VW Songathon for Alex

                                                               Songs and cream teas!

Sunday 15th November

Yesterday we had a great day with our songathon! The weather was as bad as it could be but the

music was wonderful. Gareth and John started at 10.30 am and finished some time after 9pm. At

the end Gareth could still sing with as much resonance and John was as nimble-fingered as ever.

People dropped in throughout  the day and were made welcome in the lovely church at Broadclyst

with warmth and refreshments, as well as beautiful songs.

The guys were well up to the challenge and we congratulate them heartily, also the valiant all-day

marathon page-turner, John's wife Jean.

A very big thank you to everyone: those involved in the church at Broadclyst, who made us so
welcome, and all those people from near and far who were so generous with their donations and
support on the day.


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On Saturday  14th November 2009, Gareth and John will be raising funds for the Proton Beam Alex Fund, supported by the charity Brainstrust. They will be attempting to perform in one day the complete repertoire of songs of Ralph Vaughan Williams for voice and piano in the beautiful parish church of Broadclyst near Exeter.

Here is the story:

After a biopsy in September 2008, it was discovered that Alex Jones (34) has a rare form of brain tumour, an astrocytoma of an unknown kind, for which there is no effective treatment provided anywhere in the United Kingdom. His consultant doctors at Charing Cross Hospital have recommended Proton Beam Therapy at the Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA as the only effective, safe treatment for Alex's condition. The likely cost of that treatment is £160,000, which the NHS will not fund.

Alex, having undergone a series of operations between 2001 and 2003 for the removal of tumours from his brain and spine, ran two London Marathons in 2004 and 2005, raising nearly £20,000 for the Brain and Spine Foundation. Now he needs all the help his family, friends and well-wishers can give.

Our programme of more than 60 songs will start at 10.30am and continue throughout the day. Refreshments in the form of ploughman's lunches and cream teas will be served at regular intervals and, happily, the Red Lion Inn stands at the church gate. No tickets required, just turn up and enjoy the music for however long you want to.
But,in any case, we ask you to make our efforts worthwhile by kindly sponsoring the event as generously as you can.

If you would like to learn more about Alex and his journey so far go to www.protonbeamalex.com 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.