Giving Ollie a leg up; freewheeling for Fraser

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Martin Moodie
Martin Moodie is the Founder & Chairman of The Moodie Report.

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News reaches The Moodie Blog of a couple of charity initiatives that honour two very different individuals, one a brave boy who is going through the battle of his young life; the second a well-known industry executive tragically no longer with us.

I have written previously about Ollie, the 9 year-old nephew of Sara Stevens (sstevens@thenuancegroup.com), HR & Training Manager for The Nuance Group (UK) in Southampton.

Ollie has spent a long time in Birmingham Children’s Hospital undergoing gruelling treatment for a rare bone cancer called Ewing Sarcoma. During nine months of chemotherapy, he somehow drove a campaign to raise over £28,000 for charities that have helped him in his battle with the disease.

On 18 May Ollie had an operation. Not just any operation. Called a ‘rotation pasty’, it involved his leg being partially amputated and then grafted back onto his thigh bone, making his ankle bone his new knee joint.

In two months he will be fitted for a prostheses, which is where, hopefully, the travel retail industry comes in.

I’ll let Sarah takes up the story: “Ollie did really well in the operation and was able to wriggle his toes after being in theatre for 7.5 hours. The good news is that they removed all the tumour [and the tumour in his lung is still gone]. So the big recovery starts now.  He has a huge road ahead of him and my fundraising continues but now I switch to raising money for a leg.

“I have ordered wristbands and I wondered if any of your lovely readers and colleagues would like one. My aim is to get people wearing them and sending me pictures of where they are wearing them! Ollie will love seeing them around the world!!

“Ollie loves Mario brothers so his nick name is Weejee… Luigi!). I  want to ensure that Ollie has the best leg possible (in his words… to kick his brother”) and this costs a lot of money so I am now fundraising for Weejee as he has raised so much for other people.

“I have got some wristbands to highlight this fundraising and am selling them for £1.50 each ((sstevens@thenuancegroup.com). All the monies will be put into Weejee’s new bank account ready for when he has to have his new leg.

The adult size wristbands come in purple and orange and the child size ones are yellow. Please help me to give Ollie the best leg ever!

“We will be doing a competition to see how far these wristbands travel, upload yourself wearing your wristband to our Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/935296666528285/?fref=ts) and tell us where you are in the world, the furthest wristband wins a small prize.

“Weejee will also award a prize for the picture he likes the best.”

What an amazing Aunt Sara is, part of an amazing family led by this outstanding young man called Ollie. Let’s ensure he’s in the best possible shape to stand and walk tall for the long journey that lies ahead.

Postscript: I am  delighted to announce that Andrew Torrance, a former supplier to World Duty Free Group’s Fraser Dunlop (see second story below) and now Managing Director of The Whisky Shop in London, has offered a very special bottle of single malt for auction to help raise money for Ollie.

Here’s Andrew’s description:

The bottle can be found at https://www.whiskyshop.com/glenfiddich-1992-whisky-shop-exclusive

Recently, several members of The Whisky Shop team and one lucky customer, Neil Cromarty, joined Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, to select a single cask Glenfiddich to be bottled exclusively for The Whisky Shop. The cask they chose was a refill bourbon cask filled on 13th March 1992, the year that The Whisky Shop was founded. 1992 was the year the cold war officially ended; the year South Africans voted to end apartheid; the year Disneyland Paris opened and the year Betty Boothroyd became the first female Speaker of the House of Commons. And in 1992, the now gas-fired spirit stills at Glenfiddich were still coal-fired, so you will be tasting whisky history.

This bottling is the very first cask to be released from the Glenfiddich Rare Collection; casks which are hand selected by Brian Kinsman because they exhibit a host of seductive aromas and flavours typical of older Glenfiddich.

The Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1992 Single Cask is now available exclusively from The Whisky Shop and is limited to only 200 bottles.

This is a rare opportunity to obtain a great and exclusive single malt whisky and help an incredible young man. I (Martin Moodie) am placing the first bid at £1,500 but I very much hope to see much higher offers. Send them via e-mail please to Martin@TheMoodieReport.com headed ‘Ollie Glenfiddich 1992 Auction’.

FREE WHEELING FOR FRASER

Our second charitable project involves Fraser Dunlop, the former World Duty Free Group Global Head of Food, Souvenirs, Toys & Electronics, who died on 1 April after a momentous, inspirational fight against cancer.

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Fraser, remember, was the walking, talking miracle man, given a few months to live after being diagnosed with inoperable, incurable cancer but who defied medical opinion for years – the disease apparently gone.

Tragically, it returned and not even Fraser’s will could ultimately defeat it.

During those years Fraser raised thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK, particularly through cycling on the L’Etape du Tour – a mountain stage of the Tour de France – with (brother) Ross and Grant McKnight.Now in his memory, Grant is heading another assault on the L’Etape du Tour, this time to raise funds for a Foundation set up in Fraser’s name within the Imperial College Healthcare Charity.

The Fraser Dunlop Research Fund will be used to develop the sort of ablation (local methods that destroy tumours without removing them) technologies that Fraser benefited from – but safer, more non-invasive variations.

If you want to support this great cause – and celebrate Fraser’s life, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/forfraser

Footnote: Fraser Dunlop’s life will be the subject of a special celebration in coming details. Details below.

– St John’s Church, Manor Farm Lane, Egham. TW20 9HL
– 10 June
– 3pm
– Meeting afterwards at the Red Lion, Egham High Street (please park at the Waitrose carpark)
– RSVP: Debbie.ansell@wdfg.com

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  • Thank you Martin, for your kind words and support for Ollie, the support people , very kind people, are giving us is keeping the family focussed and ensuring Ollie gets the very best he deserves.

    Enjoy wearing your wristband, I look forward to seeing the photos of everywhere it travels!!

    Ollie’s Auntie Sara 🙂