Community choir Sing United donates to Launchpad.

A total of £3,660.86 was presented to Launchpad by members of North-East community choir, Sing United who held a special ‘Lest We Forget’ sell-out concert in Whitley Bay, Tyneside on Sunday 10 November as part of Remembrance Sunday.

The 150-voice choir and five-piece band is the brainchild of musical director Mark Deeks to capture the positive potential of people and music by bringing them together to sing and create a fun environment for all.

Sing United’s passion is to support local community groups through songs of meaning and chose veterans’ charity Launchpad for this very special concert, which was held at the Whitley Bay Playhouse.

The choir fundraise for local causes and collected £3,660.86 in donations, bringing their cumulative total since it was established 18 months ago to a staggering £11,500 for local causes.

Members of the choir made crafts and held raffles, and donations were collected at pre-event performances held at Eldon Square in Newcastle, at Sunderland’s Mowbray Park and on the evening of the performance.

The concert sold out two-weeks before performance and even had a waiting list for tickets due to the popularity of the show. The purpose of holding the concert on Remembrance Sunday was to sing songs that spoke out about the horrors of war, pause for reflection, pay tribute or simply remember those who gave their lives. The choir sang classic anti-war anthems from Marvin Gaye and George Harrison alongside tales of American conflicts by artists such as Bob Marley and Johnny Horton and there was also a special ‘Songs For England Medley’.

The money raised will contribute towards the provision of furniture packs to help the veterans when they move into their homes. The charity provides 32 self-contained one-bedroom flats at Avondale House on the iconic Grade II* listed Byker Estate in Newcastle.

Accepting the cheque on behalf of Launchpad was Phil Thompson, Manager of Launchpad’s Avondale House. He said:

“We are forever grateful to organisations and voluntary groups like Sing United who give up their time to help raise funds for our veterans.

“This donation means so much. A lot of veterans come to us with literally nothing but the clothes on their backs, so to be able to move into a furnished property takes away some of that stress.

“I attended the concert with some of my staff and residents and I have to say, it was truly heart-warming – such a fantastic performance and everyone should be very proud of their achievements. The performance was very much welcomed by our veterans.”

Mark Deeks, Sing United Musical Director, said:

“The whole idea behind Sing United was to have multiple layers to what we could achieve as a team: the music with meaning gives huge enjoyment to both our singers and followers, but adding the aspect of being able to support important causes in our local community adds a whole new layer of both emotion and pride. We’re delighted to have been able to support our friends at Launchpad with this donation.”

Each term, Sing United chooses a different charity or cause for their concerts to support. Every project features music and messages made in or about the North East. Their next performance will be Emergency Planet Earth on Saturday 21 March 2020 at the People’s Theatre in Newcastle. The performance will feature music from Jamiroquai, Louis Armstrong, Imagine Dragons, Woody Guthrie, Sonata Arctica and Neil Young.

Launchpad wins Heropreneurs award in recognition for the support we provide to ex-service personnel living at our two residences in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Liverpool.

The charity won The Veterans’ Foundation award category at the Heropreneurs Awards in London last night and was presented with a grant of £20,000 for winning the category.

The Heropreneurs Awards recognise and rewards the achievements of those who spent their careers protecting and caring for this country and who since leaving the Armed Forces, have gone on to successful careers outside the military services.

The charity was founded in 2013 by former members of the military community who passionately believe that homeless and unemployed veterans, and those struggling with transition, deserve our nation’s help and assistance.

Launchpad provides accommodation and, with the expertise of specialist providers, help so veterans can stabilise their lives and make a successful transition from military to civilian life. Residents can usually stay at Launchpad for up to two years.

The charity provides 32 self-contained one-bedroom flats at Avondale House in Byker, Newcastle, and 48 self-contained flats at Speke House in Liverpool. Last year, the charity supported 157 veterans across both houses and has helped 437 veterans since 2013.

Nicholas Tubbs, Chair of Launchpad, said:

“This is wonderful news in recognition of our innovative approach to helping veterans who have found the transition from military to civilian life difficult. It would not be possible without our incredible staff who supervise the individual programmes for all of our residents and our Trustees and partners who back us. This generous prize will help us to continue to play this vital role enabling our veterans to become happy and productive members of society again.”

Launchpad was nominated in the awards by Antony Lewis – a former resident of Speke House. He served nine years in 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment before being medically discharged with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Sadly, his marriage also broke down as a result of PTSD and he moved into Launchpad in October 2018. He received the support he needed and has recently moved on and into his own home in Liverpool.

The awards ceremony was held at Plaisterers’ Hall in London last night (Thursday 7 November) and awards were presented in eleven categories. For more information, please visit here.

Military veterans James Rose and Dan Smith are supporting the work Launchpad does for veterans by becoming ambassadors for the charity.

This is the first time Launchpad has appointed ambassadors to represent the charity and raise awareness of the services available to homeless and unemployed veterans.

James, 32, from Middlesbrough joined the British Army in January 2008 was in 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, formerly the Green Howards. He had a passion for football and fitness when growing up but opted for a career in the military.

During his time at Weeton Barracks, James found out that he would be deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and it was during a mission in November that year when his life took a turn for the worse. James was on patrol when he stood on an IED. He heard the pressure plate click and knew for that split second, his life would change forever. As a result of the blast, he lost both of his legs, and suffered a broken pelvis and tail bone. He spent four years recovering in Headley Court and it was his family that helped him stay focussed and get through those dark, difficult times.

Not letting his injuries deter him, he decided to get back into fitness and started rowing. This gave him a new lease of life and in January 2014, he trained with Team GB Development Team. He also learned how to ride a hand cycle and cycled 65 miles in 2017.

In 2018, he was selected to represent Team GB at the Invictus Games in Sydney competing in the wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball, gaining silver and bronze medals respectively.

During his time at the Invictus Games, he became friends with Darren Young and together they decided to raise money for veterans with depression and PTSD. Their chosen challenge was to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, which they completed during August and September 2019.

James said:

“Becoming an ambassador for Launchpad is a great honour as I know how difficult it is when you are discharged from the military.

“When I was medically discharged in 2014, I found it hard to adjust. But eventually I found my mojo and got involved in sports which led to me to compete for my country in rowing after being selected for the 2018 Invictus Games. This then led me to climb Kilimanjaro in 2019, making me the first double above knee amputee veteran to climb Kilimanjaro! It really is mind over matter.”

Royal Artillery veteran, Dan Smith has also agreed to become an ambassador of Launchpad. Dan, 40, from Northumberland served 14 years as an adventure PTI and GMLRS Commander in the British Army, completing military tours of Afghanistan and Northern Ireland.

Seven years after leaving the military and to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, he kayaked solo the length of Britain in a bid to raise £25,000 for The Royal British Legion.

The 998-mile ‘Paddle of Britain’ challenge saw him set off from the top of Scotland in 2018 and paddle via inland waterways to the south coast of England. It took him 53 days to complete the challenge raising a staggering £27,000.

Dan said:

“I am honoured to become a Launchpad ambassador. To represent, raise awareness and funds for a fantastic charity that helps ex-service personnel get back on track in more ways than one. A struggling veteran should never be left behind.”

David Shaw, CEO and Founder of Launchpad, commented:

“I am delighted to welcome James and Dan as ambassadors of Launchpad. This is the first time the charity has worked with ambassadors to represent the charity to raise awareness of the support we provide to veterans. Our long-term vision is to raise and attract more funding to become self-sustaining and having James and Dan on board will help us to achieve this.

“Residents living in our two houses in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Liverpool look up to other veterans who have similar life experiences and are inspired and motivated to get their lives back on track. Listening to James and Dan’s stories and seeing how they have gone on to raise awareness and funding for some magnificent causes is inspiring.”

Liverpool veterans learn essential cooking skills such as preparation and food hygiene thanks to the support from local organisations.

Up to ten residents living at Launchpad’s Speke House in Liverpool were invited to participate in a three-day course, which helped them to gain essential cooking skills but also a qualification at the end of it.

The Level 2 Food Safety & Hygiene course was funded by the Speke Training & Education Centre (STEC) and delivered by the charity, Bay Tree Cooking Academy CIC.

On their first day, residents were treated to some Italian al fresco cooking. They visited the Molyneux Kale farm in Scarisbrick where they picked kale and vegetables and cooked outdoors.

On their second day, they were back at Speke House where they learnt how to prepare homemade Asian and Indian food and then on their final day, they searched the internet for recipes and advice on nutrition.

Sam Jackson, Manager at Launchpad’s Speke House, said:

“This has been a fantastic project for our residents to engage with. The feedback I have received is very positive and it’s great to see so many of them participating and learning new skills. We take little things like cooking for granted but when you live on your own and need to prepare meals, it can sometimes be daunting so this course has been brilliant. We really appreciate the support of local organisations supporting our veterans.”

Michelle O’Dwyer, Director of Bay Tree Cooking Academy, said:

“Our aim is to put funding back into education using food. These courses are designed to teach adults essential new skills such as teamwork, social interaction, budgeting, planning and the importance of nutrition and a good health diet.

“This is the third time I’ve worked with Launchpad and the veterans really enjoy the sessions. We try to make it fun and interactive so getting them outside and into the community helps them with their confidence and being engaged in something productive. They even learnt how to bake a cake and although this was challenging for them, they loved it. Hopefully, a few of them will eat less takeaways and apply the skills they have learnt to cook homemade Indian and Chinese food but much healthier.”

Mark Ord, Chief Executive of STEC, said:

“Our aim is to advance adult learning and relieve poverty in the Garston (Speke) area and we were more than happy to support our local veterans’ charity. We granted the funding to enable their residents to study their Level 2 Royal Society for Health Food Hygiene qualification, which I hope will serve them well in future.”

Speke House consists of 48 bedsits including communal space and a garden for residents to socialise. In addition to safe, secure accommodation, staff also provide support with the assistance of specialist providers, to help veterans stabilise their lives and make a successful transition from military to civilian life. Last year, Launchpad supported 152 homeless and unemployed veterans at Speke House and at Avondale House in Newcastle.

Give our veterans something to smile about.

As a charity, we are always very grateful to organisations and individuals who give donations as this contributes towards the costs of running the charity and enables us to continue provide the service we do for our residents.

If you shop online at Amazon UK, why not shop at Amazon Smile who have the same products, prices and features but when you order, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) from your eligible Amazon Smile purchases to Launchpad. How good is that!

The link to our page is here.

You can also use this tool https://couponfollow.com/smilematic which will redirect you to smile.amazon.co.uk automatically so whenever you shop at Amazon, you don’t need to keep typing it in.

Thank you from all Trustees, staff and residents.