£750 + Gift Aid raised.. Many, Many ThanksXXX Please scroll to the bottom of this to see precis of this journey. Again - THANKS!!!

Cotswold House and I thank everybody for: a. Looking at this page. b. For being interested. c. For donating. d. ...... for Sharing  (please)  this link. Despite the levity below, this is serious. Imagine being cooped up in a world where 0.5 kcal is of existential importance. Imagine the the importance of laughter in facing the  Demon.......... So, off we go to .... 

The dry bit ... Cotswold House, in which I have both the pleasure and privilege of working, was established in 1994 as a specialist adult eating disorders service which operates in Oxford and has a sister unit in Buckinghamshire. This search for funds is targeted specifically for the use of in-patients and day-patients at Cotswold House.

Slightly less dry - money raised will be ring-fenced for those 'extras' unavailable from traditional funds and the use of which will be patient-led.

Now for the giggles .... My aim is from clean shaven to grow my beard which once developed will be dyed in a colour of the patients' choice - pink is the current vote - to raise money for those little extras and activities outside of general budgeting.  The patients have been asked for their thoughts on what activities they would like in benefiting all - top running so far is an AmazonFireStick, Netflicks subscription (serious note, due to protected meal times the patients miss some of their favourite programmes and also calm dispute of which programme(s) to watch!) new board games and jigsaw puzzles....... Doubtless more ideas will come forth .... depending on the sum raised. ... ahem. 

PS - At the time of writing, 26th November, 48 hours after this site was set up my target of £300 has been exceeded. WOW! And heartfelt thanks to those who have donated and those who will donate. Bar now raised to £500...... and looking forward to providing a few giggles to our patients and your good selves when colour/glitter is soon applied, to my utter embarrassment!  XXX

PPS. Beard now growing in time for HoHo! Alas, pink (or colour-melange of patients' choice) and glitter will be added over the New Year for me to sport at work, driving and ..eek... shopping. Oh, and £395 so far raised. XXX

PPPS. £445, 6th December. A month to go before soapy-shave ahhhhh. Do I raise the bar again - to £600????

PPPPS. £480. 7th December. Thanks to you all!!! All being well,  Pink Dye Day will be 29th December to be sported well into the New Year, glitterfied. Oh dear ........  XXX

PPPPPs. 8th December. Target £500 reached!! Bar now raised to £600!! With heartfelt thanks to you all from the patients and staff of Cotswold House Oxford. XXX

PPPPPPS. 15th December. £540. "Little luxuries" wish list becoming more and more achievable. Thanks to you! XXX

PPPPPPPS. 25th December. Donations static until beard becomes "rainbowed" - colour change from pink demanded by patients......     Order requisition is now in for AmazonFirestick, Netflix and Disneylife. Thanks to you folks!! XXX

PPPPPPPPS. 27th December. Short sharp movement upwards to £580!!! So ignore my "static" comment above!! Yet again, THANKS TO YOU!!  XXX

PPPPPPPPPS. £585. Juliet, heartfelt thanks and emoticom (being an old f##t can't cope with technology) :-) XXX

PPPPPPPPPPS: £600. reached! And, YUP, going to up the ante yet again... How does £700 sound? Done! Time for serious debate as patients' advocate in spends. What can I say ... apart from ..... thanks to you folks. OH! Feedback from patients - WOW! XXX and another XXX  Beard dye tomorrow - oh dear. Please share my total agony... XXX

PPPP etc S.... Beard dyed and glitter-dusted. By patients. Outright laughter. Magical moments. Slightly more prosaic , two mates/neighbours of the very non-PC Brigade have donated despite my having shed glitter all over their homes. Mow, Jo - thanks. Oh, £630 so far.....

PP, etc. S. Utmost gratitude to 'Anonymous'  who has just donated 20 quidlets this side of the New Year. Again, thanks so much to everybody. Means a lot. 

PPPPP&p&Ps. £735. + Gift Aid. XXX

"From no beard to GREY BEARD to dyed, spangled and – at last - shaved!”

update 14^th January 2018 

Hello Folks!

The “Just Giving” site for “Grey Beard” was set up on the 24^th November 2017 with the view of gaining funds which are beyond theremit of Cotswold House’s NHS budgeting. The money raised was to bering-fenced for ‘those little luxuries’ for the use of Inpatientsand Day Patients.

The original target agreed on by patients was £300, a sum that was thought to be a little optimistic but with the attitude of “what the heck - if you don’t ask, you don’t get”. 

                 This target was reached within 48 hours.

To be upped, with wild hope, to £500. Reached on the 8^th December. 

Upped to £600 – reached 29^th December.

£700 – reached 2^nd January - upped to £800!

At the time of writing, the monies raised have reached £750.

This does not include Gift Aid and, I think, commission to be payed. So,
we have reached a minimum of £850.

Currently in the necessarily bureaucratic process of procurement are:

Amazon FireStick

Netflix and DisneyLife subscription for 1 year

A host of ‘arty’ items unavailable through normal channels.

(More ideas are currently being bandied about.)

With many, many thanks from Cotswold House patients, current and ex, (and relatives and friends) and staff.