The charity help is flying high

Ann Spivey, of Rushetts Close, Portland , told friends and family she didn’t want presents and asked that they sponsor her for a charity sky dive with the Red Devils.

She will take the leap in Salisbury on Saturday and aims to raise money for the Joseph Weld Hospice in Dorchester .

Mrs Spivey, a retired hairdresser, will be joined by her sister-in-law Jayne Gates, also a hairdresser for Hair Motif, Portland, and fellow member of Mrs Spivey’s skittles team, Linda Farquhar, who works at Chesil Beach Motors.

Mrs Spivey wanted to raise money for the Joseph Weld Hospice as they helped her husband, Bill Spivey, who suffered from terminal lung cancer six years ago.

Mrs Spivey said when her husband died in March 2006 the hospice made his last few weeks comfortable and supported her and the rest of the family.

Mrs Gates also wanted to raise funds for the hospice because of the support they gave her brother-in-law and her close friend who also suffered from cancer.

Mrs Spivey said: “When my husband died, the Joseph Weld Hospice was absolutely amazing. I have great admiration for them.”

Despite Mrs Spivey only asking for donations for her birthday, family and friends held a surprise birthday party and she was given lots of presents as well as sponsorship for the sky dive.

Mrs Spivey said: “I’d decided I didn’t want a party and I would do this sky dive instead and Jayne and Linda said they would do it with me.”

She added: “Lots of people think I’m absolutely mad but I’m really excited.

“A friend of mine did the same thing three or four years ago and I watched her video and it made me want to do it even more “It looked great.”

The Red Devils are the Parachute Regiment’s display team and take fundraisers for a tandem sky dive for their chosen charities.

Skydivers can also opt to have their experience filmed which Mrs Spivey said would be great to show all the family.

Mrs Spivey has two daughters, Maria and Sarah Richards, who both live in Weymouth.

She also has five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

She added: “That’s why I want the video, to show to the grandkids, they will love it.

“They are all very proud of us and said they don’t know how we can do it.”

To sponsor Ann, visit her page at justgiving.com/maria-Richards

Andy sets up a home in Kenya to help the community he is so passionate about

A RETIRED teacher has turned his hand to taxi driving and pizza delivering to earn money for a Kenyan community he cares passionately about.

Andy Dukes, who used to teach at Wey Valley School in Weymouth, said he will do whatever it takes to assist children and adults with learning difficulties and multiple disabilities.

Rotarian Andy has spent most of the last 12 months living in Kenya and has bought a house in the Chogoria district of the African country.

Now back in Weymouth, Andy, 57, is spreading the word about the challenging lifestyle of disabled people in Kenya and is inviting people to fly out and help him.

He said: “I always used to bang on at my students that you have to take opportunities and teachers can’t be hypocritical.

“So I took the opportunity to take my retirement out in Kenya and I opened a special needs unit for 18 children.”

The Donna Kelly unit, named after a Weymouth teaching assistant, was opened at Kiriani School, a mainstream school. A day centre has been added to the unit.

Last summer, Andy moved to Kenya, returning to Weymouth to see his family whenever he could.

He said: “I don’t believe in the idea of retirement.

“Why shouldn’t the second half of your life be better than the first half?

“I don’t want to sit in the garden all day.

“In Kenya I was taken round to see children who are profoundly disabled. Most of them have no provision. There is no funding from the government.

“I think they are the most vulnerable people on the planet.

“Disability there is seen as a punishment from God. Children who are disabled will most likely be hidden away and sometimes their existence isn’t even known by their neighbours.”

The unit provides care for three women, one of whom is a 42-year-old woman who had only left home three times in her life before coming to the unit, Andy said.

One 13-year-old youngster Dennis, who suffers from cerebral malaria, used to have a sack for a bed on the floor.

Life in Kenya as a disabled person is vastly different to life in the UK, Andy said.

He added: “What happened with the Paralympics has been so powerful in the UK. We are very tolerant of diversity.

“There’s a long road to travel in Kenya. I’ve been running lots of events to try to educate children in the community about disability.”

Andy, a member of Weymouth Harbourside Rotary Club, is currently giving presentations on the project and is dividing his time working as a supply teacher, delivering pizza, driving taxis and doing care work to boost project funds.

Up and running

THE Donna Kelly Outreach Programme for children with Profound and Multiple Disabilities is set up and running and Andy has already had 12 visitors come over from the UK to work with him.

Local helpers have included Dorset County Hospital physiotherapist Georgia Lee, who helped educate the grandmother of a 16-year-old with cerebral palsy so she could do the necessary exercises to enable her to walk.

He is planning to return to Kenya when he has raised some more money for maintenance and development of the Donna Kelly project.

Andy would like to add a vocational element to the unit – so that disabled people are given a chance to work – and a respite care centre.

He also wants to set up a Rotary Club in Chogoria to help the project progress.

For more information and to find out about taking part in the project, telephone Andy on 0778 654 2034 or email andybraces@ aol.com.

Kind-hearted island superstore customers support their Scouts

CUSTOMERS at Tesco on Portland have been collecting vouchers from their local store to provide equipment for community groups in the area.

IPACA Southwell and IPACA Chesil campuses, as well as the first Portland Scouts have benefited from the scheme which has allowed them to buy equipment for the children.

Customers receive vouchers when they spend at Tesco which they can then give back to their community.

At the IPACA Southwell campus the vouchers provided easy response voting handsets so pupils can respond immediately to their teacher which provides an interactive and fun way to answer questions.

Stuart McLeod, the head of the IPACA Southwell campus, said: “Tesco has given us a wonderful opportunity to buy equipment we would never have received otherwise.”

The vouchers also provided headsets for the listening corner and Roman artefacts.

Mr McLeod said until Port-land’s Tesco opened, the school was unable to use its vouchers.

He added: “We’re very lucky to get this equipment.

We’ve had a box for 10 years where people could deposit their vouchers which in the end amounted to £17,000.

“I am overwhelmed by how many we received.”

Another group to benefit from the support of Tesco and their customers was the first Portland Scouts.

Scout leader Jane Fox said: “We would like to thank everyone who supported us on our quest for Tesco vouchers, which we have put to valuable use obtaining equipment to enable our boys and girls to gain their badges, especially in creative, DIY and fitness.”

Tesco community champion, Debbie Lindoe, presented the vouchers and said she was proud Tesco could help community groups in this way and they would continue to support to as many projects as they can.