Here is a new video which includes some photos from the walk – you can still sponsor Matt, here. Thank you to everyone that sponsored Matt – it is very much appreciated. Find out who he is raising the money for, here. Thank you to Nick Lilley and Ged Walsh for supporting me by joining some of the walk – I can’t tell you how much that was appreciated.
I am walking 133 miles to raise money for three charities close to my heart:
Alzheimer’s Society – in memory of my Nan; Pancreatic Cancer UK – in memory of Fr. Kevin Alban, O.Carm – my boss between 2017 -2021 who died of pancreatic cancer last year; Unicef – appeal to protect children in Ukraine; and Tsavo Trust to protect the elephants.
Once my walk is completed, the Living by Giving Trust will send a 1/4 of what we have managed to raise to these three charities.
Some lovely friends will be joining me on the way – please watch out for updates.
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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Donate, here.
In many ways, Captain Tom showed us all that charity begins at home, and by doing that, he became a hero to many of us.
Captain Sir Tom, who was given the honorary title of colonel on his 100th birthday, had initially set out to raise £1,000 for NHS charities by walking laps of the 82ft (25m) loop in his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire. But he eventually raised £32,794,701 from more than one and a half million supporters.
May he Rest in Peace – thank you Colonel Sir Tom!
The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has been a terrible time for so many people, so the trustees of the Living by Giving Trust decided to help in a small way: by donating a grant of £100 to charities or causes local to them. Though these are only small grants, they can mean a huge amount to local charities.
One of our founding trustees, Matt Betts lives in Bournemouth, Dorset and with the blessing of other trustees was able to donate £100 to three charities in the area: Macmillan Caring Locally, Questa Voce and the local foodbank. In these difficult times, all three local charities very much appreciated these donations.
Another trustee, Sarah Keaney was able to donate £100 to a local initiative in Enfield called ‘Love Your Doorstep’, which supports many people in the area in these difficult times of job losses and financial struggles. At the last count, the initiative had raised over £4,000!
Finally trustee, Sadie Vile was able to donate £200 to a local community charity in Hertfordshire. More details soon!
It’s thanks to you, our supporters, that we are able to do this – so thank you very much and please stay safe!
Hi I am Naomi and I am a 2nd year children’s nursing student at Edge Hill Uni. While at uni I work as a healthcare assistant and when home in my local parish cafe.
I am one of 4 girls and have been brought up in a family where we have been taught the importance of caring for others. From a young age as a family we have annually gone to Lourdes on pilgrimage, through seeing my parents work as helpers and then having the opportunity to be a helper myself I gained an insight into healthcare and realised this was my vocation.
Coming from a large family and babysitting family friend’s children regularly I decided that children’s nursing was the career path I wished to follow. My time on the course so far has just increased my drive to become a children’s nurse and has given me the opportunity to meet some amazing people along the way.
Outside of my course I am a coffee addict as well as having a love for Disney, books and cooking.
I am extremely grateful for any donation.
You can sponsor Naomi, here.
Thank you to all our supporters who have sent us stamps. We have been able to support a number of charities that use these stamps for raising much needed funds. So far, we have helped:
We would like to thank the National Shrine of Saint Jude for adding their stamps to the pot too. They receive a number of letters each day, and all these stamps are added to our pot.
The Living by Giving Trust has decided to collect used stamps and then send them on to a worthy charity every six months. Each time we will ask our loyal supporters to choose a charity to support, which will mean we can help two different charities a year and reach out to more people in a very simple way.
If would like to be involved, please simply send your used stamps to: Stamps, Carmelite Friars, PO Box 289, FAVERSHAM, Kent, ME13 3BZ. Please make sure that the paper around the stamp is cut as close as possible to it, so it’s not too heavy for you to send. Thank you.
Thank you to all our supporters for your donations over the last few years! We are looking forward to an even more exciting year ahead. Happy New Year everyone!
On Sunday David Ball and Stephen Daly are running the Norwich half marathon to raise money for flights and accommodation for a young girl to fly over from Africa to have an operation that will change her (and given her profession,) many others lives.
Here is the amazing story why..
A Norwich surgeon is appealing for support after agreeing to operate for free on a young Tanzanian health care worker to restore the use of her legs and give her a brighter future.
John Nolan, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, was introduced to 23-year-old Adelaida during a recent visit to Tanzania by her uncle Francis who has been a missionary there for 50 years.
John said: “Adelaida was training as a healthcare assistant but is now unable to work or even walk very far as her hips have been badly damaged by Sickle Cell Disease. There is no suitable option for surgery in Mwanza and I have offered to replace her hips for free, here in Norwich.
“The Norfolk and Norwich Hospital has agreed to allow me to carry out her surgery as a privately-funded patient towards the end of May, and some of our wonderful Filipino theatre nurses, and two of my consultant colleagues, have offered to give up a Sunday morning in May, for no charge, to help me.”
John has found accommodation for Adelaida, for her four-month stay, from the end of April to August, in Norwich.
Although the surgical team are kindly donating their time and the hip replacements are also being donated, there is the cost of the use of the hospital facilities, including pre and post operation care, and flights from Tanzania – all totalling approximately £8500.
If you would like to donate and support this incredible story please do so via https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/adelaida
The Living By Giving Trust are proud to announce our latest appeal – for Kris Aves. Kris is a police officer who suffered life changing injuries in the recent terror attack at Westminster.
Kris was severely injured by the vehicle driven by the terrorist. He is now paralysed from the chest down and expected to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
We have put together a team including many of Kris’ friends and local community members to raise funds for Kris and his family. The aim of the group is to offer some form of financial assistance to enable Kris and his family to deal with this life changing transition in the best way possible.
Kris has a wife and two young children. Their home is in Barnet, although Kris himself has not been able to return home yet. BBC’s ‘DIY SOS’ has taken up the task of renovating the house – this is happening in October 2017 and several fundraising events are scheduled including a golf day and white collar boxing night. They still need plenty of assistance – and we hope to go some way to offering this with your help.
More news to follow here shortly…
Wembley Box Winner
Stephen Harris has won the Wembley box for the Tottenham vs Huddersfield game on Sat 3rd March. Hope you enjoy the day out – and thank you to everyone supporting the fundraiser.
Once again, various volunteers from the Living by Giving Trust were able to help the Frontline Homeless Soup Run Group earlier this year. The group has been running for over twenty years simply by the volunteering and goodwill of local people in Stamford Hill, North London who make sandwiches, tea, coffee, soup, etc, for homeless people in central London every Saturday evening. The Living by Giving Trust volunteers helped at the special Christmas event held every year in January when the UK experiences the coldest of temperatures. Volunteers and guests enjoyed a lovely day.
If you would like to help in the future, please email Stephen, or donate to the cause via our donation site here.
Thank you to everyone who came along to our Christmas fundraiser in Chancery Lane! We had a brilliant time and raised lots of money for our special projects. We will update our site soon with the final figure.
The Living By Giving Trust were privileged to be part of ‘Team Bea’ – a project we took on to assist Baby Bea and her family through various forms of respite. Sadly, Beatrice passed away shortly after her first birthday – four years ago this month. 
Those who knew Baby Bea and who saw the loving care she received from her family were inspired and enriched. As part of her legacy, Project ‘Team Bea’ now provides a platform to advise and enable any potential volunteers who want to undertake (Living by Giving Trust) charity approved work – to date, this has enabled numerous volunteers to provide respite for disabled children and adults around the UK and Europe.
One volunteer utilised our Project ‘Team Bea,’ so she could join a group providing respite for disabled and sick children in Lourdes, France. Following her experience, she changed her whole life direction and is now a paediatric (children’s) nurse.
As part of the project we asked our volunteer to write about her experience. We believe her words are a perfect tribute to the legacy of Beatrice…
When asked to put into words,
Why I wanted to become a children’s nurse,
I found it almost impossible,
It’s an answer you can’t rehearse.
To some it seems quite strange,
A concept they can’t understand,
Why you would want to get up at 5am,
And be someone’s constant helping hand.
But maybe this is because,
The magic just cant be seen,
The moments shared with the children,
To you, on which they lean.
By taking disabled children to Lourdes,
I found my reason to live,
I went from lost and unknowing,
To wanting to nurse so I could give.
Their eyes, they tell a story,
If you look deep enough you can see,
Their little hands that always fit yours,
Whatever their size may be.
The acceptance of their futures,
And bright outlook they always show,
However dark & short it may seem,
An on looker would never know.
For, however sick & poorly they feel,
They always put up a fight,
Showing you how precious life is,
They push with all their might.
They push to see another day,
To touch the lives of many,
As anyone lucky enough to meet them,
Would lovingly give their last penny.
So, to those who ask me to explain,
Why I want to become a nurse,
I’ve decided to ask them this question,
That, I can rehearse.
Why would you not jump at the honour,
Of being that helping hand,
To a child whose body is so sick,
But whose heart you can understand?
Their time on earth is precious,
So whatever you manage to give,
Is a purpose to your life,
That gives you the reason to live.
If you are interested to find out more of what we do please check out our website www.livingbygivingtrust.com or if you have any ideas and would like an information pack please contact us at contact@livingbygivingtrust.com
Many people have great ideas for positive things they would like to offer to our society – the Living by Giving Trust provides the foundation for people to blossom and has endless potential.
To find out more about Beatrice’s Story, please check out our special page.
Come and join us!
The Living By Giving Trust is arranging a Christmas themed fundraiser in Central London (Chancery Lane) on Saturday 3rd December, from 7pm until 1am (at least, we’re working on a further extension!)
The Knights Templar,
95 Chancery Lane,
London,
WC2A 1DT
Book your tickets, here.
Band, food and prizes!
Allison our mummy died from brain tumours on the 17th May 2015. During a brave fight against cancer, Allison always loved to give her time to her young children, Ryan 7, Rose 6 and Isaac 3.
It is a tribute to Allison’s bravery and her passion to children’s education that she continued in her role as a governor at St Catherine’s, working with the school to help improve children’s lives. A caring and much loved mother, wife, sister and friend, she will be missed by so many.
We hope to help Allison’s children and all the current and future children of St Catherine’s to love music as Allison did.
You can donate via our new MyDonate page, here.
The library that we supported is now up and running. Here Ed Page, Director and Founder tells us a little more:
“We had the opening ceremony a couple of weeks ago and it is now being used round the clock. We have two members of staff running it and a couple of volunteers who have come over from England. The volunteers have broadened the aims of the project by setting up an art class which we hope will run for most of the year. You can see some of the art in one of the pictures!
We would like to thank our three retiring trustees: Dail, Johan and Ali who have decided to retire from the role due to other commitments. We have enjoyed working with each of them, and would like to particularly thank Dail and Johan who helped to found our charity five years ago.
We are planning to announce a few new changes to our structure in the next few months, so please watch this space.
Thank you to our donors for all your support, we really appreciate it.
Matthew Betts, Stephen Daly & Sadie Vile – Trustees
Happy five years to us! We were founded five years ago with the remit to:
i) To provide respite, relief and assistance for the suffering and distress of children and vulnerable adults who have disabilities, or who are physically or emotionally deprived or neglected, and their families.
ii) The relief of the sick/poor living in the UK either generally or individually through the provision of grants, goods or services.
iii) To advance in life and (relieve needs of) (help) young people.
Thank you for your support over the last five years, we really appreciate it. Thanks to you, we have been able to support so many people and charities.
We are really pleased to announce that the Living by Giving Trust has been able to facilitate the donation of a hot tub for Millie, and are very grateful to HotSpring World for their donation. Thank you to Terri Betts for organising and coordinating this. The Trust have worked with Millie and her family for a number of years, and are so pleased that the hot tub is already giving Millie such relief from her constant pain. You can still help us support Millie, by reading more here or donating here.
For more on this story, please read the press release below.
Press Release:
HotSpring World delighted Millie’s hot tub is a resounding success
After receiving a letter from the Living by Giving Trust , a Trust designed to enhance the living qualities of the less fortunate, HotSpring World has donated one of their products to a little girl with a big heart.
Millie is nine years old and is from Milton Keynes. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). A genetic condition, MLD is extremely rare. It is thought only one in 40,000 people are afflicted with it. It affects nerves, muscles, organs and even behaviour. The life expectancy of MLD sufferers ranges between 10 and 15 years of age.
Living by Giving’s current project is ‘Young People New Experiences’. In Millie’s case, the charity’s aim was to give her an opportunity to live comfortably, without the constant pain that is a symptom of the condition.
In the months before the appeal to HotSpring World, Millie’s parents took her to a hydrotherapy centre near their home. The results were amazing. Having seemingly lost the ability to smile, once in the water her beautiful grin had returned to her face. The feeling of weightlessness that the hot tub provided gave Millie a welcome respite from the constant discomfort she felt being strapped into a wheelchair. In order to give Millie this enjoyment on a day to day basis, Living by Giving acted and HotSpring World responded.
The story doesn’t end there, either. The hot tub Millie received was initially put up as a prize in a competition they were running with a publication called What Pool & Hot Tub. The winner, a lady named Hayley Turner, was not able to claim her prize. Hayley has a daughter herself that suffers from cerebral palsy, and has seen the wonders hydrotherapy can do. After hearing of the appeal, Hayley was adamant she wanted the hot tub to be donated to Millie. She went on to say ‘I think it’s great that this charity are seeking help for someone that really needs and deserves it’
Millie’s story has touched so many people along the way. The chairman of the Living by Giving Trust, Matt Betts said: ‘We were really pleased to be able to facilitate the donation of a hot tub for Millie, and are very grateful to HotSpring World for their donation. The Trust have worked with Millie and her family for a number of years, and are so pleased that the hot tub is already giving Millie such relief from her constant pain.’
This is a sentiment that was echoed by HotSpring World. Lynda Smart stated ‘we are absolutely delighted to help Millie in her long battle against MLD. Knowing the benefits hydrotherapy has on conditions such as Millie’s, we are proud to have contributed such a worthwhile asset to her life.
‘Hearing the struggles she has to go through on a daily basis, and the efforts her parents and carers go to in order to ensure she is as comfortable as possible, we hope that this hot tub will make all of their lives a little easier.
The Xavier Project mobile library currently visits schools in Kampala, Uganda each weekday morning. They stay at each school for 1-3 hours with a selection of children’s books and read with students in small groups of 5-8 per teacher/tutor for 15 minutes. The mobile library was founded to help young children who are struggling with reading to get individualised attention. In particular refugees who are not used to studying in English very quickly fall behind in their reading and this quickly affects all their other subjects.
With the help of the Living by Giving Trust, the Xavier Project hope to expand this project. Firstly, they intend to hire another library reader to help their team visit the schools and support young children in their reading. Eventually, XP hope to open a physical library which their students can visit after school. This will encourage them to enjoy reading while still receiving support from their tutors. It will also give refugees a safe learning environment where they are free to read in peace away from the chores of their crowded homes.
The Living by Giving Trust have donated a grant of £1000 to start this much needed work. This was raised through our sponsored no TV campaign and other fundraising.
Thank you to everyone who has made it possible for Living by Giving to support this project!
If you would like to support the work of the Xavier Project through the Living by Giving Trust, please send us a donation via our special page here, or contact Matt.
If you purchase items from the internet, you could help the Living by Giving Trust! All you need to do is sign up to the Giving Machine via our special page, and add the us as one of your beneficiaries. Or, alternatively, please send us an email to matt@livingbygivingtrust.com, and we’ll do it for you.
Afterwards, you can shop via The Giving Machine at any of the 400+ top online shops who have teamed up with The Giving Machine.
Thank you to all our Living By Giving volunteers who helped at the Christmas meal for the homeless today!
From Matt Betts: “I’ve decided to do the unthinkable (for me anyway) and not watch any television for six and half weeks – which will mean missing my favourite ever programme, which starts on 30 March and so much more.
This is a great deal for me – I watch television most evenings when I finish work, so it’s going to be very tough to find other things to do. However it’ll probably do me some good too and I am looking forward to the challenge!
To help me through this torturous period, I would like to try and raise much needed money for the Living by Giving Trust. If you can help, I would be grateful for any sponsorship – whatever you can afford.
All money will go towards the many projects of the Living by Giving Trust. Take a look at all of these, here.
If you would like to sponsor me, please visit: http://www.bmycharity.com/givingupTV“
From Sadie Vile, Trustee: “On 20 October 2012, following an extended period of heavy rain in the surrounding area, the River Gave in Lourdes, France overflowed, affecting some hotels and particularly the Domain, the area where the main activities of Lourdes take place. In the Grotto, the water was about one metre deep, almost level with the top of the altar. The good news was that no one was injured, thanks largely to good local organisation, and it being the end of the main pilgrimage season, so visitor numbers were fairly low.
After a rapid clean up throughout the Sanctuaries, using earth-movers and high pressure hoses to clear the debris and mud deposited by the water, it could be seen that the tarmac surfaces around the Grotto, and beyond towards the Baths were very badly damaged. The same was true on the Prairie opposite the Grotto, and the bridges within the Domain were also seriously affected.
The estimated cost of all repairs is currently 2.5 million Euros, and the Sanctuary is responsible for about 1.2 million Euros of this.
It was imperative that repairs were started as soon as possible – the surface damage was so bad that it has been very difficult to move people around in wheelchairs, especially towards the Baths, which normally stay open throughout the year.
An appeal was immediately launched, and by the end of November over 500,000 euros had been received by the Sanctuaries. Initial work focussed on replacing the tarmac from the Esplanade to the Baths, and repairing the central bridge that leads to the Accueil Notre Dame. The challenge will be to raise the remaining money needed, now that the floods are ‘old news’.
Having met through their volunteer work in Lourdes, the Trustees of the Living by Giving Trust decided to make a small contribution towards the ‘Flood Solidarity’ Appeal, and have donated £100 from our funds, as well as making personal donations. We are lucky to be able to transfer the funds through a UK-based Lourdes charity who have been amalgamating UK donations in order to minimise the costs of converting the donation to euros.
If anyone reading this wants to contribute, we can advise how to contact the British Hospitalité Trust, who can transfer a UK-based donation and even arrange for the Gift Aid to be claimed if appropriate.”
We would like to welcome Chris Talbot to our team, who has recently been appointed as secretary to the Trust.
Chris will work closely with the Board of Trustees and attend all meetings.
Chris has already supported the Living by Giving Trust in numerous ways: he was a member of our fundraising committee and attended various events.
We are looking forward to working with Chris in the upcoming months.
Contact Chris via Secretary@livingbygivingtrust.com
Matt Betts
Chair, Living by Giving Trust
The Living by Giving Trust are pleased to announce that the Xavier Project are organising a “Bongo Ball” in London on 8 March 2013 – all to raise money for the project.
From Xavier Project:
“Be sure to save the date for this ‘bongo brilliant’ event, and we will post more information about when tickets will be available on here shortly. Any questions, or if you are keen to be involved, please contact BongoBallLondon@gmail.com. Look forward to seeing you there! The Bongo London Committee”. More information can be seen, here.
Please do come along if you can!
The Living by Giving Trust supports the Xavier Project amongst its projects, please see our special page for more information, here.
After supporting many smaller projects during the pandemic of 2020/21, the Trustees met in April 2022 to discuss what we wanted to support this year. We will update our website as soon as possible with those projects, but they will include support for:
Ukraine; Glanfield Children’s Group and the Woodland Trust