gig2give

We are an independent

community interest

company.

We do not send any of our

raised funds to either of

these two charities — we

fundraise locally and we

support local families.

If you do not wish to

support gig2give, please

support any of these two

worthy Charites

Newsletter gig2give

Published by gig2give events 140 Botchergate, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 1SH

Gig2give events & G2 Art Gallery

Raising awareness and supporting those families

affected by Muscular Dystrophy and Strokes

Gig2give events

We are a not for profit community interest company and our soul

purpose is to raise awareness and support those families affected by

Muscular Dystrophy and Strokes.

All our fundraising efforts will be conducted through the Arts, Live

Music, Entertainment and Sport.

Our ethos and business model of fundraising are unique, innovative

and forward thinking.

We will be using the community to support the community.

We know that there are many charities out there all asking for your

hard earned cash and we really do appreciate your donations but as

you will see, we try to give you something back.

In our fundraising efforts we try to offer support to local artist,

Bands, Entertainers and encourage sport within the community.

Watch out for and support our many events that will be held in and

around Carlisle, events to include;

*Sport, - 7 a side football tournaments, golf tournaments, pool,

darts, snooker and indoor bowls competitions.

*music festivals, classical concerts featuring choirs and orchestras,

acoustic music showcase events, one off gigs featuring music from

punk to acoustic.

*or why not visit our art G2 Art Gallery at 140 Botchergate, Carlisle.

CA1 1SH where you will find Art by local artists and photographers

and jewellery all made locally.

Jim Ferguson, Events & Gallery Director

gig2give

We are an independent

community interest

company.

We do not send any of our

raised funds to either of

these two charities — we

fundraise locally and we

support local families.

If you do not wish to

support gig2give, please

support any of these two

worthy Charites

Edition one

Muscular Dystrophy & Stroke

gig2give events & G2 Art Gallery — fundraisers for families affected by

Now in existence for nearly a year, gig2give events continues to

strive to expand its programs and offerings to the community.

We do not receive any funding and all funds raised come from

our fund raising events and income from our G2 Art Gallery.

We have secured a two year sponsorship deal with Butter-

worth's Solicitors in Carlisle, which has enabled us to get past

our launch and now approaching our second year of raising

awareness and supporting those families affected by Muscular

Dystrophy and Strokes, two devastating illnesses. Please take a little time to read the following pages de-

tailing these often forgotten and soul destroying conditions.

There will be many opportunities for companies or individuals to get involved through our wide range of

possible sponsorship deals on offer and we hope you will get the chance to experience first-hand the pride

and passion we have in supporting our cause.

It is our mission to continue supporting local families affected by these two conditions, I believe that it is

not just the patient that suffers, but the whole family, as I well know from personal experience, my

grandson Will has Muscular Dystrophy and I have had three strokes over the last few years. In order to

meet our mission and provide services in our community, we rely on the generosity of individuals and

businesses for support. Without the assistance of community-minded individuals just like you, we

wouldn’t be able to serve those in our community who need our help.

We ask that individuals or companies make a commitment to support our annual appeal by making a cash

donation or by offering to sponsor one of our many events. Your generosity will make a big difference in

our community by allowing us to continue with our work because of your generosity.

In the following pages you will find further information on how we aim to help those families affected

and please remember that every donation makes a difference, regardless of size.

Thank you

Jim Ferguson.

Events & G2 Gallery Director.

What is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy? www.muscular-dystrophy.org

What is Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genet-

ic disorder that causes muscles to gradually weak-

en over time. A person with DMD will eventually

lose the ability to walk and will have problems

with breathing and his or her heart. It most often

affects boys and occurs among all races and cul-

tures. Sometimes this disorder affects other mem-

bers of a person’s family, but in many cases it is

new to a family.

What are the signs of DMD?

A child who has DMD does not reach certain de-

velopmental milestones at the same time as other

children of the same age, particularly motor or

movement milestones. Most boys with DMD start

walking later than other children and are thought

to be clumsy and fall a lot. In some cases a child

might have learning and speech delays.

Children with DMD might:

*Not be able to walk by 15 months of age.

*Walk with the legs apart, on the toes, or walk

with the belly pointed out (also called lordosis),

or both.

*Fall frequently

*Need help getting up from the floor or “walk”

up their legs with their hands in order to stand

(also called Gowers manoeuvre).

*Have difficulty with motor skills such as run-

ning, hopping, jumping, or climbing stairs.

*Have behaviour and learning difficulties.

*Have larger calves than other children of the same

size or age (also called pseudohypertophy).

*Frequently complain of having tired legs

*Have delayed speech.

What causes DMD?

Children who have DMD make no or low amounts

of a protein called dystrophin. Dystrophin acts like

glue, holding muscles together by keeping the

structure of muscle cells. Without it, muscles

weaken over time and become unable to work

properly.

Although there are medical treatments that may

help slow its progression, there is currently no cure

for Duchenne.

We will endeavour to keep you informed about du-

chenne muscular dystrophy in future issues. In the

mean time why not google it and you will discover

that this illness effects not only the patient, but the

whole family….as I well know, my grandson Will

has this soul destroying illness and there is not a

day goes by without me being in tears about the

suffering the Will has to endure. I have said this

before and I will continue to say it...he may be

small in stature, but he is a giant in my eyes. Any

donation to gig2give will be used to support local

families.

Here is just a one of the sites you could visit:

www.muscular-dystrophy.org

All information correct at the time of publishing.

Some useful web sites……...

www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/health-

information/directory/d/duchenne-

muscular-dystrophy

This factsheet is relevant for adults who

have Duchenne muscular dystrophy and

parents of children with the condition.

However, because the condition mainly af-

fects boys, for simplicity they will refer to

your son throughout.

www.muscular-dystrophy.org

We are dedicated to improving the lives of

people affected by muscular dystrophy and

related neuromuscular conditions.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Muscular-

dystrophy/Pages/Introduction.aspx

NHS general info page

www.patient.co.uk/health/muscular-

dystrophies-an-overview

Muscular dystrophy is an inherited

(genetic) disorder causing muscle weak-

ness. There are different types of muscular

dystrophy, which vary as to how severe

they are, ranging from very mild to severe.

The different types also vary as to what

age they begin. If muscular dystrophy is

suspected, tests can help to make an accu-

rate diagnosis. Other people in the family

can also be tested to see if they have a

muscular dystrophy gene. Muscular dys-

trophy cannot be cured, but there are vari-

ous treatments which can help.

wwwkidshealth.org/teen/

diseases_conditions/bones/

muscular_dystrophy

Aside from seeing the telethon hosted by

Jerry Lewis on Labor Day weekend, many

people don't know much about muscular

dystrophy. Yet a quarter of a million kids

and adults are living with the disease, so

chances are you may know someone who

has it.

Stroke — Be F.A.S.T……………….. www.strokeassociation.org.uk

Stroke — Act F.A.S.T……………….. www.strokeassociation.org.uk

*One in five strokes are fatal. Stroke causes about

7% of deaths in men and 10% of deaths in women.

*Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability.

*In 2010 stroke was the fourth largest cause of

death in the UK after cancer, heart disease and res-

piratory disease, causing almost 50,000 deaths.

*Stroke causes a greater range of disabilities than

any other condition.

*At least a quarter of people in residential nursing

care have had a stroke.

*Stroke has a greater disability impact than other

chronic diseases.

*At least a quarter of people in residential nursing

care have had a stroke.

*Approximately 11% of stroke patients are newly

admitted to a care home after their stroke.

Grim reading I know, but there is life after a

stroke. As a stroke victim myself I know this only

to well….like many others, unable too go back to

work and feeling useless and so, so, tired (even

still today) it would have been so easy to end up

wallowing in self pity, but as the stroke had

changed my life, I thought well why not embrace

this new life and make the best of it, so hear I am

director of gig2give raising awareness of Muscular

Dystrophy and Strokes so instead of earning

money I now just pester people to give me there’s.

Jim Ferguson

Every year there are approximately 152,000

strokes in the UK. That's one stroke every three

and a half minutes. Most people affected are

over 65, but anyone can have a stroke, including

children and even babies.

Stroke changes lives. It can have a huge effect

on you and your family. You will most likely

want to know as much as you can about what

practical, emotional and financial support is

available.

To so many of us, research is important because

it's about change. We believe in the power of

research to save lives, prevent stroke and ensure

people make the best recovery they can.

Research funded by the Stroke Association has

the ultimate aim of making stroke a preventable

and treatable disease, and improving the quality

of life for people affected by stroke.

For every cancer patient living in the UK, £295

is spent each year on medical research, com-

pared with just £22 a year for every stroke pa-

tient. This needs to be changed and with your

help, we can change it…..

Stroke is a sudden and devastating illness -

however, many people are unaware of its

widespread impact.

*There are approximately 1.1 million stroke sur-

vivors living in the UK.

*High blood pressure is the most important risk

factor for stroke, contributing to about 50% of

all strokes.

*Strokes can happen at any age.

Working alongside

Promoting

Butterworths Solicitors Sponsored by

www.prismarts.org.uk

Gig2give events & G2 Art Gallery

140 Botchergate, Carlisle,

Cumbria. CA1 1SH

01228 318 836—07846 166 917

jim@gig2give.org

Raising awareness of & supporting those families affected by Muscular Dystrophy & Stroke

Fundraising through: The Arts, Live Music, Entertainment & Sport

*Are you someone who has had a Stroke ? *Do you have an interest in art?

*Would you like to have FREE art lessons ?

If the answer is yes to all three questions then this offer is defiantly for you.

Gig2give events and the G2 Gallery are pleased to announce that starting in March 2015 we will

be holding FREE art classes for those suffering from the effects of a stroke (art has been proven to

aid your recovery)—these classes are being made available through Prism Arts and will be held in

the Carlisle Library — It is not often you hear this but;

YES ! they are completely FREE…….

These are not one off lessons, they start on the 9th March 2015 and continue right through to

February 2016. It will be entirely up to you to decide in how many classes you wish to attend

whether it be just one or all thirty classes. All the classes will be con-

ducted by a fully trained instructor, both from a art point of view and

from a stroke point of view, they will be enjoyable, informative and an

excellent social event so, even if it is just to meet new people and mix

with others who have a stroke as common ground, these events will

prove to be beneficial in your road to recovery.

And there’s more! If you don’t fancy the art classes...why not call

in for a chat (even if it is just for a free coffee) in our new drop in centre in the G2 Gallery

on Botchergate.

Should you wish to take part in the library Art sessions please get in touch asap, or if you would

like further info, please contact Jim.

Office: 01228 318 836 — Mobile: 07846 166 917 — Email: jim@gig2give.org

Gig2give is a not for profit community interest company and we are sponsored by;

Butterworths Solicitors, Carlisle.

2016 library dates:

04/01/2016 - 11/01/2016 - 18/01/2016 - 25/01/2016 - 01/02/2016

For further details call or email Jim 01228 318 836 jim@gig2give.org

provisional list of stroke sessions in the Library.

G2 dates to be announced

Donations & Volunteering

We are currently receive no funding and any raised funds are

achieved through our G2 Art Gallery and from our events held

in and around Carlisle, we have listed just a few of events we

organise in the next few pages….We are proud of the fact that

we are totally innovative and unique in our Community Interest

Company fundraising efforts both by the fact that we are able to

raise awareness and support those families affected by Muscular

Dystrophy and Strokes but by using The Arts, Live Music, En-

tertainment and Sport we are able to involve and give some-

thing back to the community...along with assisting and showcasing many artists, live mu-

sic from punk to classical, choirs, classical music show case events, live music festivals,

art and photography fairs, theatre shows from one man plays to larger productions

(including dance)…..and much more. As you will no doubt understand the gifts we make

available to those suffering from Muscular Dystrophy and Strokes come at a price….so

any and all donations are very much appreciated.

You can make a donation by cheque, made payable to ‘gig2give events’

Or, in person by calling into our office and art gallery at:

140 Botchergate, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 1SH

Are you interested in volunteering?

We are constantly needing volunteers for many aspects of our

work. If you are in a position to offer a few hours every week

and are interested in helping out at our events to include: classi-

cal showcases, live music events, race nights, in fact any of our events. Or

maybe art is where your interest lies then you could help out in our G2 Art

Gallery. If you have a particular skill that you think we might need and you

have both the time and the inclination to help out….

Then just get in touch with Jim;

Office: 01228 318 836 Mobile: 07846 166 917 email: jim@gig2give.org

Thank you for your donation

gig2give

G2 Art Gallery

140 Botchergate,

Carlisle, Cumbria

CA1 1SH

01228 318 836

NOW OPEN AFORDABLE ART FOR EVERY BUDGET

ART—JEWELLERY—ARTS &

CRAFTS—PHOTOGRAPHY

Why not join our

‘ART BUYERS CLUB’

Make regular payments—no interest, no loan agreement, no

Credit checks….simple way to make Art affordable.

Small selection of the jewellery available

Race Night Services

GREAT VALUE—GREAT ENTERTAINMENT—GREAT FUN

RACE NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT PACKAGE

Our race night package is a fantastic way to

both raise funds for our cause and as a

result, raise your bar and food takings…

Race Night Services

GREAT VALUE—GREAT ENTERTAINMENT—GREAT FUN

RACE NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT PACKAGE

Our package includes:

As many poster as you think fit from A4 to A0.

All the staff required to run a successful night’s racing.

The big screen (if needed)

Up to 9 race’s per event.

All money raised will be used to help local people.

Live music + P.A. system.

Continued on next page…………………..

Race Night Services

RACE NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT PACKAGE

All you have to do is:

Supply the venue

Supply and encourage punters to attend the event.

Make a small donation of £30, this will be added to the

evenings fund raising efforts. Please note, that if the

event is ticket only… and we receive the ticket money no

donation will be required.

PLEASE NOTE:

Should you have a charity of your own that you would like to support, then

that is not a problem….we will simply charge you a set fee of £175 and you

keep all the profits from the event..

Some useful web sites……...

www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke.

General info on Strokes

www.stroke-site.org

Representing medical, scientific, advo-

cacy, and government professionals

from across the stroke continuum, the

Brain Attack Coalition is dedicated to

setting direction, advancing knowledge,

and communicating best practices to im-

prove our ability to prevent and combat

stroke.

www.thegoddessfund.org

Guidelines for the prevention of stroke

in women have been created for the first

time. An expert panel was convened by

the American Heart Association, The

American Stroke Association, to estab-

lish guidelines for stroke prevention in

women. The panel consisted of experts

in many fields, including neurology, car-

diology, nursing, obstetrics and gynae-

cology, nursing, and internal medicine.

www.chasa.org

The Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke As-

sociation (CHASA) is a 17 year old non-

profit organization dedicated to improving

the quality of life for children, adults, and

families affected by infant and childhood

hemiplegia.

www.stroke.org

National non-profit organization that offers

education, services and community-based

activities in prevention, treatment, rehabili-

tation and recovery. Serves the public and

professional communities, people at risk,

patients and their health care providers,

stroke survivors, their families and carer-

givers.

These are just a few, there are lots of web

sites out there for you to get plenty of in-

formation.

There is no two stroke patients the same

we all deal with things differently and all

have differed symptoms, remember there

is no such thing a silly question, find out as

much as you can…..even if it is just to see

Some information you might find useful

Benefits Advice

Most benefits cannot be backdated and therefore it is essential to claim in time. You, or a person

claiming on your behalf, have a responsibility to claim the right benefit in time. "Not knowing"

about a benefit is not a good reason for not claiming in time. At times it is difficult to know which

benefit or benefits are the right benefits and sometimes rules change.

The benefits advice team at the Civic Centre are specialist welfare rights advisors who provide a

comprehensive advice service on the whole range of benefits provided by the Department for

Work and Pensions, Cumbria County Council and Carlisle City Council.

Advisors can

give advice on the claiming of benefits such as Income Support, Housing Benefit, Disability

Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance, Incapac-

ity Benefit, Social Fund and Welfare Assistance Scheme

check whether you are receiving your correct entitlement to benefit

help with appeals and requests for reviews

Customer Contact Centre

Civic Centre

Rickergate

Carlisle

CA3 8QG

The opening hours are:

Monday to Thursday: 9 am to 5 pm

Friday: 9am to 4pm.

By phone: 01228 817200 option 4:-

This is normally an answer machine so just leave your name and phone number then one of the team

members will get in touch ASAP Please note, do this as soon as possible as clamming for a PIP can

take up to 8/10 months.

Our fundraising methods….

Our ethos and business model of fundraising is

unique, innovative and forward thinking.

We will be using the community to support the

community.

We know that there are many charities out there

and you must be fed up putting your hands into

your pockets (I know I am) but we do appreciate

your donations and as you will see, we try to give

you something back.

In our fundraising efforts we try to offer support

to local artist, Bands, Entertainers and encourage

sport within the community through;

Live music events—music showcase events and

music festivals.

Sporting events such as golf tournaments, foot-

ball tournaments involving schools and pub foot-

ball teams. Pool & darts competitions.

Art, in our G2 Art gallery supporting local artists

and photography.

If you would like to be involved in any of our

events, please get in touch. The following pages

have some further info on some of our events.

www.muscular-dystrophy.org

www.stroke.org.uk

Both these sites are full of

information, the latest

news on medical advanc-

es, and support details.

Should you feel the need

to just have a chat with

someone, either about

living with Muscular Dys-

trophy or Stroke why not

call in to our Botchergate

office…… we can’t offer

professional advice, but

we can offer you our sup-

port. Even if it is just to

get out the house for a

while.

Darts competitions;

Our darts competition is run over two nights—We need a minimum of 16 people to take part—the first

night will be 301 the best of three and will end at the quarter finals stage, 8 players. Then the following

week we will have the finals, the quarter & semi finals will be 301 best of five. The final will be 501 best of

5. There will be a medal for the second place and a cup for the winner. The medal & cup will have both

gig2give’s name and the venue’s name engraved on them.

Pool competitions;

Our pool competition is run over two nights—We need a minimum of 16 people to

take part—the first night will the best of three and will end at the quarter finals stage,

8 players. Then the following week we will have the finals, the quarter & semi finals

will be best of five. The final will be best of 7. There will be a medal for the second

place and a cup for the winner. The medal & cup will have both gig2give’s name and

the venue’s name and will say (your venue name and gig2give darts tournament

winner or second place).

Tell your customers about this service and if possible, we will hold the party in your venue

Live music festivals

All music genres covered:

Whether it be in a venue—clubs, pubs etc.

Churches—to raise funds for a any purpose.

Village fate’s, or any other social gathering.

Why not let gig2give organise the music

event for you……

To discuss your particular requirements or

ideas, give Jim a call …..01228 318 836

Do you own a suitable venue?

why not let us organise live

music showcase events or a

music festival at your venue

………...…..interested?

email jim@gig2give.org

Raising awareness and supporting those families affected by Muscular Dystrophy and Strokes

Classical showcase events

These events can be held any-

where ...but they are mainly held

in churches.

Classical concerts usually show-

case — choirs, orchestras, trio/

quartets, solo vocalists, guitarists

and pianist - To name but a few..

Do you own a venue you think

might be suitable for a classical

event? or perhaps you know of an

available church? if so….

Contact Jim .. jim@gig2give.og

gig2give raising awareness and supporting those families affected by Muscular Dystrophy and Strokes

Butterworths Solicitors Butterworths Solicitors

24 Lowther Street & 148 Botchergate, Carlisle.

Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority 76501

Butterworths started life in 1993 when Anthony (Tony) Butterworth opened the

practice of A M Butterworth in Carlisle. Since then, they have grown via a combination

of organic growth and mergers into a full service law firm with 4 offices spread

throughout the north of England in Bury, Carlisle, Gateshead and Penrith.

There aim is to become the premier firm in the north of England for transactional legal

business. They believe that they will fulfil their objective by concentrating on key

service areas where they have genuine expertise that they can demonstrate. By concentrating on their

strengths they believe that they are well placed to differentiate their service by ensuring the quality of

their service is exemplary.

Their core service areas are:

*Residential conveyancing *Debt and money problems * Financial mis-selling claims for businesses and

consumers *Lender and corporate property services *Commercial conveyancing *Wills and Probate

Service available - Conveyancing, Employment, Flight compensation, Insolvency and Debt Management,

Investor Services, Land and Property Disputes, Packaged Bank Account Claims, Payment Protection

Insurance Reclaim (PPI), Personal Injury Claims, Remortgage, Wills and Probate.

Services for Businesses - Business Law, Commercial Property, Developer Services, Employment Services

Interest Rate Swap Claims, Lender Services, Service for Estate Agents.

They offer services to clients of many sizes, from individuals to quoted companies. their processes are

consistent across all of their services and they are capable of delivering a service tailored to the

individual needs of all of their clients.

gig2give & G2 Art Gallery would like to acknowledge that without the very generous help and

sponsorship of Butterworth’s Solicitors (who have been supporting us from the very start) we would not

exist as we are today, to say we could not have done it without their help is an massif understatement

and words alone cannot express my gratitude.

Jim Ferguson - Director gig2give & G2 Art Gallery.

Tony Butterworth

Gig2give events raising awareness and supporting those families affected by

Muscular Dystrophy and Strokes

And finally, even though I have had three Strokes in the past 14 months, and still

in recovery, and will be for some time, this is not the reason I had the idea of

launching this unique and initiative community interest company, the real reason

is my grandson Will, who has Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, he is a real inspira-

tion to me, he may be small in stature, but he is a giant in my eyes, he is a real

hero in every sense of the word and his spirit and attitude to his illness gives me

the strength and motivation to continue and ignore my own problems and make

this project work. Every one I know who has had the good fortune to meet Will

are humbled by his inner strength and positive outlook on life; he worries more

about me then himself, which just shows you the type of character he is – so just

like Will, we need to show the families who are affected by Strokes and Muscular

Dystrophy that someone cares. People know little about the helplessness that

parents/family members feel when caring for a sick loved one (no one has ever

asked my wife or daughter how they feel for instance) knowing that things are

not going to get much better, it’s hard to muster up the energy, strength and

hope that is required to get you through each day, all we want to do is make that

journey just a little bit easier, by using the whole community to let those families

know that they are not alone .

I will always remember what my grandmother once said - Only put off until to-

morrow, what you are willing to die left undone, so here I am not putting things

off, so why not join Will and I and make Carlisle’s G2 Art Gallery and gig2give

events the most unique and initiative community interest company in the UK.. ….

In finishing, I would like to say a huge thank you to my wife for all her patience

and unbelievable devotion needed to get me through this trauma…..I know that

without her and my families love, this would be a pointless journey…...

Jim Ferguson.