88 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
JANUARY 2009 CHARITY CORNER
SKY JUMP FOR LTFUC CHARITY
Jon Whittick has been a taxi driver for almost 25 years and married to wife Jenny for 31 years. They have two great children, Barry and Lisa and two wonderful grandsons Harry (5) and Riley (2). For Jon’s 50th birthday this year, Jenny increased Jon’s life insurance and booked him a ‘Sky- dive’, as she knew it was something he always wanted to do. With only 2 weeks to go before the jump, kind hearted Jon thought it would be a good oppor- tunity to raise money for the LTFUC and began a race to get some spon- sorship. Jon said he was surprised at peo- ple’s generosity,
WIGAN TAXI DRIVER
IS HALF THE MAN HE WAS An overweight taxi driv- er from Wigan is back on the road to good health.
Chris McCormick, 50, revealed his plan to lose weight in Novem- ber and, according to his scales, he is stick- ing to his new healthier regime.
especially in these diffi- cult times and he has managed to raise around £800 so far. Special thanks go to Gorgeous George at 123 Send and Gary at Mag Diesel for their help and contributions, and a big thank you also goes to everyone who donat-
ed so generously. Jon says that the sky- dive was a fantastic experience and he will definitely be doing it again, and will also try to convince his wife Jenny to jump to raise funds for such a well deserving charity, so watch this space!!
HAVENS HUSKY CHALLENGE FOR ADVENTURER RAY
A Great-Granddad from Eastwood will be trad- ing in his cab for canines as he signs up for an extreme fundrais- ing challenge in aid of Havens Hospices. Taxi driver Ray Wood- cock will be leading a team of husky dogs 250 kilometres across the Arctic for eight days in April 2009, attempt- ing to raise £10,000 for the charity. Battling freezing temperatures and 14-hours days con- trolling the sled, Ray will hold complete
responsibility of the pack with just the sup- port of a guide. Ray, 66, says, “I will have to feed, clean and control the huskies. I’ll be building my own shelter and cooking for myself at night, where the temperatures dip to around -40 degrees. It will be a physically and mentally tough chal- lenge and very hard to prepare for.
“I will be standing up for 14 hours at a time on the sled, but my job as a taxi driver obviously
involves me sitting down! Using my 35lb backpack, I am walking around town to strength- en my legs and arms.” This isn’t the first over- seas extreme challenge Ray has tackled. In 2004, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, a year later he trekked through the Borneo Jungle and after another 12 months Ray climbed three erupting volcanoes. Last year, Ray and his son Marc travelled to Chile and attempted to climb the world’s high- est erupting volcano. Ray, who lives with partner Heather, says, “I am excited but is it a daunting challenge and completely different to anything else I’ve done. But the thought of rais- ing money for the children and families at Havens Hospices will help spur me on during the tough times.” Havens Hospices incor- porates Fair Havens Hospice and Little Havens Children’s Hos- pice. It will cost £4.7 million this year to con- tinue these unique and vital services, receiving limited funding from the government. To sponsor Ray please visit www.havenshos-
pices.org.uk/havensgiv ing.
The 21-stone office man- ager set himself the mammoth task of shed- ding the pounds so he could complete a 250- mile sponsored bike ride from Great Yarmouth to Wigan next July.
He used to puff his way through an incredible 50 fags a day and eat fatty foods but has now lost a stone in just six weeks and is down to less than 20 cigarettes a day.
Chris, who is from Lev- ens Walk, Pemberton, and works for Crusader Cabs, decided to get healthy and raise money for the British Heart Foundation after realising his lifestyle was putting him at risk of heart disease. The illness has blighted his family,
with his
mother, brother, sister, uncle and cousin all dying of a heart attack under the age of 60. He plans to keep eating healthier foods and stub out the fags for good. Chris told the Wigan Evening Post: “I’ve cut down but not packed in yet - that’s the hardest part. The hospital were pleased with my progress when they
weighed me last time. “I’ve been on the exer- cise bike and I’ve been out at night on the bike -I wait until it’s dark so nobody can see me. I’m lucky if I can do half a mile or a mile at the moment. “People have been supportive, they say they can see I’m losing the weight on my face. I’m losing it on the backside too but not my belly, that hasn’t gone down.
“The diet is going well. I’m eating fruit and veg- etables and cut out the bread, burgers and full breakfasts.”
Sponsor Chris by visiting www.justgiv-
ing.com/christopherm- ccormick
CASH BOOST FOR RIDING CHARITY
Picture courtesy of Media Wales
A charity that gives peo- ple and animals a second chance at hap- piness is the first of three to be awarded a share of £750 by TJ Taxis and Mini Bus Hire of Aberkenfig.
The firm is making the cash available as a gesture to all the cus- tomers who have helped make them so successful.
Second Chances pro- vides one-to-one horse riding experi- ences for people with special needs. Most have learning disabili- ties, but they also cater for people with physical disabilities and for those who have as yet undiag- nosed behavioural
issues.
Co-ordinator Gina Lloyd told the Glamor- gan Gazette: “Individuals who are timid of riding can enjoy playing games on foot while walking with a pony or a dog. “All activities take place in a safe, spe- cially designed activity arena, and we are in the process of adding an undercover arena so that we are not lim- ited by the weather. “The ponies, horses and dogs used during sessions have all been trained to work with our visitors and so extreme noise or sudden behaviour changes are not an issue.
“All have themselves been rescued and rehabilitated so, like our visitors, they are enjoying a second chance. “We have safe areas for those who have mobility issues and we are currently having a wheelchair-friendly mounting block to make it as easy as possible for every- one who wants to experience pony rid- ing to do so.” Dave Jones of TJ Taxis said: “We are delighted to help this very worth- while cause.” To make a donation you can email the charity on second-
chances@btinternet.c om
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