Past and Present Fund Raising
Surf legends passing brings donation to charity
COLLEAGUES
of Mark Neville have described his death as the loss of "one of the
most honest and decent human beings in the surf industry".
The 45-year-old, who worked at Seabase, Newquay, for more than 15
years, was named as the UK's best longboard shaper in the November
2009 edition of Carve magazine.
Mark's family had asked for donations to be made to three causes
close to his heart, in lieu of flowers. These are the Joe Way Appeal,
the RNLI, and Caring for Life, a Christian charity that helps
vulnerable people in society.
£374 was donated to the Joe Way appeal for Precious lives which help
towards building Cornwalls first hospice for children.
Matt Way Joe’s Dad said “I never had the privilege of meeting Mark
but I know that his passing has left the surfing community
devastated, our thoughts are with his family to whom we are grateful
for their donation under such tragic circumstances”.
Newquay boy inspires ‘up country’ canoe challenge
Many local people have been moved by the story of little Joe Way from
Newquay, who passed away nearly three years ago. The way he lived his
short life with a smile on his face, despite his daily challenges and
struggles, has inspired people in the area and around the county to
help others in his name.
Thousands of pounds has been raised for charity as a result, in
particular Children’s Hospice South West’s Precious Lives Appeal to
build a children’s hospice in Cornwall. This is a cause that is close
to the hearts of the Way family, as Joe was always too ill to make
the journey to the nearest children’s hospice – Little Bridge House –
in North Devon.
Now Joe’s story has reached out as far afield as Staffordshire where
one man has been so touched that he has set himself an extreme
challenge to raise funds for the Precious Lives Appeal.
Gordon Taylor, from Cheadle, explains:
“In August 2009, myself and a friend completed a canoe trip of 200
miles and 84 locks in 8 days in a homebuilt canoe, raising £1,810 for
the Anthony Nolan Trust.
“About a year later I came across the joeway.co.uk website. If you
visit this site you just can’t help being inspired by the story of
Joe Way and how far his parents have gone to inspire other people to
raise funds for charity. It was because of this that I decided to
look at doing another event.
“I built the two man canoe for the last event and have built a one
man thirteen foot canoe as I will be travelling completely alone.
“I think that I have set myself a real challenge. I will be setting
off on foot from my village, so will need to pull the canoe and two
weeks worth of supplies approximately one mile to the canal at
Froghall, then paddle 130 miles and 75 locks to Cropedy. I will have
three days to recover before the return journey, totalling 260 miles
and 150 locks for the whole challenge.
Newquay Mayor’s chosen charity off to a flying start
Newquay Mayor Andy Hannan has had the first £500 raised for his chosen charity
“The Joe Way Appeal”
Joe Way, who was born with a rare genetic condition, was labelled a 'miracle
boy' after surviving meningitis, a potentially deadly skin reaction, and
numerous superbugs as well as complete organ failure. He died three years ago,
after a rapid deterioration in health.
His website has been set up to tell his story, raise awareness of his
conditions, help raise money for the Children’s Hospice South West’s Precious
Lives Appeal to build a children’s hospice in Cornwall and supports another 20
charities mainly at the now annual Joe Way paddle for life.
Matt Way, Joe’s dad did his tandem skydive with chief instructor David Wood
along with his son and business partner Ben Wood, filming the jump.
The Skydive and Parachute club based at Perranporth is a family business and
has overseen thousands of jumps over the years.
After a briefing the extreme enthusiasts boarded the specialist plane, climbed
to 10,000ft and with the last checks done cameraman Ben climbed out onto the
side of the plane; Matt and the instructor sat on the edge and descended into
the clear blue sky over the stunning Cornish coastline.
The free fall lasts for about 30 seconds and on Matt’s skydive they where
travelling at 133mph, there were some fun moments with the cameraman before the
main parachute opened, then the wind-rush suddenly stopped leaving a calming
moment to take in the stunning Cornish scenery.
Matt said “It’s the most amazing experience! if you get the chance then go for
it, I can guarantee you will love every second. The team at skydive Cornwall
put you at ease and really look after you, we are very lucky to have this
opportunity on our doorstep, I cannot wait for the next jump.”
Speedy hire raise money for the Precious lives appeal
The staff at Speedy hire in Newquay raised £280 during their open day with the
help of Crantock bakery’s donations of tasty pasties. The staff showed off
what Speedy can do to local businesses whilst raising money for the Precious
lives appeal in memory of Newquay toddler Joe Way.
Speedy hire Newquay also support the annual Joe Way Paddle for life with
equipment which is vital to the event which is now holding its third paddle on
the 15th September at Newquay harbour this year.
Matt Way Joe’s Dad said “Derek and the staff have always supported us with
fundraising and their help with the paddle has helped raise thousands, we are
very grateful for their support”.
To take part in the Joe Way Newquay Paddle for life 2011, see what happened at
last years event and get up to date news go to www.joewaypaddle.co.uk