire Area Committee fora number of years and an almonerfor longer. Always on hand to helporganise events, Ian has even donea parachute jump to raise funds forthe charity.
Good Samaritan - Ian Aldous
Andrew Boyd receives his Good Samaritan award from Sly Bailey.Andrew has been president of theWest Midlands Area Committee formany years and his leadership hasresulted in the area committee increasing what it raises for thecharity by more than 600% in 10years.
Good Samaritan - Andrew BoydRay Spiller receives his GoodSamaritan award from Sly Bailey.Ray has been a member of the Devon and Cornwall Area Committee for 10 years and is currently secretary. He always thinksoutside the box and is jointly responsible for the organisationand execution of some wonderfullydiverse events for the charity.
Good Samaritan - Ray Spiller
Susan Cooke receives her Good Samaritan award from Sly Bailey.Sue has been a member of theSouthend Area Committee formore than 40 years and is currentlysecretary. She introduced gardenparties to raise funds and gives upher house for quiz nights and otherevents. Sue even manages to pro-vide food for the events and is100% committed to attending themeetings.
Good Samaritan - Susan Cooke
Peter Bridge receives his GoodSamaritan award from Sly Bailey.Peter has been a stalwart of OldBen for more than 40 years. Heserved on the Bournemouth area committee, organising bingo nightsand then every position on theSouthampton and Solent AreaCommittee before it became theWessex Area Committee. Over theyears, he has organised not onlybingo but boat and race nights for the charity and currently runs Wessex’s successful 200 Club.
Good Samaritan - Peter Bridge
Unfortunately, Christine was unableto attend the AGM. Christine, who is an employee of Menzies Distribution, has been a long serving member of the East AngliaArea Committee and been a greatasset to NewstrAid for many years.She always supports any event andis great at assembling a group ofpeople from different aspects ofthe trade to attend.
Good Samaritan - Christine Mann
Christine receives her Good Samaritan Badge from Peter Allan,manager of Menzies Ipswich
Always looking to offer help when it’sneeded to those who have contributedmuch to the news trade, we thought thelate Arthur Goff, of Southampton, was ashining example of such a beneficiary.
Not only did Arthur spend 35 years working in the trade, both as a managerhimself and as a relief manager for thenewsagent chain, NSS, but also proudlyfought for his country during the Second World War, serving in the RAF at El-Alamain and in Alexandria.
Arthur and his wife, Audrey, whom hemet in 1939 when working in his firstnewsagent shop, became beneficiaries in 2007. In the ensuing years, NewstrAidhelped them with fencing and redecoration of their home as well as regular benefit and later, Christmas gift.
Sadly, Arthur had to go into residential carein August 2012 and passed away the following October, but Audrey remains abeneficiary and is still on our Christmas list.
Their almoner, John Stranger, attendedthe funeral in November last year andsaid: “On every visit to them, I wasgreeted by Arthur’s smiling face of welcome and sat in their lounge overlooking what I can only describe as a‘Chelsea award-winning’ garden, whichshowed their life’s devotion to a ‘quality’in both 35 years in the news trade and toenjoying their last years together.”
Arthur Goff
In August 2012 NewstrAid announced the closure of Barnetson Court Care Home. Barnetson Court had been run as a care home for people from the UK news trade since1983, but had rarely been able to attract more than a few residents who actually camefrom the UK news trade.
Alex van Straubenzee, the chief executive of the NewstrAid BenevolentFund, said: “The board of trustees decided that the major investmentneeded in the care home could not bejustified and would not meet the aimsand objectives of the charity. Regrettably,the care home was closed at the end ofAugust 2012.
The charity ran the care home for nearly30 years, but we simply could not attractenough people who have a news tradebackground. Nowadays, people, quiterightly, want to be in a care home neartheir relatives, not one that is miles awayfrom them. Also, we would have neededto spend a significant amount of moneyto refurbish Barnetson Court and thecharity could not justify using money,generously given to support people fromthe news trade, on somewhere where, infact, there were no news trade people.Accordingly, the trustees of the charityannounced their intention to close thehome. NewstrAid is all about helping
people from the UK news trade whohave fallen on hard times – that’s our solefocus and what the charity was set upover 170 years ago to do. BarnetsonCourt was one way of doing that. Oursupporters rightly expect us to focus onhelping news trade people now and inthe future.”
For further details and any questions,please contact:
Alex van StraubenzeeChief Executive OfficerNewstrAid Benevolent FundTelephone: 01371 874198
Alan Mottram-PlayfootMarketing DirectorTelephone 01371 874198
The head office will remain at BarnetsonCourt until sale of the site is completed.Details will be made public in ourmonthly newsletter when known.
NewstrAid’sBarnetson CourtCare Home closes
NewstrAid News 2013
www.newstraid.org.uk19
At DS Smith Recycling we think about the whole supply
cycle from when materials are manufactured, distributed,
retailed, used and then recycled back into new products.
From collection, a newspaper can be recycled and made back into new paper
products within 14 days with DS Smith’s closed loop recycling process.
DS Smith Recycling is proud to support
NewstrAid who provide valuable
support to individuals in the sector of
selling and distribution of newspapers
and magazines in the UK.
Search for DS Smith Recycling
Follow us@DSSRecycling
More than 100 people departed from Embankment Pier and cruised down theriver to Canary Wharf and back as far asBattersea Bridge, before returning later inthe evening to Embankment Pier. Theyenjoyed dinner, while listening to the jazz band and admiring the sites of London along the River Thames. Ourchief executive officer, Alex vanStraubenzee, thanked everyone for alltheir work over the year and presentedthe lucky raffle winners with their prizes.
Whether watching the riverside sightspass by, enjoying the fine fare, or dancingthe night away, everyone had a wonderful time – and NewstrAid showedagain how grateful we are to all thosewho make the charity what it is.
Following the NewstrAid AGM in June, representatives from our area committees andalmoners joined us on an evening cruise down the Thames on board NT1 - Naticia. It was a way of saying just a small thank you for all the work and effort our legion ofvolunteers around the country put in for the charity throughout the year.
Ami Davis and Alan Mottram-Playfoot start off the dancing George and Barbara Thompson with Frank and Irene Mustard
Colin Duke wins the goodie basket
Dorothy King receives the champagneLouise Manuel presented with the a gift envelopeRay Spiller happy to win the wine!
Uvashi Patel and Ranjan PatelAll dancers on the floor
NewstrAid says thank youto our wonderful areacommittees and almoners
NewstrAid News 2013
www.newstraid.org.uk21
The horrors of the debtors’ jail, described(from his personal knowledge) in LittleDorrit slowly disappeared during his lifetime. But the pictures he painted ofthe frightening ease with which peoplecould fall into debt and the despair that it caused for them and their families arejust the same today. The anxiety and embarrassment caused by debt can be justas effective as stone walls and a lockedgate - a barrier to friends and communitythat lets in very little light or happiness.
Thousands of families feel helpless as billsrise and their income fails to keep up.Often, it is something very ordinary – acar repair, for example – when the finalbill tips the balance.
Debt enquires from NewstrAid’s new applicants and existing beneficiaries arecontinually increasing. With householdincome falling and inflation levels relatively high, even those fortunateenough to have stable employment, willnotice their budgets being squeezed –people of all ages and backgrounds areseeking help in increasing numbers.
To address this particular need and to extend our advisory services further, wejoined forces in January last year with theDebt Advice Foundation to provide freeexpert counselling on all debt problems.By providing a link from our own websiteto theirs, all enquiries that use the internet will be directed to our own dedicated telephone number straight tothe Foundation. Alternatively, we willrefer anyone asking us for advice andsupport on their debt problems, withtheir agreement, directly to the DAF.
The Debt Advice Foundation is a registerednational debt advice and education charity offering free, confidential supportand advice to anyone worried aboutloans, credit and debt. It offers a greatdeal of information on its website, www.debtadvicefoundation.org/newstraid,but its main way of helping people is viathe telephone helpline 0800 987 6585.
Managing director, David Rodger, says:“It is difficult to calculate precisely howmany people are facing unmanageabledebts problems – official figures, for
example, only count how many peopleare formally insolvent (ie, have been declared bankrupt or are the subject of anindividual Voluntary Arrangement orDebt Relief Order), but other statisticscan be telling.
“Earlier this year, for example, TheTrussell Trust, the leading foodbank network, said it was launching two newcentres every week to help the growingnumber of families who cannot affordtheir food bills. It reported that the number of people who have been givenemergency food parcels had doubled inthe past year to almost 130,000, with thenumber of centres now standing at 201.“A survey carried out by the Debt AdviceFoundation last year showed for the firsttime that people were using short-term,high-cost loans (known as payday loans)to pay their monthly regular bills. Theseloans, seen advertised so often on television, are never the solution for debtproblem.”
David adds that if you are facing mounting debts, charities like the Debt Advice Foundation are there to help:“You never need to pay for debt advice –charities will not charge you and advicewill not be slanted towards any particularsolution. We’ll help you prioritise yourbills, working out with you exactly howmuch you own and how much you canafford to pay your creditors.”
Debt problems are as much a part of ourmodern day as they were in Dickens’stimes – but one of the main differences isthat these days, help and support is just aphone call away.
None of the themes in Dickens’ books echoes more loudly for most of us than debt. It was a defining feature, not just for his characters, but as part of his childhood too – his father, John, was sent to Marshalea debtors’ prison, in London, after failing to pay his creditors and his family was forced to join him. The harrowing experience never left Charles. Val Brown looks at the legacy he left us.
If you are struggling with debt and would like advice, contact us at NewstrAid
on 01371 874198 and we can refer you to the Debt Advice Foundation.
Championing the greatman’s cause
Dickens’s Legacy
www.newstraid.org.uk 22
Dickens’s Legacy
www.newstraid.org.uk23
Old Ben stays trueto its roots
The unexpected gift, approved by thecharity’s trustees, was a one-off grant for every household and part of a seriesof celebrations that recognised our former president Charles Dickens’ hugecontribution in setting up NewstrAid’sforerunner, the Newsvendors Benevolentand Provident Institution, to help theplight of the newsman who had fallen onhard times.
In his writings, Dickens always brought tothe fore the squalid living and workingconditions of the poorest members of society and, as a journalist, he came in
close contact with newspaper sellers, usually very young and standing onstreet corners in all weathers, their livesdepending on selling newspapers to avery small, literate public.
Today, NewstrAid continues his legacyand has extended its services to manymore in the news trade involved in the sale, distribution and circulation of newspapers and their immediate de-pendents.
True to the writer’s message, delivered ina speech to charity members back in 1870 – “Our newsman is not, by any
means, in the habit of forgetting us. Let us try to form a little habit of not forgetting our newsman” – the modern-day NewstrAid made sure that the 200thbirthday celebrations not only included,but prioritised, our beneficiaries.
More than 600 households shared a totalof £129,800 in £200 cheques, most ofthe grants arriving, as planned, on 7thFebruary, Dickens’s actual birthday. Untilthen, the authorisation and planning ofthe huge payout had been kept a closelyguarded secret so that the surprise factorwas all the more effective.
The response was tremendous – theDunmow office was flooded with telephone calls, emails, letters and cardsfrom delighted beneficiaries who particularly welcomed our timing - thecoldest part of the winter and the mostexpensive time for fuel bills. Some knewexactly how they were going to spend it,heating costs being top of the list, whileothers savoured the moment of having alittle bit of extra cash.
It came as a surprise to some of our beneficiaries to learn that Charles Dickens was a founding member of NewstrAidand it was an even bigger surprise for all of them when they each received a special £200 grant to mark the great man’s200th birthday in February this year.
Dickens’s Legacy
www.newstraid.org.uk 24
“What a lovely surprise. Charles Dickenscertainly left a lovely legacy, didn’t he? Aspecial thank you to the trustees too. Ihave had to use our little car recently to go back and forth to hospital, so I can’t tell you how grateful we are for thisextra grant. Our days during the early‘60s in our shop will always have specialmemories for us.”Mr and Mrs F of West Yorkshire
“This gift was so helpful because mywife, who is 85, fell over a few weeks agoin the kitchen and broke her wrist. Herfingers were so swollen, they had to cutoff her wedding ring. She was so upset inhaving to have her wedding ring cut because we have been married for 65years and she has never taken the ring offfrom the day we got married. So I tookit to Hatton Garden and had them repairit. Because it was platinum, it cost £300to repair, but it was worth it to see herface light up again when she put it backon her finger.”Mr and Mrs F of London North West
“On a cold morning when we could notget out for the snow and my husbandwas at the lowest I’ve seen him in 40years after his soul mate had died andthen his brother-in-law, your letter arrived with the cheque. God BlessCharles Dickens and all at Old Ben. Thismade my husband cry, but they weretears that showed people did care. Youhave all been good to us over the yearsand thank you is not adequate.”Mr & Mrs L of East Midlands
“What a surprise! Many sincere thanks –it couldn’t have come at a better timewith heating costs so high and foodprices spiralling. We are so grateful andcan now relax knowing we can see thewinter out, warm and well fed. Thankyou to everyone.”Mr & Mrs H of North West
“All my family are avid readers and wererecipients of Charles Dickens’ books eachbirthday and Christmas. My favourite isGreat Expectations and I also love thenovels by his great grand-daughter, Monica Dickens. As I had no expectations,it was a delight to receive money fromyour charity. Your generosity has warmedour hearts as well as being able to turnour heating higher during this icy cold,winter weather. I am surprised no authorhas written about today’s situation of theunderprivileged in the UK in 2012. I amsure Charles Dickens would have.”Mrs B of West Yorkshire
“Thank you very much for the £200 thatyou sent me to celebrate Charles Dickens’birth in 1812. I have just celebrated my97th birthday and will enjoy using themoney on a trip out.”Mr G of North West
“Outside it is freezing, everything stiffand covered in snow and I’m thinking it isso cold, there is no way I can turn theheating off and then my post arrived.What a surprise! What a wonderful pick-me-up when I saw the cheque. Godbless Mr Dickens, not only do we havethe pleasure of losing ourselves in hiswonderful literature, we are greatly benefiting from his generosity as afounder member of our charity. I am agreat believer in the Lord and the hereafter and I’m sure Charles Dickens islooking over us and is happy to know hiswork is still being carried out via yourgood work.” Mrs A of West Yorkshire
“Now what am I going to do with mygift? Recently I had to have my weddingring cut off as my hands swelled up dueto a health problem. Although my husband died 25 years ago, we wouldhave been celebrating our Golden Wedding anniversary in March, so I am
going to have my ring repaired. It is 22carat so I know it is not going to becheap, but from one quote I have received, I know I will have enough topay for it. As to what’s left over, I canhave the pleasure of deciding which ofmany things I can spend it on!”Mrs J of London North West
“What a lovely surprise – thank you verymuch for the £200 cheque. Receivingthis on such a cold, dreary day lifted meand I’m on cloud nine! So interesting toread of Charles Dickens and how he realised those days long ago, the longhours and work put in to bring the newsto the readers. Still today, we can enjoyhis novels and plays as they are presentedon TV. Thank you Mr Dickens.”Mrs G of Bristol of Somerset and Wilts
“What a wonderful surprise. We justwanted to say thank you so much for thegift you sent us to commemorate the200th birthday of Charles Dickens. Weare most grateful to the board of trusteesfor their kindness in marking this specialevent. As you so rightly say, it is not easyhaving to struggle with increased livingcosts and this will be an enormous help. We had no idea Charles Dickens championed news sellers, even thoughwe are familiar with his books and havealways admired his writing skills. Wehave so much to thank him for. As TinyTim says in A Christmas Carol, ‘God Blessus, every one!’ ”Mr & Mrs G of East Anglia
“Thank you to everyone involved atNewstrAid for the Charles Dickenscheque which comes at a time when thewinter snows fall from the sky, giving aDickensian look to the surroundings. Wepromise not to do an Oliver in the workhouse by asking for more as we appreciate very much all that you do.”Mr & Mrs C of Lincoln
We truly felt that Dickens would have been proud if he could hear their gratefulthanks. Here is a selection:
It was the end of an era for GeorgeThompson in May this year when hestepped down from the WelfareCommittee after 27 years.
But although 83-year-old George has saidfarewell to his committee colleagues , hisbond with the charity is as strong as everas he continues, with his wife, Barbara, tobe an almoner for the north west area.
George told NewstrAid News: “Being amember of the Welfare Committee was alifeline for me. In helping others, it helpedme to overcome the trauma of cancer 25years ago.
“From being a busy newsagent overnightand having sold my business, I was leftwith very little to do. Thank you, NewstrAidfor the friendship and help given to meover the years.
“Barbara and I are still helping NewstrAidas almoners and members of the NorthWest Area Fundraising Committee.”
George is pictured (left) at his last Welfare meeting receiving a farewell giftfrom Chairman, Frank Mustard, on behalfof the Committee and Welfare staff.
George bidsfarewellto welfarefriends
There’s nothing like a bit of nostalgia and that’s exactly whatwe felt when stalwart NewstrAidsupporter, Ron Westwood, sentus this picture from back in the80s!
Seventy seven-year-old Ron unexpectedlycame across the photograph andthought we’d like to take a trip downMemory Lane with him. The picturewas taken in Paternoster Square, nextto St Paul’s Cathedral, at the start ofthe London Old Ben walk in the early80s. Ron was working in distributionat the time for Seymour Press, whichwas sponsoring refreshments for the
walk, complete with music from aWest Indian steel band, and he obviously took a few minutes out tomark the occasion and pose for a picture for posterity.
How many of you out there are saying: “I remember it well”?
Ron, who has also worked for WHSmith, Pickwick Press and Aid Fairs,tells us: “I also participated for a few years in the then named ACE Annual Fishing Festival in the late 70s,which, I see from NewstrAid News,still flourishes.”
Ron’s on atrip down memory lane
NewstrAid News 2013
www.newstraid.org.uk 26
Due to popular demand, we held our race day again in May at Lingfield Park, whichturned out to be a lovely sunny day. Guests, on arrival, were treated to a welcomedrink, sponsored by Econoprint, giving them the opportunity to chat to their colleagues, before being guided by Lingfield Park’s tipster, Lee McKenzie, on which horse andjockey would be a good bet. Once everyone had the chance to study their race card anddecide their bets, they were treated to a three course lunch in the VIP Pavilion Suite,while watching no less than seven races.
As it was such a beautiful day, everyone had the chance to meander around the courseand view the horses as they paraded around the ring before racing, then cheer for theirhorse at the finish line. A big thank you to our sponsors: Citibet, Citipost Direct Distribution, Mail Publisher Solutions, Menzies Distribution, Menzies Select, News International and Smiths News. Without their sponsorship and everyone’s support, theevent would not be able to take place and raise awareness of our charity and providefunds for our beneficiaries. THANK YOU!
Lingfield ParkRace Day
Louise Fox and Kevin Phelan enjoy the sunshine
Tipster, Lee McKenzie, with Alex van Straubenzee
Jockeys ready for the off.
Michael Raper, Citipost, presents the winningtrophy.
NewstrAid Team: Alex van Straubenzee, Louise Fox, Ami Davis and Alan Mottram-Playfoot.
Richard Webb, Smiths News, presents the prizefor the best turned out horse.
The finish line!
NewstrAid Events
www.newstraid.org.uk27
Gareth Creswell
News International
1st May & 17th October
Pub Quiz
Now nearing the end of their second year, NewstrAid’s new Key Grouphad a small shake up this year. Shifts in several members’ job roles sadlyled to us saying goodbye to Frank Tickner, Ed Hutchinson and Louise Banham, but new faces to the team bring with them a lot of enthusiasmand a raft of new ideas to raise even more for the charity.
Led by chairman, Frank Tickner, and assisted by NewstrAid’s Alex, Louiseand Alan, the group organised many successful events last year. Plans arewell underway for a strong year of fundraising in 2013, with JamesMcGuirk, the new chairman of the Key Group.
At least twice a year, we test the general knowledge of the news trade industry at our hugely popular pub quizzes. This year,the Key Group made the decision to drop the karaoke elementand our May quiz was the first event without it. Feedback fromattendees suggested the lack of karaoke was a positive, so it wasagreed we would continue with this format for future quizzes.
A move to a new venue and the return to a Wednesday night resulted in our October quiz being very popular, with 19 teamsbattling it out to be crowned champions.
James McGuirk and the winning Mail team show off the trophy. Quiz Master Frank Tickner and Jo Argyle
Jim Heinemann is only here for the wine
NewstrAid Key Group
Lauren BaleCOMAG Bryony Lamb
Menzies Distribution
Ed ChadwickNewtrade Publishing James McGuirk
Mail Publisher Solutions
Claire Burgess
Shortlist Media
Rebecca Stubbins Guardian News & Media
NewstrAid Key Group
www.newstraid.org.uk29
Euro 2012SweepstakeWe kicked off this year’s summer of sportwith a Euro 2012 football tournamentsweepstake. Aimed at offices across theindustry, people paid £5 per team, withhalf the proceeds going to NewstrAid.
8th July
British 10km RunFive Key Group and NewstrAid supportersdonned their running shoes to take partin the British 10km run to raise money for the charity. Despite torrential rain,everyone finished in great times and inhigh spirits, raising more than £1,500 forNewstrAid.
21st February
Wine tastingSponsored by Marketforce, the winetasting was held in the Marketforce canteen at the Blue Fin building. Although the number of people attend-ing was slightly down on 2011, feedbackfrom attendees was really positive, highlighting the better quality of wineand praise for the quiz master, Mel Jones,who is a Master of Wine.
Claire Burgess, Ken Moreton, Louise Fox and Liz Corns
Managing director, Tracey O’Sullivan, and theSeymour distribution team.
A soggy London
Winners, Marketforce with captain James McGuirk
The final match!
AdditionalFundraising...
Ed Hutchinson and the Guardian Team.
24th June
Five-a-sidefootballTaking place in Wembley, the 2012 tournament upped its game, with 11teams taking each other on. The day wasenjoyed by all, but Marketforce emergedvictorious, taking home the coveted trophy.
Petra Davies, Simon Holland, Sinead Flood, Lizzie Unsworth and Tracey O’Sullivan
Don’t forget to check www.newstraid.org.uk or follow NewstrAid onFacebook to find out more about our great Key Group events in 2013.
NewstrAid Key Group
www.newstraid.org.uk 30
Ken Stevens, MD of SCA Recycling (now DS Smith)presents the individual trophy to Kelvin Jones
Amra with the team trophy
Ian Kidner receives the 2nd prize from KenStevens
Rish Ignatious, 3rd prize winner, with KenStevens
Smiths News Team – Mike Moore, Jim Sinden, Howard Birch and Darren Neport
Gary McNish, Amra
Team Winners:Winning team Amra2nd place Ford Reynolds3rd place Menzies Distribution
Individual Winners:1st place Kelvin Jones2nd place Ian Kidner3rd place Rish Ignatious
Beat the Pro John StevensNearest the pin Rish IgnatiousLongest drive Jason HallHole in one Mike Moore
Yet again, NewstrAid’s Grand SummerDraw drew a tremendous response fromthe news trade. More than £80,000 wasraised which, although not quite matchinglast year’s record total, was still a major result for all the people NewstrAid helpsevery year.
None of it would have been possiblewithout the terrific help NewstrAid receivesfrom Smiths News, Menzies Distribution,Mail Newspapers and Downton’s
Transport – and, of course, the thousandsof newsagents up and down the countrywho make it all possible. NewstrAidthanks you all.
Pictured is Jonathon Littlejohn of CK Supermarket, Newcastle Emyln, beingpresented with the winner’s cheque byPat Johnson of their supplying wholesaler,Menzies of Swansea.
NewstrAid’s Grand Summer Draw 2012
NewstrAid Golf Day
www.newstraid.org.uk31
NewstrAid Events
The NewstrAid Golf Day was held on the 6th September 2012 at the London Golf Club.Players’ skills were challenged as they competed on the famous Heritage Course. Withits beautiful fairways and bright blue skies, it was not only a great location for playing, but guests were able to play on a championship course.
This prestige event was generously sponsored by Newsquest and DS Smith Recycling.
Mulligan and Beat the Pro competitions raised a massive £2,074.65 on the day. Thetotal amount raised was over £29,000! Thank you to everyone who took part.
NewstrAid News 2013
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FINISH
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Going the extra mile…to Mile EndThere are few journeys which hold such an enduring place in popular culture as the iconic trek from John O’Groats to Land’sEnd – best known as the ‘end to end’ trip.
In 2012, Menzies Distribution decided to honour the great CharlesDickens, celebrated patron of NewstrAid, by putting a special twiston the journey and ending it not at Land’s End, but at the place ofhis birth: Portsmouth’s Mile End.
Between 24th August and 2nd September, the wholesaler sent an intrepid team of cyclists on a 10-stage journey from north to south, raising more than £20,000 along the way.
Donors ranged from generous corporate partners, each of whom bestowed a Dickens-themed name on one of the legs, to individuals touched by the NewstrAid cause and the exertions ofthe Menzies riders. The riders themselves ranged from managingdirector, David McIntosh to night packer, Bernie Johnson: a widespectrum of the Menzies family, united by their love of pedallingand their desire to help people from our industry who have fallenon hard times.
The ride saw many challenges for the Menzies team, including1,500km of distance and 1.2km of gruelling hill-climbs; nonetheless, smiles and champagne were the order of the day asthey crossed the finish line to a warm welcome from the NewstrAidwelcoming committee.
To learn more about the ride, visit menziese2e.wordpress.com,where the archives of Menzies’ live blog bring to life the charactersand events which helped the ride capture so many imaginations.
The lazy tour of two idle apprentices
After the story of the same name,sponsored by Arnold Clark
Our Mutual FriendAfter the story of the same name,
sponsored by Linde
The UncommercialTraveller
After the short story collection ofthe same name, sponsored by Orion
The AKDventures ofOliver Twist
A play on words inspired by a wellknown story, sponsored by AKD
A Tale of Two CitiesAfter the story of the samename, sponsored by Gordian
The Old Curiosity ShopAfter the story of the samename, sponsored by Selecta
David CopyfieldA play on words inspired bya well known story, sponsored
by OCE
Dick SwivellerAfter the character of thesame name, sponsored by
Marketforce
Proud supporters of Newstr id
menziese2e.wordpress.com
Great ExpectationsAfter the story of the same
name, sponsored byMichael Page
Please Sir, I’ve hadenough!
A play on words inspired bya well known quotation,sponsored by Barrach’d
As most people have come to realise, technology in the 21st century is no longer a need, but instead, it is a must. Computers – especially social media - have the potential to make a business or charity a success. This means keeping up-to-date with the latest programs and websites is a necessity.
Here at The NewstrAid Benevolent Fund, we spent a large part of 2012 updating the way we communicate in order to promote ourevents further, spread our welfare information and generally raise the awareness of our charity.
Our website www.newstraid.org.ukAs you may have noticed, the website has had a fairly dramatic ‘facelift’. We felt it was timeto update the look and contents of the website in order to make it more appealing and easier to find what you’re looking for. You can still find out everything you need to knowabout NewstrAid – who we are, how we can help, events we will be holding throughout theyear etc. You can also find the contact details for each of our staff who work at the head office. We will always be happy to help with any query. On the website you will find a linkto our Flickr page, which is updated with photos from each of our events. Alternately, you can go to www.flickr.com/photos/newstraid where you mayfind an event you like the look of and would like to have a go!
The New eNewsletterAs well as the website, we felt our monthly newsletter would benefit from a makeover. The newsletter has proved to be a greatway of promoting our events and reminding people to buy their tickets for them, but trailing through every event, including theones you may not have an interest in, can be slightly tiresome. Because of this, we decided to redevelop the newsletter and create a front page which, in effect, works as a contents page. Youcan see all events by looking at this one page and simply click on the one you would like more information for. You are then able to download the flyer/information for this event or find the contact detailsneeded. You are never more than three clicks away from the informationyou need. Just email us at [email protected] if you would like to receive the newsletter.
Social mediaWe are still very keen to keep up-to-date with our social media by updating our Facebook and Twitter pages regularly. We have setup a new Facebook page, which enables us to be more interactive. Come and be our ‘friend’ (www.facebook.com/newstraid) as it’sa great opportunity to keep up-to-date with our upcoming events. You can now also see our event photos. Having our event photos on Facebook means you are able to tag people in them, comment on them and share them with friends. We have also nowjoined the ‘Twitter hype’. We have found that, as well as Facebook, it is also a great way to raise awareness, mainly tweeting links for flyers of events and reminding people of the dates. Nowadays, businesses are increasingly using Twitter for doing the same thing.Therefore, Twitter allows us to communicate with newsagents more so than Facebook. To follow us on twitter just search ‘NewstrAid’.
You can find out more about how the charity helps by watching our YouTube video. This includes speeches from our president, Sly Bailey, and welfare manager, Sinead Flood. Watching this short video is a great way of getting a clearer understanding on how andwho we help. You can now also watch our YouTube video on our website on the ‘Who We Are’ page.
Ami DavisOffice Assistant
We are always looking for ways to improve all of our forms of communication. Therefore, your comments are always welcome. Please contact us on 01371 874 198or [email protected] with any suggestions or queries you may have.
Keeping Up-to-Date
NewstrAid News 2013
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NewstrAid News 2013
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D I N I N G
M R H Y D E C O M P E T I T I O N
S T Y L E
T E C HA R T
C L I C K T O E N T E R
W I N A N L G T VA N D H O M E
E N T E R T A I N M E N T S Y S T E M
P L U S T H E F I R S T S E A S O N O F H O U S E O F L I E S O N D V D
P L U S T H E F I R S T P L U S T H E F I R S T P L U S T H E F I R S T P L U S T H E F I R S T P L U S T H E F I R S T
H O U S E O F L I E S H O U S E O F L I E S H O U S E O F L I E S H O U S E O F L I E S
Loaded magazine’s queen of the RingOn September 13th 2012, Loaded Magazine, in co-operation with SlamPromotions, held its inaugural LoadedGlamour Girls wrestling event in London’s Bloomsbury Ballroom.
Jodie Marsh held court over 10 modelsas they all slugged it out to be the QueenOf The Ring, in a tournament that keptthe capacity crowd both captivated andriveted. The crowd were all treated to aVIP experience, with a gourmet threecourse meal, followed by the main event,
10 glamour girls grappling to be QueenOf The Ring! Loaded owner Paul Chaplinalso made his mark in the squared circle,taking on all comers as he challenged allthe girls to try to knock him off his feetfor charity.
On the night Sophia Chan wrestled herway to the top and a massive £9,000 wasraised for Great Ormond Street Hospitaland NewstrAid. Owing to the fantasticsuccess of the evening, another is scheduled for late September 2013.
Ray Kidd presents Alex van Straubenzee with acheque for £3,000.
Once again, the team at Northern ACEpulled off another great Summer Pie at theMarriott Worsley Park, near Manchesteron Tuesday 3rd July. Golf, cricket, bowlsand even a spot of snooker were allavailable to test the metal of the mosthardened sportsman or sportswomanfrom around the news trade. The only dryday in a rain soaked summer, the eventwas enjoyed by more than 90 people.
Robert Draper won the Individual golf, PeterHarte and Steve Benson won the cricket,and Bernard Ridgewell won the bowls.
Highlight of the evening’s entertainmentat the splendid dinner was TV comedianMick Miller, who had the guests institches and a table quiz, devised by ColinDuke, had the guests brows furrowed.
With true ACE generosity, the charitycame away winners as well – NorthernACE presented NewstrAid with a chequefor £500 towards our work with children.
NewstrAid News 2013
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With best wishes from one great news trade organisation to another
Northern ACE Summer Pie
The comedian Mick Miller
Obituaries
Obituaries
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Edwin Boorman 07.11.1935 - 14.03.2012
Betty was involved with Old Ben for morethan 25 years.
Betty supported her late husband, George, bydoing all the secretarial work required. GeorgePeacock was chairman of the Old Ben WelfareCommittee and a member of the ExecutiveCommittee for many years. Over the years,Betty helped at Old Ben fundraising eventsand also shared the role of almoner withGeorge.
Bill started in the news trade in the mid 60s withCity Magazines. During this time, he personallyacquired a large news pitch situated at the bottom of St Martin’s Lane/Trafalgar Square.He left City Magazines 12 years later to joinSpotlight, where he was in charge of circulationand one of his many responsibilities was lookingafter Triad, the foreign press arm of Spotlight.He stayed there during the acquisition of LinkHouse and the new company was renamedUMD, where his influence played a major partin the change. In 1989, he left UMD andjoined COMAG CSD as managing director.They said, without his knowledge, direction,determination and enthusiasm, it simply wouldnot exist today and the world of magazine distribution would be the poorer for that. Heretired in 1994. Bill was a very loyal and honestman never asking anyone to undertake a taskhe hadn’t done in the past himself or was willingto carry out at the time. Bill was a regular supporter of NewstrAid and many of us sawhim only a few days before his death at theOld Ben Carol Concert in St Bride’s Church.
Bill passed away on Saturday, 7th July at thegrand old age of 96.
Bill started working for WH Smith in the 1930sas a newsboy at London Bridge station andspent the rest of his working days at Smiths,working his way up to regional manager forthe Kent area. His war service was with theRAF before transferring to a mobile signals unit with the Canadian Army during the occupation of Germany. He was involved infundraising for Old Ben and was an almonerfor many years.
The president of family-owned regionalnewspaper publisher, the KM Group, died on 14th March 2012 aged 76.
Edwin served as managing director, chief executive and chairman of the company andtook the role of president in January 2006,passing the chairman’s baton to his daughter,Geraldine Allinson. Edwin was the third generation in a family that owned the businesssince the late 1800s and under his leadership,the KM Group expanded into radio and digital,with the launch of kmfm and kentonline.co.uk.He was president of the NewstrAid Kent Dickens Area Committee until his death. Edwinwas awarded an OBE in 2002 for his servicesto the Royal British Legion in Kent. He was alsopresident of the Newspaper Society from 2001to 2002, a post his daughter held in 2012.
Warm tribute has been paid to past NFRNgeneral secretary Victor Holt, who died justdays before reaching his 100th birthday.
Victor had notched up nearly 50 years with theNFRN, joining as an office boy in 1928 and rising through the ranks to general secretary in1962 – a position he held for 14 years. This appointment marked a new chapter for theFederation as previously employees were notallowed to hold office – the general secretaryhad to be a newsagent and an NFRN memberfor at least three years. For his loyal service tothe Federation, Victor’s name was added to the National Roll of Honour in 1971. Hewas a trustee of Old Ben from 1974 to 1987.
Bill Fitch 03.06.1916 - 07.07.2012
Victor Holt 1912 - 2012
Betty Peacock Died 18.03.2012
Bill Pitson Died 21.12.2012
Bill Pitson, a well-respected member of thenews trade for many years, died on 21st December 2012 of a heart attack at the age of70. He leaves his wife, Bonnie, and family.
Obituaries
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Bryan Buckroyd Died 10.10.2012
Tim Bussell04.10.1939 - 26.7.2012
After a short illness, Bryan Buckroyd sadlypassed away on 10th October 2012, aged 70.
He was both an Old Ben almoner and secretaryof the West Midlands Area Committee. Likeso many others (whom our NewstrAid charityrelies on), he gave of his time unstintingly and with much enthusiastic commitment. He retired from W H Smith in the position of regional director. He was a forthright, bluntand a straight-to-the-point businessman aswell as having a delightful sense of humour.As almoner, he was caring, compassionate andnon-judgemental. He felt it a privilege to be inthe company of those less fortunate than mostand in need. He is greatly missed by his W HSmith colleagues and NewstrAid’s West Midlands Area Committee.
Tim, the eldest son of Jack Bussell – the headof newspaper wholesaler, Bussells of Derby,was always expected to enter the family business. On leaving school in 1957, he entered the news trade by working for Surridge Dawsons on their trainee management scheme. After two years he returned to Derby.
In the mid sixties Tim took operational controlof Bussells and oversaw the changes in working practices that were needed to make
full use of new technology. The philosophy ofthe business at that time was service to the retailer. At this point, Tim’s ability to remembernames and faces came to the fore especially inthe more politically charged atmosphere in theindustry after the mid eighties. It was aboutthis time that he became more involved with‘Old Ben’, first on the East Midlands area committee and then as an almoner, a job hefound fulfilling.
The doors closed at Bussells for the last time at the end of September 2008, after threegenerations and ninety years in the newspaper distribution business. Of thoseninety years, Tim had given fifty one to thebusiness. He died on 26th July 2012.
Les Allsopp was born on 20th September1923. In August 1942, at the age of 19, hewas called up and, on joining the Army hewas posted to the Royal Artillery. Les becamea forward observation observer and in 1944,was attached to the Parachute Regiment.
He then became involved in action in Normandy on D-Day, 5th June 1944. Whenthe key German gun emplacement at Brevillehad been attacked by British forces, a misunderstanding in communications led theallied artillery to fire at their own positions,causing casualties among the parachutists. Les,acting independently, promptly ordered acease fire, which undoubtedly prevented further casualties. It was for this action he was awarded a Mention in Despatches – adecoration for courage under fire, in conditions of utmost danger, strain and stress,only just short of a Military Medal. Les returned to Europe in December 1944 for theArdennes campaign and, in 1945, he was involved in the Rhine Crossing into Germany.Later on in the year while everyone was celebrating V E Day and the end of World WarII, his division was sent to Palestine during theinternal security operation at the end of theBritish Mandate. This was a particularly nastyand dangerous campaign for the British Army.Les left the Army in 1947 and became anewsagent, opening his first shop in MuskhamStreet in Nottingham. He later ran anothershop in Bakersfield and, in 1957, took over another newsagents shop in Colwick. Lesthrew himself into not only his business, butalso the National Federation of RetailNewsagents, (NFRN). He was a key player inthe Nottingham and Derby branch and, on the
Les Allsopp20.09.1923 - 23.01.2013
national stage there was no–one who didn’tknow Les. He wasn’t the tallest of men, but what he lacked in height, he more thanmade up with his presence, determination,friendliness and delightful sense of humour.His work for Old Ben started in 1949 and hewas president of the Shires Area Committeeuntil he died. During his 60 years working forOld Ben, he was awarded, a Good Samaritanbadge in 1972, for all the work he did as secretary and treasurer of the North Nottingham and South Derbyshire Area Committee. He was also one of our specialteam of Old Ben almoners – visiting beneficiaries throughout Nottinghamshire andDerbyshire. Les joined the NFRN on 20th July1947. Among the positions he held were Nottingham branch president, East Midlandsdistrict president, national councillor, andholder of the National Merit Award – Only 11members of the NFRN have been given thisaward in the 94 year history of the Federation.In his spare time, Les was very active in his community and the Royal British Legion. Hisfuneral took place in Gedling on 14th Februaryand was well attended by servicemen, friendsand others. The motorbike section of the RoyalBritish Legion escorted Les’s coffin to thecemetery with the Nottingham police holdingup the traffic for the cortege.
