charity

It’s that time for giving (and getting) again…

Posted on by Admin

Christmas is a time for giving so, once again, from this Friday 1st December until Christmas Eve we’ll have something special every day for club members in our online advent calendar, and by being part of it you’ll be helping people in need.

We’ve checked our storage units, cupboards (even down the back of the sofa!) and, thanks also to our generous partners and friends, we’ve got some great goodies for Fanderson members. We’ll be raising vital funds for our 2024 charity, Actors’ Benevolent Fund.

Alison Wyman, Chief Executive Officer of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund, writes:

“I wanted to write on behalf of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund to thank you very much for choosing the ABF as Fanderson’s charity of the year 2024! 

“The Actors’ Benevolent Fund (ABF) has a long history of supporting actors and stage managers in times of need, for the past 140 years. We are living in incredibly challenging and uncertain times, with a rising cost of living and a decrease in funding for the Arts, resulting in fewer opportunities for actors and stage managers. This has created significant financial pressures as well as challenges with mental health and wellbeing. Our help is needed more than ever, and we are working to create new and relevant ways to provide support which reflects the needs of the acting and stage management community today, so the ABF is making the greatest possible difference.

“So far in 2023 we have seen a significant increase in the number of people we have helped compared to in 2022, and our plan is to reach even more people and expand our range of support. We have already started this through providing Cost of Living grants and launching a podcast focused on wellbeing.

“The need is great and we are determined to support this community which provides so much meaning and inspiration to others. We are grateful for any support members can provide to enable us to achieve this.”

We’ll also pop a little freebie in with every Fanderson merchandise* order placed in December – these four picture cards, produced in 2014/15 to publicise our The Future Is Fantastic! convention. They’re the perfect companion to our The Future Is Fantastic! picture card set, or if you collect the original 1960s/70s Barrett’s/Bassett’s cards from Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, UFO and Space:1999)!

Come back on Friday, 1st December to open the first window!

*Whilst stocks last. Excludes club memberships, Silva Screen products, event registrations, charity auction bids or charity raffle tickets.

Advent Calendar terms and conditions apply, in addition to Fanderson’s standing Terms and Conditions.

Please note our last order days for Christmas, and see the various additional postage options available with merchandise orders.

 

Easter Egg Hunt auction and raffle winners

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Thanks to everyone who enjoyed the freebies and offers in our Easter Egg Hunt over the last couple of weeks, and to everyone who bid in the charity auction, or bought tickets in the charity raffle.

We’re delighted to report that Kouichi Miyazaki bid the highest for the Terrahawks soundtrack CD, and Mrs LM Jones has won the Thunderbirds ‘Hackenbacker’ watch.

Both prizes will be on their way to the lucky winners in the next few days.

Captain Scarlet to run London Marathon!

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Captain Scarlet, AKA Lloyd Scott, from Theydon Bois, Essex, will run the London Marathon on 23rd April.

Lloyd, who famously took six days to complete the London Marathon in a deep sea diving suit, said he chose the ‘indestructible’ hero from his childhood after twice beating cancer – in 1989 and 2022. “To me, cancer is a menacing unseen threat, like the Mysterons,” he says.

The prolific fundraiser, who has raised more than £5m in five decades of charity runs, challenges and feats, said the race will be his last. His other costumes have included The Iron Giant, Indiana Jones, Brian the snail from The Magic Roundabout. Lloyd was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma in April 2021 and underwent radiotherapy that summer. The cancer returned in June 2022 and he endured an operation lasting more than 13 hours – and emergency follow-up surgery in August, which he described as a “close-run thing”. He’s also survived leukaemia after a diagnosis in 1987, and a bone marrow transplant in 1989.

“The costume has a personal connection because I used to watch Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons when I was a kid, who would always take part in various missions,” Lloyd says. “I feel kind of like him because I’ve sort of done different missions through the marathons, despite things that I have gone through as well – so he definitely struck a chord with me.”

‘Tis the season for giving…

Posted on by Admin

Christmas is a time for giving, so from 1st December we’ll be giving club members special offers each day in our online advent calendar, right up to Christmas Eve, and raising money for charity.

Some items have been donated by our generous friends, and we’ve been checking our storage units, cupboards (even down the back of the sofa!) to collect some great offers for Fanderson members. We’ll have product discounts, charity raffles, freebies, lucky dips, charity auctions, and you’ll be able to get some items in return for a donation to our advent charity – Hearing Dogs For Deaf People.

Come back on 1st December to open the first window!

 

Give Or Take £8,000

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Thanks to Fanderson members, International Rescue’s Virgil Tracy recently delivered a cheque for £8,023 to The Silver Line, the club’s donation from the recent Supercelebration convention.

This fantastic donation means that over 1,600 more people will be able to phone The Silver Line if they’re feeling lonely – for help, advice, or even just for a chat. Loneliness amongst older people can lead to depression, leave people vulnerable to abuse and even affect the onset of dementia. The Silver Line operates the only confidential, free helpline for older people across the UK that’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Having just helped the children of Coralville Children’s Hospital (see Give Or Take A Million), it’s great that International Rescue have been able to also now help older people.