4 Sep 2021

Thirty Sixth of 40 Donations

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The Thirty Sixth of my 40 donations goes to Leukaemia UK. I was shocked and yet relieved recently when a friend informed me that they had been diagnosed with and thankfully cured of Leukaemia in the relatively short time since I had seen them last, Alhamdulillah.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma led to the untimely demise of my own Father, we need to be rid of it.

Leukaemia UK has been working hard to help improve the treatment and care of blood cancer patients for more than 40 years.

Leukaemia UK likes to support projects that make the wellbeing of people dealing with blood cancers their first priority.

Leukaemia UK also works closely with health professionals and hospitals to identify areas where we can make a positive contribution so your donations are spent where they will have the most significant impact.

Leukaemia UK support projects that have an immediate or near-future benefit to patients and the treatment and cure of leukaemia, Hodgkin and other lymphomas, myeloma, myelodysplasia and other blood cancers.

Leukaemia UK’s research: Leukaemia UK is currently funding several research projects which are investigating how to improve treatment options and developing easier ways to diagnose blood cancers.

Leukaemia UK’s Mind & Body project: Dealing with a blood cancer diagnosis can be both physically and emotionally draining. We believe advances in medical treatments need to be matched by much greater emotional and wellbeing care for people affected by blood cancers. Getting the right care and support can help everyone’s ability to cope, which is why we’re helping to fund specialist staff posts to help people get better, sooner.

Leukaemia UK’s Helping Hand Fund: Some people experiencing real financial hardship as a result of their blood cancer may qualify for a one-off grant. Applications must be supported by the consultant or specialist nurse treating the patient.

https://www.leukaemiauk.org.uk/

https://www.leukaemiauk.org.uk/
https://www.leukaemiauk.org.uk/
30 Aug 2021

Thirty Fifth of 40 Donations

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The thirty fourth of my 40 donations goes to Nathan Ford’s rehabilitation.

Nathan was involved in an accident whilst competing in a British Championship Triathlon in Aberfeldy, Scotland.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/nathan-ford?utm_source=fb_copy_link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR3VDE–LF-wA2Gz0m7fLLmAET9Ud4kv9jh88090DPSU82QSlReupole63k

As a result of this accident Nathan is currently in Intensive Care in Scotland and has a long road ahead of him. Nathan was diagnosed with two life threatening conditions, a brain injury and a spinal injury.

It appears that his brain injury isn’t as severe as initially thought but his spinal injury is worse than imagined. Currently Nathan is not able to breathe independently and is unable to move.

Nathan’s wife set up this page to support herself and their family, to be close to Nathan in this critical time. They are 500 miles from home and hope to stay with Nathan until he can be transferred closer to home.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/nathan-ford?utm_source=fb_copy_link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR3VDE–LF-wA2Gz0m7fLLmAET9Ud4kv9jh88090DPSU82QSlReupole63k

The Family is searching for extra tools, support and services that can help them to help Nathan. There are resources to help him communicate with them that they feel are vital for his wellbeing at this time.

Much further down the line they are hoping rehabilitation can provide some quality of life for Nathan.

It goes without saying that they are heartbroken at this time and any support that can help alleviate some of the financial worry will be hugely appreciated.

Nathan is well known and loved by so many, and we all know how strong and independent he is, but this isn’t a race he can win alone.

Having had a serious bicycle accident myself, I realise how quickly things can take an unexpected turn and my heart goes out to Nathan’s family. Incredibly, the community has rallied together and at the time of posting this blog, the fund has risen to over £80k!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/nathan-ford?utm_source=fb_copy_link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR3VDE–LF-wA2Gz0m7fLLmAET9Ud4kv9jh88090DPSU82QSlReupole63k
https://www.gofundme.com/f/nathan-ford?utm_source=fb_copy_link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR3VDE–LF-wA2Gz0m7fLLmAET9Ud4kv9jh88090DPSU82QSlReupole63k
https://www.gofundme.com/f/nathan-ford?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet

    20 Aug 2021

    Thirty Fourth of 40 Donations

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    The thirty fourth of my 40 donations goes to the Robin Hood Tax Campaign UK.

    The idea behind the Robin Hood Tax is to generate billions of pounds – hopefully even hundreds of billions of pounds, from fairer taxation of the financial sector.

    https://www.robinhoodtax.org.uk/about-the-tax

    The billions it could raise every year could give a vital boost to the NHS, educational institutions and the fight against child poverty in the UK – as well as tackling poverty and climate change around the world.

    https://www.robinhoodtax.org.uk/how-it-works

    I’m mindful that additional taxes are likely to make certain financial transactions more expensive and this risks driving away business but I believe there is a better system than the current one and welcome innovative ideas like this.

    Read more at:

    https://www.robinhoodtax.org.uk/

    https://www.robinhoodtax.org.uk/

      15 Aug 2021

      Thirty Third of 40 Donations

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      The Thirty Third of my Fourth donations goes to OCEARCH. OCEARCH is a non-profit, data-centric organisation built to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean.

      You may have seen footage of them tagging and taking samples from huge sharks on a specially made submersible (and raiseable) pontoon:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8iD3hLr1D4

      OCEARCH is recognized as a world leader in generating scientific data related to tracking (telemetry), and biological studies of keystone marine species such as great white sharks, tiger sharks, and more. OCEARCH has embarked on 39 ocean research expeditions as of September 2020.

      Their mission is to accelerate the ocean’s return to balance and abundance, through fearless innovations in scientific research, education, outreach, and policy using unique collaborations of individuals and organisations in the United States and abroad.

      About

      Definitely worth checking out their YouTube channel:

      https://www.youtube.com/c/OCEARCHsharktracker/featured

      OCEARCH maintain a free open-sourced Shark Tracking service so you can see where individual sharks are in the world and how far they travel! This allows scientists, educators, and fans alike to learn about the never before documented movements of our ocean’s apex predators.

      https://www.ocearch.org/tracker/

      Details of their 2021 expedition can be found here:

      Expedition New England

      For questions or more information, please email them at info@ocearch.org

      They take donations in US Dollars so I used XE.com to provide the spot rate for currency conversion.

      https://xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=40&From=GBP&To=USD
      https://www.ocearch.org/give/

      Help protect sharks; facts not fear!

        4 Aug 2021

        Thirty Second of 40 Donations

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        The Thirty Second of my donations goes to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

        For the past 70 years, UNRWA has been delivering effective and reliable humanitarian support to Palestine refugees living in Gaza, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

        Hostilities in recent days have caused the loss of human life and the destruction of physical infrastructure. Already high levels of psychosocial stress, especially among children, have been further exacerbated. As the need grows, we need your help more than ever. Support Palestine refugees in Gaza now.

        https://donate.unrwa.org/-landing-page/en_EN

        Check this BBC article out:

        https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57970467

        https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57970467

        Your donation helps ensure that Palestine refugees receive essential service including education, health, emergency cash and food assistance and protection.

        Show your support to Palestine refugees in Gaza: https://donate.unrwa.org/one-time/~my-donation

          30 Jul 2021

          Thirty First of 40 Donations

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          Following Da Baby’s completely stupid and ignorant comments, the Thirty First of my 40 donations goes to the Terrence Higgins Trust.

          The Terrence Higgins Trust is a charity that supports those living with HIV – they are the largest voluntary sector provider of HIV and sexual health services in the UK, running services out of local centres across Great Britain.

          No one really wants to live with this; it’s not limited to any one section of society.

          The Terrence Higgins Trust estimates that about 7% of the roughly 103,800 people living with the virus in the UK, do not know they are HIV positive.

          Their vision for 2030 is that there will be no new HIV transmissions in the UK.

          https://www.tht.org.uk/our-work/about-our-charity/what-we-do

          A drug that prevents the transmission of the HIV virus will be available on the NHS in England from April, the Department of Health has confirmed.

          The cost is estimated to likely be much less than the lifetime bill for treating those who already carry the virus.

          https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51897856

          PrEP – or pre-exposure prophylaxis – is an antiretroviral medicine which, taken once a day, stops the transmission of HIV during unprotected sex.

          Stay safe out there!

            25 Jun 2021

            Twenty Eighth of 40 Donations

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            The twenty eighth of my 40 donations goes to the Shark Trust who are safeguarding the future of sharks through positive change. The Sharks Trust believe the best way to safeguard the future of sharks is through a solutions-based approach that promotes positive change.

            The Shark Trust logo
            https://www.sharktrust.org/

            The Sharks Trust’s conservation goals set the agenda for their work. They achieve their goals through projects and campaigns that bring together different players. All of their projects, campaigns, and policy actions drive progress towards these 3 key goals:

            1. SPECIES PROTECTION – protection of endangered species through legislation and effective conservation action. Their Saving Species projects place science at the heart of conservation action.
            2. FISHERIES MANAGEMENT – fisheries managed for sustainability to prevent declines in non-threatened species. They’re working to transform fisheries to prevent population decline through overfishing.
            3. RESPONSIBLE TRADE – They promote responsible trade and reduced demand for non-sustainable shark products.

            There’s lots of ways you can help. From raising awareness about shark conservation, to taking part in one of their citizen science projects – they’ve got something for all ages. Visit their Get Involved page to find out more.

            https://www.sharktrust.org/contact-us
            22 Jun 2021

            Twenty Seventh of 40 Donations

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            The twenty seventh of my 40 donations goes to the Social Mobility Foundation charity (SMF).

            The SMF is a charity that helps talented young people from low-income backgrounds enter top universities and professions. The SMF’s programmes include mentoring, university application support, work placements and skills sessions across the students’ sixth-form and university years.

            Home Page

            I read and quote from the below BBC article which I found particularly thought provoking:

            https://www.bbc.com/news/education-57558746

            The Education Select Committee report warns that white pupils on free school meals underachieve from early years in school through to GCSE, A-levels and university entry, compared with pupils on free meals from other ethnic groups.

            • At GCSE, in 2019, 18% of white British pupils on free meals achieved grade 5 in English and maths, compared with 23% for the average for pupils on free meals
            • For university entry, 16% of white British pupils on free meals get places, compared with 59% of black African pupils on free meals, 59% of Bangladeshi pupils on free meals and 32% of black Caribbean pupils on free meals.

            The underachievement is down to a “poisonous mix of place, family and local culture”, said Chris Zarraga, director of Schools North East, a regional network of head teachers in one of the areas with the biggest concentrations of disadvantaged white pupils.

            Without tackling the underachievement of white working class pupils the wider aim of narrowing the attainment gap between rich and poor will fail, warned former Ofsted chief, Sir Michael Wilshaw.

            https://www.bbc.com/news/education-57558746

            19 Jun 2021

            Twenty Sixth of 40 Donations

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            The 25th of my 40 donations goes to Stronghold Rescue and Relief who protect and care for families in conflict zones around the world. Read some of the stores and watch the video below, it’s really something.

            https://strongholdrescue.org/

            Stronghold Rescue and Relief send small teams of highly-skilled former special operations members into conflict zones to conduct and organize humanitarian rescue and relief operations.

            Stronghold Rescue and Relief teams serve local families by providing emergency medical aid and delivering situation-specific humanitarian relief.

            When appropriate, Stronghold Rescue and Relief‘s highly-experienced operatives advise and accompany local authorities during high-risk, life-saving rescue operations.

            Over time, Stronghold Rescue and Relief organise and employ teams of locals to conduct their own rescue and relief operations with minimal outside help. Stronghold Rescue and Relief call this “Charity With Dignity.”

            https://strongholdrescue.org/

            I looked into making a donation and found that they prefer longer term support for cash flow and planning reasons. They actively encourage monthly subscription on their website including by giving a t-shirt to all monthly subscribers. Therefore, I signed up to provide $15 a month and I will do this for four months.

            https://strongholdrescue.org/support

            According to XE.com today $15 equates to £10.86 so over the course of four months I will end up paying almost 10% / £4 over £40 but I guess that will pay for the t-shirt!

            https://www.xe.com/
            $15 x 4 months = $60 / 1.38040 = £43.47
            Khallas

            I came across Stronghold Rescue and Relief on a YouTube channel called MrBallen by a dude called John Allen, a former Navy SEAL who now tells strange, dark & mysterious stories…

            The story of how Stronghold Rescue and Relief became established is incredible and is summarised nicely in MrBallen’s below video:

            You can find MrBallen’s YouTube channel here; if you like his content, subscribe.

            https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen/videos

            Instagram: @johnballen416

            Twitter: @johnballen416

            2nd YouTube channel: MrBallen Shorts

            TikTok: @MrBallen

            LinkedIn: John Allen (MrBallen)

              18 Jun 2021

              Twenty Fifth of 40 Donations

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              The 25th of my 40 donations goes to Sofia Sofia; whilst it is blatantly obvious what first caught my eye about her, the energy and positivity of her YouTube shorts have brightened up nearly every day since.

              For what it’s worth, I haven’t quite learnt how to shuffle… yet

              Having been spending a bit more time on YouTube and coming to appreciate a little more how it works and how copyright claims can be so constricting, I was disappointed to hear that despite how many views Sofia Sofia gets on each of her videos, her earnings were low to non-existent. Added to that, her Mother became unwell and so this is where I thought #40s440 could help – albeit in a way that is new to me.

              https://youtu.be/nV7AEBlEkZ4

              A bit like supporting a local band or a busker a bar or in town, becoming a Patron is an contemporary international vehicle that enables the provision of regular financial support to your favourite creators and being recognised for doing so with a sort of membership.

              I initially thought I’d pay a pound a week for 40 weeks but the transaction had to be per month and 40 months is a lengthy time frame so I may yet change it. Irrespective, my donation will add up to £40 in total.

              Furthermore, if each of her subscribers paid even just once pound each, I’m sure that would make a significant difference – here’s to my £40!

              £1 x 40 months = £40

              https://www.youtube.com/c/SOFIASOFIA9379/featured

              Edit: I was mindful of transaction costs (unclear on the platform but could be detrimental to the artist and / or me) so amended my pledge to £10 a month for 4 months. This is also a much more appropriate period of performance that aligns with #40s440.

              £10 x 4 months = £40

              https://www.patreon.com/sofiasofia9379 Instagram –

              https://www.instagram.com/sofia_sofia9379

              Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sofiasofia9379

              Venmo: sofia9379venmo

              More about Patreon:

              Patreon powers membership businesses for creators by giving them the tools they need to acquire, manage, and energize their paying patrons. With a subscription-style payment model, fans pay their favorite creators a monthly amount of their choice in exchange for exclusive access, extra content, or a closer look into their creative journey.

              This model is a win-win; creators retain creative freedom while getting the salary they deserve, and fans get to rest easy knowing that their money goes directly towards creating more of what they love.

              https://www.patreon.com/about

              https://www.patreon.com/home