Patrons of Stoke Gifford’s Beaufort Arms public house have made another generous donation to Above & Beyond, the fundraising charity which supports Bristol’s city centre hospitals.

Their latest contribution of £1,200 has been specifically designated to assist in the support of children undergoing treatment for cleft lip and palate, a congenital abnormality very familiar to the pub’s general manager, Jim Carey, whose son Joseph was born with the condition.

Now aged 5, Joseph had to undergo corrective surgery on his lip when just 5 months old, followed by an operation on his palate five months later. Further operations are planned for when he is between 8 and 10 years old, including one in which a bone graft will be taken from his hip.

Above: Joseph as a baby and how he looks today following several rounds of corrective surgery.

Jim and his wife Gemma have received extensive support from the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA), a charity working to improve the lives of people born with a cleft, and their families, in the UK.

CLAPA has advised the family on topics ranging from speech therapy to psychological support.

More: Money raised through weekly raffles and games »

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A New Year’s Eve challenge, made under the influence of a few celebratory drinks with friends, turned into a life-changing fitness quest for one SGS employee.

South Gloucestershire and Stroud (SGS) College Students’ Union engagement officer Ben Johnson and two of his friends made a pact back on New Year’s Eve 2018 to run 3k every day throughout 2019 to raise money for the mental health charity MIND.

The challenge has been a difficult one for Ben to persevere with: “Before starting this challenge, I could run for about 20 minutes before getting tired. I’ve always played football so was physically fit, though I really had to adapt to continuous running, which was difficult. I was a little chubby around the edges and definitely didn’t have a stable and healthy diet, enjoying the occasional pint and over indulging in luxury treats.”

However, not to be beaten by each other, the three friends have persisted with the challenge and on Monday 16th December, we met with Ben as he completed day 350. Ben said: “I try to alternate my route by location and distance to keep it interesting. In the mornings or evenings, I often run around the Clifton area where I live and at lunchtimes I’ll run around Filton where I work. The good runs are at weekends when I may escape to the hills or out in the countryside. Although running downhill has caused me a lot of stress to my shins.”

With the end of the challenge now only two weeks away, the friends have raised a staggering £2,358 for MIND and look set to reach their target of £2,500 by the end of the year.

Ben added: “We have run with terrible hangovers in Alcudia and Rome, sometimes in 40 degree heat. The lads, Jack and Aaron, have even had to run during the Glastonbury Festival and also on a skiing holiday!”

When asked about the motivation behind this mammoth challenge, Ben said: “Every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem. MIND believes that no one should have to face a mental health problem alone. Neither do we. That’s why we have decided to do something both unique and challenging to raise money for a great cause that is close to our hearts.”

“MIND and mental health is a big factor in my life and running everyday has really helped on days where I’ve felt blue. We hope we can give something back to such an amazing cause.”

You can follow the final stages of their challenge on Facebook (@3KadayforMind) and Instagram (@runningformind), and donate online at www.justgiving.com/Aaron-Hearn

Photo: Ben Johnson (left) with fellow ‘3k a day’ challenge participants Aaron and Jack.

This article originally appeared in the January 2020 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 25). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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The Guide Dogs charity is the latest good cause to benefit from regular fundraising activities at the Beaufort Arms in Stoke Gifford.

Representatives from the charity’s South Gloucestershire Fundraising Group visited the pub on Sunday 18th August when they were presented with a cheque for £1,000.

The money has been collected through activities organised by prolific fundraiser Tony Giles, who for many years has staged a weekly ‘meat raffle’ in the pub at 3.30pm on Sunday afternoons. Further funds are raised through a ‘higher or lower’ card game which follows the raffle at around 4.15pm and from a lottery bonus ball competition.

Monica Cave, organiser of the local branch of Guide Dogs, who accepted the cheque on behalf of the charity, said:

“Thank you so much to Tony, staff and customers at the Beaufort Arms for their amazing £1,000 donation raised from their weekly meat raffle.”

“I am always amazed at the diverse types of fundraising people choose to do when supporting Guide Dogs and a meat raffle is definitely a first for our South Gloucestershire Fundraising Group. I always love to see people enjoying themselves while fundraising and I am sure staff and the customers all had a great time.”

More: Cleft lip charity set to be next beneficiary »

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Music, food and family activities are all coming together in Stoke Gifford for a special fun day in aid of a local charity.

The whole community is invited to join in with family-friendly activities on Saturday 28th September at the Co-operative food store in North Road, Stoke Gifford.

From 12pm to 5pm there will be a range of entertainment at the convenience store in aid of Children’s Hospice South West.

The North Somerset hospice cares for children with life-limiting conditions and their families by providing respite care and short breaks, as well as emergency, palliative and end of life care from its three hospices.

Chloe Humphries, Store Manager at the Stoke Gifford store which is part of Southern Co-op – the independent, local co-operative, said:

“We would be delighted if as many people as possible could join us and help us spread the word so we can raise as much money as we can for this great cause.

“We are not ticketing the event but all donations will be appreciated.”

“As well as raising money, we also hope it will bring people together from all over our local community and help everyone to get to know each other a bit better. We can’t wait!”

There will be children’s characters, refreshments, a bouncy castle, a children’s ride, hair braiding, face painting, waffles, a visit from Sav’s Super Whippy ice cream van and the classic game of ‘hook a duck’.

The Co-operative Food store is supporting the children’s hospice as part of Southern Co-op’s community engagement programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’.

This initiative enables colleagues to support local causes through donations, fundraising and volunteering and aims to help neighbourhoods become greener, healthier, safe or more inclusive.

To find out more about Southern Co-op’s commitment to making a difference, visit www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/makingadifference

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