The number one aim of the Nazareth House Snooker League is to donate as much money as possible to organisations that help people in need. We can only do this because of the kindness of every single club and snooker player in our league. Here are just some of the many donations that have been made:
We donated £250 to The Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance. Here is the Certificate we received in recognition of our donation:
April 2010
We donated £250 to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, or more specifically to Mablethorpe Lifeboat Station. Here is the thank you letter we received:
January 2010
We donated £115 to the local charity When You Wish Upon A Star. We raised some of this money at the recent Charity Shield and the remainder was donated by customers of Stadium News, a shop run by league player Zeb Ahmed. Here is the thank you letter we received:
December 2009
The league donated £100 to Fr. John McCay of St Pauls, Lenton to assist with their soup kitchen over the christmas period.
July 2009
The league donated £250 to Family Care who are a welcoming and innovative voluntary agency offering services in adoption, family support, emotional support to children and young people, safeguarding consultancy and training. They are based in Nottingham and work in the City of Nottingham, the County of Nottinghamshire and surrounding areas.
Their adoption team finds families for children awaiting adoption, supports adoptive families, supports and advises birth parents, offers adoption support services, and provides independent counselling. Their children and families team provides services to children and young people affected by bereavement, domestic violence and separation.
April 2009
On Wednesday 8 April 2009, the Nazareth House Snooker League and Oakleigh Lodge Social Club joined forces to make a donation to the Nottingham City Hospital Dialysis Unit. The photograph below shows league treasurer Dave Buckley and Oakleigh Lodge Social Club's team captain Spider Wilkinson presenting a cheque for £700 to Alison Kinchin, the Dialysis Unit Manager and Albert Tan, Junior Charge Nurse.
Following the death of Stephen Lees, a member of the Oakleigh Lodge snooker team, in January 2005, Spider managed to raise £413 from snooker matches by getting players to pay each time they made a foul amongst other things. Nazareth House Snooker League has been holding on to this money until a decision could be made on who to donate it to. At the last league meeting it was decided to donate the money to the dialysis unit at Nottingham's City Hospital. It was also agreed that the snooker league would donate an additional £287 to bring the total donation up to £700.
Almost half of all the patients currently receiving treatment within the City Hospital's Renal Unit are on haemodialysis which requires them to be linked to the dialysis machine for an average of 4 hours 3 times a week.
Alison Kinchin, the dialysis unit manager, said that the money would probably help to pay for computer equipment which would enable nurses to spend more time with patients.
December 2008
The league donated £100 to Fr. John McCay of St Pauls, Lenton to assist with their soup kitchen over the christmas period.
December 2008
We donated £200 to the local charity When You Wish Upon A Star. This is the thank you letter we received:
17 December 2008
Dear Nazareth House Snooker League,
I write on behalf of When You Wish Upon A Star to thank you for the donation of £200 from Nazareth House Snooker League, it is greatly appreciated.
It is a special time at When You Wish Upon a Star as we celebrate our 18th Birthday. For the past 18 years with the help of people like you, When You Wish Upon a Star has been granting the Wishes of children across the UK, all of whom have life threatening illnesses.
All children have Wishes, but for these children and their families that Wish is so much more precious. Over the years we have seen that making Wishes come true is not only beneficial to the poorly child, but also to the parents, as they see their child’s tears transformed into laughter and frowns turn into smiles.
The money you have donated will go towards granting these very special Wishes which are often varied and far reaching. For some it is a trip to Disneyland in Florida or Paris, for others it is a chance to get up close to a favourite pop star or sporting hero. Some children Wish to be a princess or soldier for the day, whilst others would like toys or a computer to catch up on their schoolwork or keep in touch with friends.
It is only with the help and generosity of people like you that we are able to continue granting the Wishes that we receive into our office every week from the most incredibly brave and courageous children. Thank-you once again for your support.
Kind regards
Tracy Watson
When You Wish Upon A Star
December 2008
We caught up with Kaya Jackson to see how he was getting on at school with the learning aids we bought him in October 2007. Staff at the school said he plays the games every day and in conjuntion with the equipment we donated he has learnt to control the games on his own. Without the equipment he would never have been able to do this and staff at the school are amazed at the progress he is making.
To show Kaya that we are still thinking of him we bought him a little something for Christmas. The photographs illustrate just how much he appreciated our latest gift!
September 2008
The Nazareth House Snooker League and the Nottingham and Notts Institutes Snooker League got together for the first ever Charity Challenge match. Teams of fourteen players enjoyed a night of competitive snooker which also had an element of fun. Players had to pay 20p for every foul shot and this helped to raise a fantastic total of £75.
Nottingham and Notts Institutes Snooker League won the match 8-6 and this earned them the privelage of nominating a charity to receive the £75. They chose the Renal Unit at Nottingham City Hospital and the thank you letter received from the Hospital can be seen below.
The Charity Challenge match will now become an annual event.
April 2008
Three-year old Liam Smyth suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Majewski osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II (MOPD2) which means he will never 'grow up'.
His parents were trying to raise funds to take Liam to America to meet other families affected by the disorder and also to meet specialists. When the league heard about this we immediately contacted them and offered £250 to help.
The photograph shows league treasurer Dave Buckley presenting a cheque to Liam, Robbie and Joanne at their house in Sneinton.
Edward Bright was born on the 3rd January 2000. He was suddenly taken ill on Sunday 11th February 2007 and was rushed to hospital. The illness was later confirmed as the rare and serious Y-strain meningococcal septicaemia. Edward was initially not expected to survive, but he has proved to be an incredibly tough character.
The illness has claimed both his legs and both his arms below the elbow, together with serious damage to a large proportion of his skin.
Edward will need a huge amount of help and support for many years to give him a the best quality of life possible.
Dave Buckley presenting the swimming pool to Edward
The league wanted to do something to help improve Edward's quality of life and so, in February we asked Edward's parents if there was anything he really wanted. Edward said he would really like a swimming pool so that he could play in it during the summer months.
The league purchased a 12 foot swimming pool complete with electric pump and cover (see photo).
We then suggested to Edward's parents that they might like something to sit whilst they supervise Edward in the swimming pool and we purchased a complete set of table, chairs and sun loungers (see photo).
You can read more about Edward and his family on his website
The league donated £50 to Fr. John McCay of St Pauls, Lenton to assist with their soup kitchen over the christmas period. The soup kitchen has about a dozen regulars and the volunteers rely totally on donations to keep it going.
October 2007
The league purchased computer software and some special switch adapters that would enable Milford Primary School pupil Kaya Jackson get maximum enjoyment from the toys and computer equipment in his classroom.
Kaya is a young boy who was born with ATRX syndrome which results in profound and multiple learning difficulties. Kaya has no language or self-help skills and he is learning with exploration using his mouth. He needs constant support throughout the day from a team of teaching assistants and his general health is also a cause for concern.
The switch adapters we bought for Kaya have enabled him to make full use of the educational and interactive toys in his school, providing him with the mental stimulus that is so important to someone with his needs.
Dave Buckley presenting Kaya with his new software
We bought Kaya two pieces of computer software:
Touch Balloons - an interactive program which will help Kaya to develop hand-eye coordination skills by popping balloons as they float past.
Jigsaw Maker - a versatile computerised jigsaw program designed for use by young children and particularly those with severe learning difficulties. The game can be played using the mouse, a touch screen, an interactive whiteboard or by using a special switch.
March 2007
The league donated £100 to the Chloe Cotton Trust Fund.
Chloe Cotton was born with Cystic Fibrosis, the most common genetic degenerative disease in the country for which there is no cure. Chloe sadly passed away on 17 February 2007 at Birmingham Children’s Hospital aged just 12 years.
Chloe’s parents, Jez and Michelle, have vowed to help other children with cystic fibrosis and their families, which is why they are setting up the Chloe Cotton Trust Fund. They will use the fund to offer information, advice and support and to provide financial help to families affected by cystic fibrosis. This will help to provide important family holidays and fun days out which are greatly needed.
Dennis Peet and Dave Buckley presenting the cheque to Jez Cotton
The fund will be totally reliant on fund raising and sponsorship and they are currently in the process of registering it as a charity. They eventually hope to set up a telephone help line.
Anyone wishing to know more or wanting to make a donation can call Jez and Michelle on 07877 784206.
February 2007
The league made a donation of £105 to Nigel Robinson, a student support worker at New College Nottingham. He is a vulunteer in a project called Universal Initiatives that helps Kosovan families to rebuild their lives.
Pete Gormley, presenting the cheque to Nigel Robinson.
Following the war and genocide in 1999, the Kosovan people are suffering from an economic war which has seen unemployment levels climb to over 80%. This has resulted in a climate of hardship, frustration and despair, with families traumatised from their war experiences and present difficulties.
The project supports six families totalling 45 people - the largest family has 11 children and the husbands or fathers of four of the families were killed during the war. The project supplies the families with 400kg of flour each month - a much needed staple food and a safety net which lifts morale - and provides other basic supplies such as food, emergency medicine, school stationary and materials. Cows, goats and chickens have also been provided in order to promote self-help and sustainability.
The project is very cost effective and our £105 is enough to support 45 people in six families for a whole month. The project is run entirely by volunteers and every penny raised directly benefits the Kosovan families.
Update - 8 June 2007
Nigel Robinson an intrepid relief project worker visited Kosovo over the Easter Holidays. With the money Nazareth House Snooker League donated (£105) he was able to buy half a metric tonne of wheat flour. This was able to provide a staple diet of bread and pancakes for 12-15 families (70 people) over several months.
With other money Nigel raised he was able to help create 4 Poly tunnels 6 metres long and these are being used to grow tomatoes and peppers which are very popular amongst locals.
Other items purchased include seeds and tools and these were put to good use in the growing season. Potatoes, onions and spinach were sown by eager hands!
Another project Nigel personally funded was helping to establish a beehive colony. 1 beehive costs £50 and Nigel purchased 11 as beehives have to be matched number to number. Through producing honey from the 22 hives as much as 3000 euros could be earned. I kilo of honey costs about 7 euros. This helps families to become self sufficient and other colonies can be developed with other families being trained up in how to look after them.
Sadly, two new families caught up in the war have high needs. A father has no legs after losing them in an industrial accident in a nickel factory and he needs a new wheel chair. Also he lost his eldest son who was killed in the war in 1999. In another family a young woman of 33 years has been unable to walk for 8 years since suffering brain damage from a beating by 8 paramilitaries. This was after witnessing her baby son and husband killed in a grenade attack at her family home.
Nigel will continue his project work returning to Kosovo in early July, and a list of fund raising activities will happen in the near future. These include a house party on the 30/6/07 (£5 admission going to the Kosovo fund) a raffle with a range of prizes and scenic calendars showing mountain ranges that Nigel has climbed on throughout Europe.
You can find out more about the project by visiting their website here.
December 2006
Michael Roome and his daughter Hannah took part in the 1.5km Great Nottingham Santa Run at Wollaton Park on 17 December 2006. The event had been organised to raise money for the charity When You Wish Upon A Star so that they could take 300 children to Lapland to meet Father Christmas. NHSL gave £20 to Michael and Hannah who managed to raise £3,300 towards this fabulous cause.
July 2006
We donated a large selection of toys to Nottinghamshire Early Years Teachers of the Deaf. They are a small group of Teachers and Teaching Assistants working in Nottinghamshire with young deaf children and their families in their homes or nurseries.
December 2005
We donated toys and equipment to the Physiotherapy Unit at the Children's Centre, City Hospital. The Children's Centre works with children where there is some concern about their development. It aims to provide a "one stop shop" where the children can get the services of many different specialists in a place which is child and family friendly.
The Children's Centre brings together a number of services for children with 'special needs'. These needs range from children with chronic health needs/disabilities, both physical and psychological, to vulnerable children in need of protection and those children looked after by the Local Authority.
Dennis Peet (Secretary) and Dave Buckley (Treasurer) presenting them with the toys
August 2003
A donation of £200 was made to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. This was placed into the Skegness Fuel Appeal Account. Both the inshore and all weather lifeboats at Skegness were very busy during the summer of 2003. Nationally, call outs had increased 13% on the previous year.
Between 1996 and 2002 over 600 people from Nottinghamshire were rescued by the lifeboats, showing that it is not just a charity for people living on the coast.
September 2001
A donation was made to Ash Lea School, Cotgrave who were trying to raise funds to build a spa pool. With our help the school was able to build a spa pool in the sensory garden, enabling them to offer the pupils a magnificent sensory experience.
November 1998
A donation of £500 was made to Carlton Digby School, Mapperley who were raising funds to purchase a three-quarter sized trampoline. The trampoline is used to provide rebound therapy for the children.
The principle behind this therapy is that a profoundly handicapped child is placed on the trampoline and a physiotherapist gently bounces alongside. The bouncing movement, besides being pleasurable, allows the child to experience repetitive relaxing movement and thus stimulates his or her sensory awareness.
