***TO MAKE A DONATION AND SUPPORT BETHANY'S SMILE PLEASE VISIT:
Hi everyone, Thank you for taking the time to visit my Just Giving page. Please watch my fundraising film by clicking on the red writing above (SORRY THAT YOU CANNOT HEAR THE SONG 'SMILE' ANY MORE BUT MY COPYRIGHT PERMISSION RAN OUT ON 24 OCTOBER 2011). On Sat 10 Sept 2011, I organised the Walk Of Smiles, a 10k sponsored walk - it was fantastic! Everyone dressed in outfits to make people Smile! The sun shone, hundreds of people came and we had lots of fun and entertainment until 8pm. It was so good that I am organising it again on 8 Septermber 2012!! On the day with just BBQ, Raffle etc, we raised £2147.25 and we are now waiting for people to send their sponsorship money in to Martin House too. Thank you to The Old Ball pub in Horsforth, Batley's Cash and Carry, Jade Print, Brakes Foods, First4Numbers, Gregg's Bakers, Morrisons Supermarkets, Harrogate Spring Water, Tetley's Coaches, Pennine Signs, Red Dog Printing, British Gypsum, Ernest Jennings, Matthew Lewis, James Milner, Gerard Brophy, Stuart Andrew MP, Anne Bochman, Jack Downham, Millie Archer, Sam Crane, West Yorkshire Police, St John's Ambulance, Bourne Music and The Chaplin Family and everyone else who helped to support my event. Without you all it would not have been possible.
I would like to thank everyone who voted for me at the Just Giving Awards. On Thursday 10th February when I was presented with the award for 'Young Fundraiser of the Year 2011'. My mum said that she has never seen me look so shocked and speechless! I had a fantastic time and all the people I met from Just Giving and also other fundraisers were all very lovely and special people. I cannot believe that I was even invited to such a wonderful event - I will remember it forever. On the 11th February I was invited to the House of Commons by our local MP Stuart Andrews. My visit was amazing and I learnt a lot about Parliament. I have just had the best time of my life.
I was also very lucky in May 2011 as I was given the award of Kids Count's 'Most Inspirational Young Person' for my project. I am working hard now to make sure that I deserve both of awards. I want to raise as much money as possible for Martin House! I have also just been awarded the very prestigious award - The British Red Cross Humanitarian Citizen Award 2011 for Humanitarian Action in Fundraising. This is such an honour - I cannot believe that I have recieved this.
Now that you have come to my Just Giving link, I hope that you have time to watch my film and if you enjoy it, please give a small donation to Martin House by clicking on their logo. I think that the minimum donation allowed on Just Giving is £2.00. If you could donate I would be very grateful.
I would also like to thank The Chaplin family for allowing me to use the amazing image of Charlie Chaplin on my film and Bourne Music for giving me permission to use/sing Smile in order to benefit Martin House.
Thank you to everyone who already supported me and helped me to reach my original target of £5,500. By donating you have all helped me to cover the costs of running Martin House for one whole morning!! I have now increased my fundraising target to £22,000 which would cover the running costs of the hospice for two whole days! These amounts show just how much money Martin House need to find in order to remain open - I don't know how they do it now that people do not have much spending money after paying their bills.
I would like to say a special thank you to Mr Ben Model of Silent Clowns for writing a music score especially for my film, which I can now play again, as my copyright permission for Smile has expired. Martin House only receive 12% of the money they need to keep the hospice open, from statutory sources – the remainder has to be raised through fundraising efforts like mine.
If you would like to watch my short film, with Ben Model's composition, please click on the link below:-
My inspiration to make the film in the first place - my Grandad!!
My name is Bethany and I am now 11 years old. I first heard ‘Smile’ when sitting with my Grandad on Christmas Day 2008. Grandad kept telling me that I was singing the song out of tune so I went away and secretly practised and practised. On my Grandad's 71 birthday on 10 February 2009, I gave him an old copy of the piano music for Smile and began to sing the song to him. His reaction was quite emotional as he said he could see how much work I had put in to learning the song properly. (I would like to thank my singing teacher Michael, for teaching me to sing my song. He has heard me sing 'Smile' so many times it must be in his head when he goes to bed each night!). Since singing to my Grandad, I have continued to enjoy singing this song and decided to create a short film in order to raise funds for Martin House Children’s Hospice. As ‘Smile’ was composed by Charlie Chaplin, I decided to dress up as Charlie, and also asked my dad to film me acting as Charlie, to play in the background. I spent two days watching Charlie Chaplin on You Tube, watching his moves and also learning more about him. After studying, I realised that he often is seen with a white flower and this inspired me more to make my short film.
Whilst we were on holiday in the Lake District I drew pictures of my ideas for the film and when we got back I asked my mum to ring Abbey House Museum in Leeds, where I had been on a school trip, to ask them if I could be filmed on their streets (as they looked old – like on the Charlie Chaplin films). I made my film, which even resulted in me making my dad knock on a farmers door in Collingham, Leeds, to ask if I could run around in his newly cut cornfield! I funded the whole project myself using my savings and wages earned as an extra in Emmerdale.
Due to the length of my film, I needed to stretch the length of the song ‘Smile’ (as it is quite short) and therefore went in search of a music arranger. I met up with a lovely man called Phil Steel, who re-wrote the tune in my key and he also wrote a piano solo for the middle of the song. He did not charge me at all for his help.
I approached a recording studio through the charity ‘Sound Sense’, who very generously financed the recording of my song ‘Smile’ so that I could place a link on Just Giving, in the hope that people will watch my film and feel inspired to donate to the charity. I have spent much of my Summer holidays and many weekends since being back at school, working on my project and I am so happy now that everyone can see my project on Just Giving.
I am not the best singer in the world but Smile is such a lovely song that I hope you enjoy it anyway.
Martin House Children's Hospice relies almost entirely on donations and fundraising to raise around £3.9 million a year to provide vital care and support for so many children and their families.
Please watch my film by clicking on the 'Smile' link above.
(Please leave your feedback for me – I would love to hear from you!)
If you enjoyed watching my film I would be very grateful if you would make a donation to Martin House Children's Hospice by clicking on 'Donate now'
Donating through Just Giving is fast, simple and totally secure. Your details are safe with Just Giving. They will never send them on or send you unwanted emails. Once you donate, they will send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on behalf of every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So, it's the most efficient way to donate - I raise more whilst cutting costs and saving time for the charity.
So please dig down deep and donate now to Martin House Children's Hospice.
Thank you Just Giving - you are wonderful. You make it so much easier for people to raise money for charity. If it was not for Just Giving there is no way that I would have raised so much money already for Martin House Children's Hospice.
