During a recent meeting with the charity representatives, he said: "I'm really impressed by the fantastic work each of these charities do every single day - all of them replying on the continuing generosity of local people."
The Friends of the Hospitals of Luton and Dunstable is a small local charity serving the hospitals and mental health units in the area covered by the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. It began over 100 years ago as the Ladies Work Guild collecting a penny a week from subscribers to provide bed linen for the local hospitals. Run by volunteers, ’friends’ give freely of their time and skills to raise money to buy extra equipment for the hospital in areas such as breast screening, cardiology and the children’s outpatients’ department - now regarded as one of the best in the country. For more information please call Ron Wright, publicity officer, on 572867.
The Pasque Charity offers a special kind of 24-hour care for those coming to terms with a terminal illness and their families. At this difficult time, people often need support to help them live life to the full right up until the end. The Pasque Adult Hospice helps people in south and mid Bedfordshire and the Keech Cottage Children’s Hospice helps those in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. The hospice offers inpatient and day care facilities including complementary therapies, music and hydrotherapy as well as family and bereavement support. For more information please call 492339 or e-mail pasque@pasque.org
The Mandip Mudhar Memorial Foundation was set up by Bobby Mudhar in memory of his brother who died in a road traffic in 2001. With the aim of bringing ‘positivity out of tragedy‘, the charity holds a football tournament every year to raise money for local charities, bring diverse communities together to break down cultural barriers and to encourage access to careers in sport.
for disadvantaged groups through partnerships with local colleges and sporting associations, and to raise awareness and importance of organ donation within ethnic minority groups.
When hearing Mandip would not recover consciousness after his accident, his parents made the difficult decision to donate his heart and his kidneys. His heart was received by a middle-aged man and his kidneys went to patients on dialysis: a young mother and a 14 year old girl. All of them are well.
Forty teams are expected to take part in this year’s tournament at Vauxhall Recreation Ground this weekend (Sunday), hopefully exceeding the £1000 raised last year for Keech Cottage. Everyone is welcome. For more details see www.mmmf.org.uk
Friends of Bright Eyes cares for children with mild to severe disabilities in Luton, mostly from Asian backgrounds. Set up 10 years ago by Yasmin Yousaf, the charity works closely with social services providing advice and respite care on a short and longer-term basis for the children and their families. They also run a Saturday club at Dallow Road Primary School. The staff are a team of dedicated workers and young volunteers who hope to expand their service for even more local children. For more information please contact Sira Iqbal on 07903 116063 or e-mail friendsofbrighteyes@hotmail.com
