We were recently very lucky to have renowned wildlife photographer and author Dr Michael Leach deliver two talks at Abbotsholme School, in support of  Careline.

The audience were thoroughly entertained – so much so that some people who had heard Michael speak in the afternoon decided to return to hear him again in the evening! Both talks were informative and very funny, with everyone learning something new about the highlights and  perils of the work of a wildlife photographer.  Michael very generously spent time answering questions and signing books afterwards, leaving one particular young fan thrilled and full of enthusiasm having received some professional tips on taking wildlife shots! A really engaging speaker, Careline  would highly recommend anyone to go along and hear Michael the next time he appears locally.

Thank you to everyone to came along to support us, helping to raise over £800 for our charity! Thank you also to Lucy Barnwell and her team at Abbotsholme School for allowing us to use their beautiful facilities and for all of their help in the planning and on the day itself.

Thank you to everyone who came along and supported our annual sponsored walk on Sunday. Although the weather wasn’t quite as balmy as last year, the rain did hold off – so for the second year in a row, waterproofs weren’t required! Plus we were all pleased to have yet another opportunity to walk in the beautiful grounds of the Wootton Estate. Thanks also to the Rotary Club of Uttoxeter for inviting Careline to be part of such a well organised event.

We’ll let you know how much we’ve raised, as the money continues to come in over the next few weeks.

Following on from last year’s very successful fundraiser, Careline  are once again joining The Rotary Club of Uttoxeter’s terrific family event –  ‘Walk For Your Charity’. This will again be taking place in the beautiful grounds of the Wootton Estate, ST10 3BQ  near to Alton Towers on Sunday 17th May.

Everyone agreed what a lovely day it was last year – the sun shone giving the walkers stunning views of the grounds, over  to the Staffordshire Moorlands in the distance. There were bacon sandwiches available to buy, to help the fundraisers on their way  and a very welcome ice cream van waiting at the end!  So we’re all looking forward to this year’s walk and would be pleased to see anyone  who would like to support  us  in raising  important funds to maintain our valuable telephone befriending service.

If you pre-register with Careline by noon on Thursday 14th May on 01335 210353 or at info@carelinecalling .org.uk and bring your fee with you on the 17th,  it  will only cost £5 per person (under 12’s walk free); on the day the cost will rise to £10. There are two walks to choose from – 2.5 miles on tarmac roads and 5 miles on tarmac and stoned forest roads. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome to come along too. For more information on the walk  see www.uttoxeter-rotary.org.uk/walk.

If you aren’t available to come along yourself,  then why not sponsor one of the Careline Team to do the walk for you? Just go to our Virgin Money Giving Page  http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/DerbyshireDalesCareline  where it’s very easy to make  a donation.

The Careline walkers will be meeting at Cote Farm, Wootton Estate (follow the signs near to the main entrance to Alton Towers) around 10am and setting off shortly afterwards,  but you can arrive and register at any time up to 11am.

Some tickets are still available for Michael Leach’s illustrated talks on Thursday 30 April, at Abbotsholme School near Rocester.

The afternoon talk in the School’s library at 4pm entitled “Animals Behaving Badly” will give an insight into animal behaviour – sometimes learnt from their human counterparts! Meet drunken monkeys, psychotic magpies, hallucinating lemurs and larcenous orang-utans, amongst others.

The evening talk at 7pmin the Chapel, “Beneath the Dark Canopy” will reveal how rainforests work: the habitat of more than half of all known animal species. Michael will draw on his adventures in Borneo, the Amazon Basin and Central America to show how animals have evolved to live in this fragile, intricate environment. He will reveal his work with orang-utans, monkeys and river otters, to name just a few.

Michael has been a full time naturalist since 1977 and has travelled all round the world in search of subjects. He has been described as a “unique wildlife humourist”. His photos have been published in over 1000 books and he has filmed wildlife for BBC and ITV. Both talks will be illustrated by Michael’s wonderful slides.

Tickets for these fascinating talks are available from the Careline office, tel. 01335 210353; Natural Choice, Ashbourne; or John German Estate Agents, Uttoxeter; or online at Eventbrite.

Ticketprice (per talk): Adults £10, Under 16s £6, including light refreshments.

Careline is seeking to appoint a highly motivated manager to run the telephone befriending charity and guide its future development. The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, the ability to secure funding, manage staff and volunteers and maintain a high profile for the charity.

PT / 25 Hours.  Circa £26,000 (pro rata)

Please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter (no more than 2 sides of A4) outlining the skills and experience that make you suitable for the post, giving contact details of two referees to: info@carelinecalling.org.uk  or by post to: Lesley Tetley, Careline, St Oswald’s Hospital, Clifton Road, Ashbourne DE6 1DR

CLOSING DATE: MONDAY 20 APRIL 2015

For further information about the role please download the attached document.

Job Description Manager

Join us at 4pm or 7pm on Thursday 30th April at Abbotsholme School Rocester ST14 5BS, to hear the inspirational speaker Dr Michael Leach talk about some of his most amusing, if not hair-raising experiences whilst filming wildlife!

Michael has travelled to all 7 continents and worked with many of the world’s most charismatic animals – polar bears in the Arctic, gorillas in central Africa, lemurs in Madagascar, sperm whales in the mid-Atlantic, monkeys in the Amazon, penguins in the Antarctic and elephants in Kenya.

As a professional naturalist, he has filmed wildlife for the BBC and ITV, as well as many other well-known organisations and has very kindly agreed to do two talks in aid of Careline, both of which will appeal to young and old alike:

4pm: Animals Behaving Badly Meet some drunken monkeys, phobic ostriches and thieving orang-utans, amongst others.

7pm*: Beneath the Canopy Share Michael’s wildlife experiences in Tropical Rainforests, The Amazon and Borneo. *please note that there is no disabled access to this talk

Tickets: Adults £10, under16s £6 to include light refreshments.

Available from the Careline Office in St Oswald’s Hospital and Natural Choice in Ashbourne. Or John German Estate Agents, Market Place, Uttoxeter.

easyfundraising.org.uk is a great way to raise money for Careline just by shopping online and you don’t pay anything extra!

When shopping online, instead of going directly to the retailer’s website,  first go to easyfundraising.org.uk where you click on the retailer’s name and make your purchase. This tells the retailer that you came from easyfundraising and they  will give you a cash reward that you can turn into a donation for Careline. You won’t pay any more than if you shopped on the retailer’s website and easyfundraising will collect your donation, sending it on to us at no extra cost!

So far easyfundraising.org.uk have raised over £7 million for causes throughout the UK, so start online shopping for Careline!

Thank you to everyone who came along to support our Christmas Coffee Morning last Friday, where we raised a whopping £2052!

Everyone agreed what a lovely morning it was. As well as raising funds, it was an opportunity for our members to meet some of the volunteers that they speak to regularly on the phone, over a cup of tea and a mince pie. The Ashbourne Singers kindly came along too and entertained everyone with carols around the tree.

We’re very grateful to Whites of Ashbourne and Wyaston Nursery who generously provided items for our Christmas Raffle; to Claire Astbury for baking the delicious mince pies and the Ashbourne Singers for helping us to get into the festive spirit! To the staff at St Oswald’s Hospital and of course to our wonderful volunteers and members who always support our fundraising events by donating items, helping to organise or just by coming along on the day.

Join us for a mince pie from 10am on Friday the 5th of December, at our Christmas Coffee Morning in St Oswald’s Hospital, Ashbourne.

We’ll have delicious cakes and preserves for sale; you’ll find some super Christmas present ideas at our  handicraft and  jewellery stalls; There will be a tombola, plus the opportunity to buy a ticket for our Christmas raffle – as always we have some fantastic prizes on offer including a luxury hamper worth £100, a £30 voucher for dinner at Whites of Ashbourne, a wine hamper, a basket of fruit and vegetables and a festive pot plant from Wyaston Nursery. We’re also very lucky to have the Ashbourne Singers coming along, to sing  carols around the tree.

Do pop in to see us for this fun festive morning and help to raise some important funds for our free telephone befriending service.

Careline is  thrilled to have been presented with a cheque for £1000 by Ashbourne Rotary Club, during its recent Last Night of the Proms concert.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable  evening of uplifting music, which also demonstrated how lucky Ashbourne is to have so much musical talent.

Ashbourne Town Band conducted by Russell Bevin, led the Prom. Also taking part were popular local soprano Linda Perry-Smith, along with a talented young harpist and  two vocalists who won the recent Rotary Young Musician of the Year Competition. Steve Duckworth, new Musical Director of the Ashbourne Singers, provided the piano accompaniment.

The audience had the opportunity to join in too, singing Rule Britannia amidst much flag waving. Everyone agreed what a fantastic night it had been!

Thank you to the Rotary Club for their generosity and hard work – this is a fantastic sum of money for Careline, which will help to keep our valuable service running.