Christmas Starts Here! Brailsfords light up Brentry

Fireworks go up, as the lights come on

 It's become more traditional than opening your advent calendar; Every year Lee and Paul, the now notorious Brailsford Brothers, light up Christmas for Brentry and Beyond.

Two years ago, they starred in a Channel 4 documentary on Britain's greatest Christmas Lights, and you can read about them this year in our very own Bristol Post.

every year, the Brailsford Bro's add more and more lights!

Very proud. My first Christmas Present. I'm going to wear it in the House of Commons. Shhh...

 I always tell the story of how I  came across Lee in his garage, fiddling around with wires and large snowmen one boiling hot September afternoon, some years ago now, already preparing for Christmas. 

Now the Brailsford Brothers hope to smash the £20,000 mark in raising money for Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal.

Gromit's had a big year, this year. But still found time to support @brailsfordxmas

Each year, the spectacle gets bigger and better -this year it was almost hard to get to see the house for the crowds, and as the count-down went off, the fireworks went up. Amazing!  We are also now lucky to have some really brilliant local talent performing to get us all in the festive mood.

This year was a bit special for me- as Lee and Paul gave me my first Christmas present - my very own Brailsford Lights hoodie which I will wear with pride! I've been dared to wear it in the Chamber at the House of Commons. So shhh... watch this space... and don't tell the Speaker...


If you missed the lights - turn-on, don't worry! You can enjoy the festivities again on Christmas Eve, and the lights are on every day until January 3rd between 5-10pm.

You can also donate online at www.brailsfordlights.co.uk 

Or by texting rixy88 and £1, £5 or £10 to 70070.

Boxing Clever for Mental Health and Life Chances With Living Legends

In the presence of Legends! Bristol's Chris Sanigar and Frank Bruno

 It is very seldom you get to meet two boxing legends within two days.
I remember watching the Bruno vs. Tyson fight, and I remember, still with devastation and dread, the Michael Watson fight, that changed the way boxing safety was policed for ever.

Since then, both these living legends have soldiered on through very tough times. Frank's mental health issues were made very public, and doctors said that Michael Watson would never walk or talk again.

But both men are not only walking and talking, they are taking up the fight to help others through the sport they love. Frank Bruno is supporting Empire Boxing Club's new scheme, helping people with mental health, through boxing, in conjunction with the mental health services. I went to a session and saw how uniquely effective boxing can be. 

The amazing Michael Watson: 2nd row, third from the left

Michael Watson was in Parliament to launch "Fight for Change" - a Lambeth based charity, helping young people find a career and a future for themselves through boxing. As professional fighter, Jevon Young said,  "Boxing saved my life. I probably wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for boxing".

The All Party Group on Boxing , of which I am chair, is working on a report to shine light on all these remarkable schemes. I have never, ever seen anything tackle those toughest social challenges like boxing. We waste so much money on interventions to the 'hard to reach' which don't work. For so many, only boxing has the reach, and for so many, it's definitely the right hook.

Find out more:  www.fight4change.org.uk/‎

Or about Empire Boxing Club  HERE

Avon Talking Magazines for the Blind - 40th Anniversary!

Drinking tea with Cynthia for a good cause. Yes, tough, I know

The Avon Talking Magazine for the Blind  is one of those unsung, but exceptional charities that makes such a difference to so many peoples' lives on a daily basis.

Cynthia Reynolds has for many years not had to press-gang me into coming to fund raising events - often wonderful teas like this one, to support an incredibly valuable cause.

signing the 'Avon Talking Magazine Tablecloth' (nicely posed)

This year they held a very special event to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the organisation.

Signing the Avon Talking Magazine Tablecloth - in reality

Services like this can make all the difference to those with limited sight and blindness, in a world that can otherwise seem very hostile and self-referential and sufficient.

Star-studded guest list - Our Lord Mayor & Cllr Chris Windows

The hall was packed and we were lucky to welcome the Lord Mayor and other celebs such as the notorious ( in a good way) Cllr. Chris Windows from Henbury, over some excellent cake, and a cup of tea - served impeccably by the superb team from Avon Talking Books for the Blind. 

I got to sign a magnificent table-cloth, with embroidered signatures from many supporters over the years, all beautifully done by Cynthia Reynolds.

Thank you to Cynthia and the whole team not only for a beautiful tea, but for all the extraordinary work you do year in, year out, to change people's worlds. Inspiration.  

Brailsford Lights 2011 on national TV!

This year, the epic Brailsford Brothers' Christmas lights switch on in Henbury attracted the attention of national TV. And quite right too. I first met the brothers several years ago now, constructing complex Christmas lights arrangements in their Brentry garage on a baking hot day in September. What they do is amazing - at cost to themselves they put on a Christmas Lights display on their mum's house to rival the very best, raising thousands of pounds for Charity. The annual switch-on also kick-starts Christmas for many ( including me. It was my first mince-pie of the year) and lights up a dark time of year, in what are difficult times.

I have been so struck by the personal effort and sacrifice Lee and Paul have made to bring joy to their community, and to those children for whom their Childrens' Hospital appeal raises money. This is Big Society with bells on. ( Well, lots of lights, at least.)

You can watch a documentary about Paul and Lee Brailsford in mid-December on CH4... look out for it!

Abseiling for St. Peter's Hospice

It was one of those things that seemed a great idea at the time, cooped up in the office with paper-work towering overhead... An abseil down one of Bristol's tallest buildings in aid of St. Peters' Hospice.

I've fundraised for St. Peter's before, because they do simply exceptional work, funded mainly by donations, for local people. They are a charity of which the city can be incredibly proud. Previous fundraising has involved running along the flat, for some miles. This involved just a few feet - but they were vertical. The people at Outer Edge were superb in making us feel, and be, safe. And despite my trepidation, it was a great experience tripping down the Premier Inn at Haymarket. (Especially once I'd landed)...

There's still time to give - This really is a fantastic cause, which deserves all the support it can get. A one off abseil is one thing, but the daily work that the unsung heroes at St. Peters' do is quite another. Even if it's only the cost of that chocolate muffin or Starbucks coffee you're trying to resist, please support the hospice and donate!

Rovers gives a boost to Henbury Streetz Project

We've come a long way. From an idea I had after seeing a street dance performance at a charity dinner, to getting a new street dance group started at Emmanuel Chapel in Henbury!

The crew at Emmanuel Chapel have been superb in really making it happen, my mum has got involved to raise funds and now we have enough money for street dance every Friday, with beat-box on the cards for the future.

Our new group of talented street dancers and the team all went to the Rovers stadium to collect money. Sporting our new "Henbury Streetz Project" T-Shirts, we raised several hundred pounds on one day, and great fun was had by all. Many thanks to everyone who dug deep: And there was a Rovers victory as well! Thanks to Rovers and our intrepid team of fundraisers and dancers!

Tea(Street)Dance with mum

At the beginning of the year, I brought a Street-Dance team to Henbury's Emmanuel Chapel to start trial street-dance classes for local young people.

The classes were a huge success, and 9 weeks later, a significant group of young people had put together an excellent street-dance routine which they performed in front of the community (including their parents.) And the young people loved it so much that one of them anonymously, and unbeknownst to us, applied for Aspiring Communities funding themselves to continue it.

And my mum ( Who has always had a bit of a thing for street-dance) took it upon herself to fundraise to get enough money to secure the street-dance classes for the future. A few years ago she took up cycling, and recently won the European Triathlon Championships in her age-group - so she decided to do a big sponsored Bike Ride around the Bristol area to raise money for the street dance group.

This is just one of the fundraising events organised around her Big Bike Ride - A beautiful tea put on by Cynthia Reynolds and Carole Lye ( both pictured behind the tea table!) .

If you are interested in sponsoring my mum's bike ride for Henbury Street Dance, email my mum at janeleslie@hotmail.com for more details.

Brailsford Brothers Christmas Lights finally switched on!

I've got a feeling this isn't the last Christmassy themed post I'm going to write - and it's only the 1st December...

Brentry marked the beginning of advent with the now legendary switch-on of the Brailsford Brothers' Christmas Lights display. This blog has tracked their progress, from when I first came across Lee, taking down the lights one chilly January morning, to putting them back up again on a scorching September day, to the switch-on this evening. Getting anywhere near the house this evening was something of a challenge, due to the crowds of people who had assembled.

I had written to EDF Energy to ask whether they would be able to give the brothers a discount on their electricity bill. They pay for all the lights themselves, out of their own pocket, and this year with the credit crunch, it has been harder for them. Sadly, I was unable to get EDF to help, despite some trenchant pestering, but that didn't stop Lee and Paul from putting on a display bigger and better than ever before, this year.

Wallace and Gromit were there, along with Father Christmas, shaking buckets and raising money for Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal for the Royal Hospital for Children - and the collecting boxes are out throughout the Christmas period for donations from passers-by who enjoy the lights display.

So go along and see what is perhaps Bristol's brightest house on Oakbourne Road, in Brentry. And check out their website at www.brailsfordlights.co.uk, HERE

Carols in November with Bristol Brunel Lions Carol Sleigh

Yes, the scary looking character about to hijack Father Christmas's Carol Sleigh is actually me.

To herald in December, The Bristol Brunel Lions Club launched the first night of their Carol Sleigh, complete with tirelessly waving Father Christmas, a new van, and lights.

We knocked on doors, collecting for Elmfield School for Deaf Children. Not only were we raising money for a very worth while local cause, but it was heart-warming, in the cold night, to see how much parents and children alike enjoyed the carols. As one mum said, " In 10 years, you've always come to visit us, you've never let us down." And more than one person said it was, for them, the beginning of Christmas. And so despite the chill, there were quite a few little people to be seen, running behind the carol bus in pyjamas.

The Bristol Brunel Lions Club has raised literally tens of thousands of pounds for local and international charities over the years. Their slogan is "Ordinary People. Amazing Things." Amazing, and often simple things, like a carol sleigh every year, make the world of difference.

If you'd like to find out more about donating, or joining the Lions, call 0845 833 5848

Creating a Huge Stir in Henbury

There are certain landmark events in the year of a candidate - and MacMillan's "Big Stir" coffee morning is one of them. This is the third event I've been to as a candidate, and every year I am bowled over by the energy and determination of the local communities who organise them, with Macmillan.

This year, I was once again at Henbury's coffee morning, with Henbury's new Councillor, Chris Windows. (Seen here causing havoc with the raffle). The Scout Hut on Tranmere Avenue was packed out. There was a seemingly never-ending stream of raffle prizes - testament to the generosity of local people - and some superb stalls of locally hand-made crafts, cards and cakes.

And at time of writing, the Henbury Big Stir alone raised over £800.

And a special congratulations must go to Cynthia Reynolds, Carole Lye and their team for making it such a successful day.

Anyone who has had contact with the work the Macmillan nurses do, will know how valuable the cancer care they give really is. They looked after my gran in her last days, and I will never forget their gentleness and expertise, and how reassuring they were to the rest of the family as well. It's hard to find someone who has not in some way come into contact with the work they do.

Even if you could not make the coffee morning, you can still donate to Macmillan - just click here to support.

Christmas starts now, for Brentry's big lights display

Some months ago now, I bumped into Lee and Paul Brailsford taking down their magnificent Christmas lights display.

Yesterday, I came across Lee Brailsford again - just beginning the mammoth task of erecting their extraordinary, charity-fundraising lights display.

For the Brailsford brothers, Christmas starts in September. The amount of time and effort - not to mention their own money -these local residents invest in providing a focal point to be enjoyed by all the community at Christmas is astounding.

The Big Light Up is on 1st December, and Lee told me how the traditional elements of Christmas provide so much joy for so many people in the community -particularly the elderly. You just have to read their comments page to see how much it means to so many people.

And last year, the brothers raised over £2000 for the Childrens Hospital. Not bad for a tradition that started out as two boys enjoying decking out their mum's house at Christmas... and just shows what can be achieved with a bit of determination, vision and quite a lot of hard work!

Please sponsor me and support St.Peter's Hospice

I've been putting it off and putting it off, since training has been going so diabolically. But I've finally bitten the bullet and committed myself to running the Bristol Half Marathon for St. Peter's Hospice.

The work that St.Peter's does really cannot be over-estimated. They provide support and care not only for those at the end of their lives, but also their families. And in fact, the network of loyal support that St. Peter's has forged through its work is a bit like a family itself.

But St. Peter's needs donations like yours to keep going with its work. So please, even if it's just a tiny amount, please do sponsor me in running the Bristol Half Marathon 2009 for St. Peter's Hospice. Thank you.

Leukemia Research Charity Football Match

We couldn't have asked for better weather for the charity football match for Leukemia Research, on Sunday at the Port of Bristol Sports and Social Club. The event was organised largely thanks to Liz and Phil Radford and their dedicated team of helpers and was a huge success. Matches took place throughout the day , with the winning team playing an all-star cast of celebrity footballers, including our very own Geoff Twentyman.

But it wasn't all about football. There were refreshments (including superb home-made curry) and the stall was so busy that I was drafted in to help out. Though I'm not sure that 'help' is what the organisers might have called it...

We are still waiting to hear how much we raised, but a huge congratulations to everyone who made it such an enjoyable, and successful day.

Emmanuel Chapel - aka Tardis

Emmanuel Chapel is a sort of cross between the Tardis ( small and not particularly noticeable on the outside - enormous and doing masses of stuff on the inside) and that story of the loaves and fishes. For anyone rusty on their Bible, it goes a bit like this:

Jesus has been teaching and everyone's been out on the mountain listening all day - 5000 odd have turned up. Sermon over, everyone realises they're a bit hungry, but not a bite to eat in sight. Except for one lad who's had the foresight to bring a picnic - not a lot, a couple of loaves and a few fishes. Jesus asks his disciples to collect up all the food there is amongst everyone and they come up with this paltry sum. Disciples are unimpressed and worried because everyone's really quite peckish now. " Don't worry" says Christ. "That'll be fine". He divides the loaves and fishes up, and hey-presto, everyone - all 5000 of them - have enough to eat. And there's even some left over.

With the limited source of funding that they appear to have, Emmanuel Chapel do a huge amount of work and manage to make it go a very long way. They are not only a church, but also a place for young people in the area to come in the evenings and meet friends, chat and get vital adult support and input in a relaxed environment. And, almost loaves and fishes like, they say they still manage to set aside some money to give to charities. Amazing. Just imagine what they could do with more...!


Photo shows Henbury Council Candidate, Chris Windows, me, and Nikky Furst who helps run Emmanuel Chapel.

Prince's Trust 25 Years Celebration

This evening I went to a celebration of 25 years of The Prince's Trust Business Programme, hosted by ITV West's Lisa Aziz.

It was a remarkable evening. I had not realised just how much work the Prince's Trust does in launching young people with talent and ideas, but without financial or personal backing, into the world to fulful their potential.

One of the most impressive things about the programme is that it does not patronise young people, but asks them to pay the Trust back as they earn their money and get on in the world.

Not only does the scheme make social and moral sense, it also makes financial sense. We were told how one estimate puts the cost of socially excluded young people at £4m per week, just for this area. Many socially excluded young people may have found it hard to excel in the restrictive environment of school, but are natural entrepreneurs in the tough world outside the school gates.

We met several young people whose lives had been turned around by the Prince's Trust business programme - Celestine Walcott-Gordon started the evening off with a rendition of 'feeling good' that could have been sung by Nina Simone herself.

Then we heard from Paul Bradley who suffered from mental illness after a time serving in the forces in Afghanistan, Macedonia and Northern Ireland, and who wasn't sure how to make his way in the world, but now is forging a name for himself as a successful entertainer under "Ginger Enterprises".

We met Rob Law, a dragons den reject who, thanks to a Prince's Trust grant, went on to found 'Trunki', and JoeBurke who runs "Thirst Solution" . Best known product: a backpack which carries 21litres of liquid - ideal for a party, or for distributing drink, tea, coffee etc at big events. He now has international contracts.

I also talked to Lorna Knapman, (in the photo) who is filling the market gap for healthy food for children, 'Bitesize' and runs the new 'Love Food' Festival. As more evidence sugguests that diet may be partially responsible for rising levels of ADHD, not to mention obesity, Lorna has really hit on something big.

These are people who didn't give up, had a lot to give, but needed an initial helping hand financially, and moral support from The Prince's Trust mentors. All I met were so grateful to the trust and committed to helping others like them forge a path to fulfillment and success.

But ... they still have a £500,000 funding gap. If you feel you can help, you can make a donation at www.justgiving.com/investinginenterprise - You can be certain it will be money multiplied, not wasted.

Winning Cakes at Macmillan's Big Stir

It's a sign of a food-focused youth that I won the "Guess the Weight of the Cake" competition at Macmillan's Big Stir coffee morning at Brentry Scout hut, today.

Successful guessing of weights of cakes demands concentration, the closing of eyes, and a youth spent destroying the kitchen with flour and eggs, creating vague, sugary concoctions which tasted so much better for the mess made before.

The coffee morning was a huge success. The sunshine brought the people in and a good time was had by all. Many thanks to all who made it such a success.

The weight of the cake, for reference, was 2lb 11 oz. My kitchen-centered youth was evidently not mis-spent...

Dragon Boat Sunday

Lots of things seem a good idea at the time, then lose their allure fast as the day of their fulfillment dawns. Some things however regain their allure, and you end up not regretting that enthusiastic moment when you said 'yes'.

Taking part in the fundraising Dragon Boat Race , for the Life Education Centre was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday. The atmosphere was brilliant, with teams from all over Bristol competing and raising money for charity.

Well done to all the organisers who worked so hard - and to Captain Hilary who kept our boat ship shape and Bristol Fashion. No mean feat.

Bristol 10K for Jessie May...

It was only 10k, but after disastrously little training it felt like a marathon.

Many thanks to everyone who sponsored me for my 10k for The Jessie May Trust - I have so far managed to raise just over £500 to help support families of children with terminal illnesses.

I don't want to get all schmulchy, but reading about the work The Jessie May Trust does is pretty sobering. It makes you realise how much most of us take our families for granted. (As a child, I certainly did. My mum used to trek about taking me swimming training at Easton leisure centre at ungodly hours in the morning and I used to thank her by being in a foul temper through most of my teenage years) But seeing the work that The Jessie May Trust does with families who may not have that much longer together makes you think again.

The race may be over, but the fundraising certainly isn't! You can still sponsor me clicking HERE If you think you ever might have taken your family for granted - give some support to families who simply can't afford to take a single day together for granted.

No pain, no gain

Last week I finally presented St.Peter's Hospice with a cheque for £1,300 which I raised running the Bristol Half Marathon last year. This year, St. Peters celebrates its 30th Birthday, and has also been selected as the official charity for the 2008 Bristol Half Marathon.

The good news is, thanks to overwhelmingly generous support from lots of people, I raised far more money than I thought possible, and despite a stinking knee injury, got round the course in a personal best time.

The bad news is, I'm obviously going to have to break both records again this year. Erk...

Lions' Grand effort for Jessie May Trust

At their January dinner on Wednesday, the Brunel Lions Club presented the Jessie May Trust with a cheque for £1000.

The Jessie May Trust was set up to care for children who due to terminal illness will not have a long life. It also provides crucial support and care for their families.

Andrew Shaw, a Trustee of the Jessie May Trust gave an inspiring account of the Trust's work, before being presented with a cheque by John Taylor, from Brunel Lions.


The Lions Club supports many local and national charities. To get involved call John on 0117 9501511 or Bill on 0117 9420242

To donate to the Jessie May Trust go to www.jessiemaytrust.org.uk , call 0117 961 6840 , or email info@jessiemaytrust.org.uk