What an incredibly cold week it has been, my colleague Bronwen said she had heard we were going to have snow in June! I have to be honest and say that I am absolutely fed up with our weather being constantly cold and miserable, we all feel better with a little sunshine.
Sadly the weather caused us to have to cancel our planned skydive which was due to take place on Saturday 11th May. The wind and rain were so severe the airfield cancelled all its afternoon jumps, much to the disappointment of our brave jumpers! A new date has been arranged for Sunday 14th July, if you would like to come along and throw yourself out of a plane at 13,000 feet (yes 13,000) you would be very welcome. Find out more at nras.org.uk/challenges
Plans for our RA Awareness Week are coming together very nicely (24 – 29th June 2013). Fundraising are holding a Bowling Evening on Monday 24th June at a local bowling alley. Teams of between 5 & 8 are very welcome to come along and join us for the evening, lanes cost £50 per team for a whole evening of bowling. There will be prizes for highest scoring male and female and a raffle with some great prizes. If you can’t make our bowling evening why not hold your own evening? Our local alley has given us the use of their facilities free of charge.
We are also holding an NRAS Tea Party on Saturday 29th June in Nicholson’s Walk Shopping Centre in Maidenhead Town Centre. We will have lots of very yummy cakes for people to tuck into. Why not come along and meet some of the NRAS team face to face, we would love to see you. If you can’t make the 29th why not hold your very own tea party during our awareness week and help us to raise much needed awareness? We would be happy to provide you with some very tasty recipes, I can vouch for quite a few of them having tried several at our own tea party at the beginning of the year! The message we want to get across is that ‘rheumatoid arthritis can strike at any age’. Register and download a tea party pack at nras.org.uk/teaparty
As I write this blog we have just filled our final place for the first ever Prudential RideLondon 100 cycle ride. We have a team of 4 taking part in this exciting race and can’t wait to see some photos and hear all about it from ‘Team NRAS’.
I’m off to Blackpool tomorrow to talk to some of our NRAS group about the role we play in the lives of those living with RA. Lyn, our group coordinator, said she felt people didn’t quite understand what an important role NRAS plays in helping people coming to terms with their diagnosis and the support services we offer to not only those living with the disease, also to their families, friends, carers and health professionals. Although I always get nervous about presenting to people I’m looking forward to meeting the group and spending some time with them.
As always if anyone would like to get involved with any of our challenges or events we would love to hear from you. You can visit our website at nras.org.uk/events or give me a call on 01628 501547 or email me at val@nras.org.uk. Perhaps you have a fundraising idea of your own that you would like to share with us, we would be very happy to help in any way we can.
Have a good weekend.
Val, Events Fundraiser
NRAS awareness week 24th June - 30th June
Theresa May 
