Tag Archives: Trinity Hospice

Happy New Year 2019

Happy New Year from thoughtsofjustafan – lots of exciting Alfie concerts to look forward to this year, the first one, Animal Requiem in just a few weeks.

In the traditional way, Christmas and New Year is the time when we look back at the previous year and I’m no different; luckily, it’s a delight to look back at Alfie Boe’s career in 2018 and choose my highlights.  In no particular order, here we go!

  • Alfie’s Homecoming concert at Fleetwood – an astonishing concert that will live on forever

  • Fundraising over £2,500 for Trinity Hospice through our Youtubeathon and for Alfie’s birthday.  I saw Alfie recently and he sent us this message:

  • Speaking to and videoing so many lovely fans at the London album signing

  • Chatting to a very relaxed Alfie in London, also at the signing, along with helpers (of the Three M’s), Linda and Cecelia

  • Two nominations and two wins at the Classic BRIT Awards for Alfie and Michael
  • As Time Goes By – love this album!
  • Meeting and greeting with Alfie at Kenwood and getting him to sign a Trinity hoodie
  • Exploring lots of new (to me) music – more about this to come in few weeks
  • Alfie’s video message to celebrate thoughtsofjustafan’s 4th birthday

Thank you to everyone who reads thoughtsofjustafan – your messages of support are very much appreciated.  Last year I reported that we had sailed past 250K hits…we’re now well over 300k!

As always, there are some special people to thank who make this whole thing happen:

Debbie Bannigan for believing in me and helping me go from strength to strength.

Carole Hunt for continuing to allow me the use of her photo for the site banner.

Linda Wellington for the use of her wonderful photos and videos. Thank you to everyone who allows me to use their videos here.

Roberta Kappus, Cecelia Powell, Claire Shorter and Annie Lloyd for being such wonderful guest reviewers.

Linda Anstee, Linda Wellington, Carole Hunt, Karen Rogers, Pat Watterson, Cecelia Powell, Sue Redfern for being there – thanks for keeping me sane with doughnuts.

Linda Anstee, Ellen Rook and Chris Coats for being my top social media sharers.

Cathy Haley, Sue Redfern and Cecelia Powell for being my top commenters.

Huge thanks to Andrea, Penny, Anis and Holly at Vector and to Ash and team at Decca – you’ve been amazing and a joy to work with.

Finally, it’s a massive thank you to Alfie for your unstinting support and generosity – without you, there would be no thoughtsofjustafan!

Have a very Happy New Year

xxxx

Celebrate Alfie Boe’s Birthday with Trinity

As fans of Alfie Boe will know, the end of this month brings Alfie’s birthday – 29 September to be precise.  Also, each year, Alfie donates his birthday to one of his charities and this year, Trinity Hospice and Brian House Children’s Hospice have been chosen to receive donations.

If you would like to wish Alfie a happy birthday and support Trinity, please click here to visit the thoughtsofjustafan Just Giving site.

In particular, Alfie wishes to support a team from Trinity who are beginning a nine day trek along the Great Wall of China.  Headed by fundraiser Janet, three nurses and around 18 local supporters will set off on 4th October – the Trinity staff are using their annual leave to do this!  Here is a photo of Janet with Alfie (and Rebecca from the press team at Trinity) before Alfie’s Fleetwood concert:

Alfie became patron of Trinity back in 2011 and ever since, fans have been raising money to support the hospice in a variety of ways.  Previous fundraisers have included virtual tea parties and the now annual Alfie Boe YouTube marathon which raised over £1200 this year alone.  Also in 2018, Alfie’s Homecoming Fleetwood concert raised enough money, from ticket sales and bucket collections, to run Brian House for a whole week.

However much or little you can donate helps the vital work the hospice does, so to wish Alfie a happy birthday please click here to support Trinity.

Thank you!

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Alfie Boe YouTube Marathon – Total Announced

Fans of Alfie Boe will know that one of the causes closest to his heart is the Fylde Coast hospice, Trinity Palliative Care and Brian House Children’s Hospice.  As patron, Alfie supports the charity in many ways, most recently donating £2 from each ticket sold for his homecoming concert in Fleetwood.

As we know, Alfie’s fans are as generous as him and love to support his charities; for several years now, fans have participated in virtual tea parties in order to raise money.  In 2017, thoughtsofjustafan hosted a weekend YouTube marathon, in which fans watched Alfie videos and donated to Trinity whilst doing so.  The occasion was so successful, raising £570, that we decided to do it again this year.  Over the weekend of 11 – 12 August, fans on Facebook watched a wonderfully diverse selection of Alfie videos and donated the astonishing sum of

£1283.31

– well over £1300 including gift aid.!!!!!  Thank you so much – beyond our wildest dreams!  Trinity are thrilled with the total, with Head of Fundraising at Trinity Hospice and Brian House Children’s Hospice, Linzi Warburton, saying

“We are incredibly grateful to all the Alfie Boe fans out there who made a donation as part of the Alfie Boe YouTube Marathon. The event raised a fantastic sum of money which, when we saw that some of it came from Japan and the US, is just staggering. We are so privileged to have Alfie as our Patron, as events like this prove his name alone encourages people to support our very local charity and hospice care.  We can’t thank thoughtsofjustafan enough for putting on this event in aid of Trinity Hospice and Brian House Children’s Hospice, and encouraging everyone who took part to donate whatever they could help us provide the very best palliative care here on the Fylde coast.”

Huge thank you to everyone who took part and congratulations to Emma Cropper who was picked at random to win the Trinity hoodie signed by Alfie:

If you didn’t get a chance to join in, grab a cuppa, and watch the playlist:

and if you still want to donate to Trinity, click here.

Once again – thank you – you are all

AWESOME!

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Final Total Announced for Alfie Boe’s Fleetwood Homecoming

As if any Alfie Boe fan could forget, his homecoming concert in Fleetwood on 2 June was spectacular and a one off.

Not only was it special for the obvious reason of seeing Alfie perform (photo, Annie Lloyd) in his home town but it was also a major fundraiser for Alfie’s local charity, Trinity and Brian House Hospices.

As well as £2 from each ticket sale going directly to the charity, there were also several large donations on the night plus £2,700 in bucket collections.  It has now been revealed that the amount raised through ticket sales alone was £16,382, making a grand total of £22,082 – enough to fund a whole week at the children’s hospice, Brian House.  Well done everyone – that’s amazing!

Brian House is on the same site as Trinity. With space for four children as in-patients, the service supports over eighty families in total, meeting complex needs, providing support for the family and care for children who will not be cured of their illness. Respite care, which is provided at regular intervals, gives families the opportunity to experience times of relief and normality. When a child’s life is limited it puts enormous pressure on every member of the family as they try to cope with the emotional, practical and financial implications. It can be really hard for brothers and sisters too, so for all the family, Brian House is a support mechanism. This support continues even when the service is no longer required as each child that passes away is named on the memory tree; many families find comfort in being able to return to see their child’s name. I was lucky enough to look around before the Fleetwood concert and I have to say that it’s an amazing place. The kitchen is a hive of activity and with its sweet shop colour theme and giant marshmallow decorations looks good enough to eat! Each of the four bedrooms has a theme, with one specially designed for teenagers. The lounge areas are spacious enough for group music therapy (beds can be accommodated), and for informal play and relaxation. The sensory room and corridor are an adventure of colour, light and sounds and the sound I could hear coming down the corridor was chat and laughter from children and adults alike.

Although a week’s funding from one event is wonderful, Trinity and Brian House need to continue providing help to the local community and so the fundraising never ends.  If you would like to join the next fan fundraiser, then your luck is in because thoughtsofjustafan’s annual Alfie Boe YouTube Marathon is taking place over the weekend of 11 and 12 August.  For a fun weekend of watching your favourite Alfie Boe videos whilst donating to Trinity, click here to join the Facebook event.  If you don’t have Facebook, never fear, click here to donate anyway. All who participate in the marathon will be eligible to win a signed Trinity hoodie!

 

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Alfie Boe in Fleetwood Raises Funds for a Week at Brian House

Just over a week ago, I had the privilege of bring in the audience at Alfie Boe’s homecoming concert in Fleetwood and it was the best concert experience of my life.  Not only the fabulous singing and music from Alfie’s band but the unique atmosphere and mutual love between Alfie and Fleetwood made it such a special experience and one that anyone who was there will never forget (photo: Annie Lloyd).

When Alfie announced this concert last year, he also announced that £2 from each ticket bought would go directly to the local Fylde Coast hospice, Trinity, of which Alfie is a proud patron.  Alfie has spearheaded many fundraising initiatives over the years, resulting in donations coming in from all four corners of the world – one of the most successful was the Alfie Boe YouTubeathon last year, something that we hope to repeat this summer.

Since the concert, it has been announced that sales from tickets have funded a full week of care at Brian House, the children’s hospice on the same site as Trinity.  With space for four children as in-patients, the service supports over eighty families in total, meeting complex needs, providing support for the family and care for children who will not be cured of their illness.  Respite care, which is provided at regular intervals, gives families the opportunity to experience times of relief and normality. When a child’s life is limited it puts enormous pressure on every member of the family as they try to cope with the emotional, practical and financial implications. It can be really hard for brothers and sisters too, so for all the family, Brian House is a support mechanism. This support continues even when the service is no longer required as each child that passes away is named on the memory tree; many families find comfort in being able to return to see their child’s name.

I was lucky enough to be given a tour by Rebecca Ferguson, External Communications Manager and I have to say that it’s an amazing place. The kitchen is a hive of activity and with its sweet shop colour theme and giant marshmallow decorations looks good enough to eat! Each of the four bedrooms has a theme, with one specially designed for teenagers. The lounge areas are spacious enough for group music therapy (beds can be accommodated), and for informal play and relaxation. The sensory room and corridor are an adventure of colour, light and sounds and the sound I could hear coming down the corridor was chat and laughter from children and adults alike.  Here is Rebecca (left)with senior fundraiser Janet Atkins, handing over a card made by Brian House users, (photo Darren Nelson).

Rebecca was also on duty at the Fleetwood concert, along with many volunteers who collected money from concert goers.  The total from these buckets (separate from the ticket sales) was £2,700 and another £3,000 was donated by two very generous local people as well.

Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket or has donated – every penny is used in the excellent palliative care at Trinity and Brian House.

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Help Alfie Boe Pay For A Day at Brian House

As we know, Alfie is a long standing patron of Blackpool’s Trinity Hospice and Brian House, the children’s hospice located on the same site.  Alfie has spearheaded a number of fundraising initiatives for the hospice over the years and the latest is Pay For A Day, highlighting the daily running costs.

Alfie says

Brian House is a lifeline for many families in our community – it is a privilege to support such vital work for these children. I was born in Blackpool and grew up in Fleetwood. I know how important the sense of community is to everyone in our part of the world – and how our coastal location makes it so important to have good, strong resources for local people to call upon.  That’s why I’m so proud to be a Patron of Brian House, part of Trinity Hospice. They’re right at the heart of the Fylde coast community, delivering the very best care to life-limited children whose families are going through unimaginably hard times.

In an attempt to do my part, I’m thrilled that a donation from every ticket sold for my ‘homecoming’ concert in Fleetwood this summer will go to our local hospice – enough to pay for a whole day at Brian House, and much more.

It’s hard to imagine the rollercoaster of emotion that the family of a life-limited child must experience and I urge the community to get behind Brian House in order to help them provide the type of care we would all hope for.  Pay for a Day is a brilliant idea. It doesn’t matter how you give or raise the money, whether it’s something you do on your own, or a way for you and your family to come together and achieve something amazing. If you Pay for a Day, you’ll be funding expert care for kids living just up the road from you!

Please, join me in supporting Brian House. I know it’s a place full of happiness, music and laughter, as staff work hard to ensure the most fragile youngsters in the Fylde coast area can make the most of every day.

Alfie mentions here that a donation from each ticket sold for his Fleetwood concert on 2 June will go to the hospice so if you haven’t yet bought a ticket or have and want to encourage everyone else to go, click here for tickets.  Hopefully it will be good weather, but if not, the one thing I can guarantee is a fabulous performance from Alfie.

Fans will be doing our bit over the summer –  last year, we held a two day YouTube marathon and raised over £500! We had so much fun, we’re going to do it all over again! Watch this space for the date to be announced!

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!  It’s the time of year to look back at what’s happened and what’s been achieved and oh my goodness, if you thought 2016 was good for Alfie, then 2017 knocked it out of the park.  What an awesome year he’s had!

Regular readers will know that I love to look back, so here are my 2017 highlights:

  • Publishing a best selling book on How to Create A Fan Blog
  • Alfie and Michael sing Wham!:

  • Seeing Alfie in Carousel – wasn’t he fabulous as Billy Bigelow?
  • A few stage door hugs with Alfie during the Carousel run:

  • The Trinity YouTubeathon in which we raised over £500 for one of Alfie’s charities
  • Alfie and Michael achieving a world record at HMV in October and meeting some fabulous fans too – click here to see the fan videos we made
  • Seeing so many fans in Australia and USA happy to see Alfie and Michael
  • Together Again reaching the number one chart position upon release – and now going Platinum!
  • Attending the ITV special, Ball and Boe: Back Together
  • Interviewing Alfie – if you haven’t yet seen part one, make sure you’re subscribed!

Thank you to each and everyone one of you who reads thoughtsofjustafan – your messages of support are very much appreciated.  I’m thrilled to reveal that we recently sailed past the 250K hits…I’m looking forward to half a million!

There are some special people to thank who make this whole thing happen:

Debbie Bannigan for continuing to believe in me and more importantly, to show me how far I’ve come and how far I can still go.  In the words of Michael Ball on this tour, “dream big and follow your dreams”; Debbie has shown me what can happen when you believe in yourself.

Carole Hunt for continuing to allow me the use of her photo for the site banner.

Linda Wellington for the use of her wonderful photos and videos.

Thank you to everyone who allows me to use their videos here.

Roberta Kappus, Cecelia Powell, Carole Hunt, Barbara Wren, Heather Crosskey, Heather Moore, Pauline Hyland, Claire Shorter, Kate Griffin for being such wonderful guest reviewers.

Linda Anstee, Linda Wellington, Carole Hunt, Karen Rogers, Pat Watterson, Cecelia Powell, Sue Redfern for being there – thanks for keeping me sane.

Linda Anstee, Ellen Rook and Rachael Hailey for being my top social media sharers.

Linda McCann, Sue Redfern and Cecelia Powell for being my top commenters.

Huge thanks to Emily and Andrea at Vector and to Ash and team at Decca – you’ve been amazing and a joy to work with.

Finally, it’s a massive thank you to Alfie for his unstinting support and generosity – without you, there would be no thoughtsofjustafan!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

xxxx

Alfie Boe Comes Home to Fleetwood

In a special homecoming concert, Alfie Boe will play Fleetwood FC’s Highbury stadium on 2 June 2018.  The concert will be the largest ever seen in Fleetwood, which is of course the town where Alfie grew up.

 

Alfie is super excited to be playing in his home town as evidenced here:

Being Fleetwood born and bred and a fully fledged member of the Cod Army it’s an honour and a privilege to be performing back in my home town and at my team’s home ground. I hold Fleetwood close to my heart and I’m so happy to be coming back to entertain family and friends.

This will be Alfie’s second show in Fleetwood in the space of twelve months, as he performed a couple of songs when his blue plaque was unveiled at the Marine Hall where Alfie made his debut as a performer at the tender age of fourteen.  This honour was presented as part of the BBC Music Day celebrations in June this year and Alfie was also an BBC Music ambassador in 2017.

Despite a hectic work schedule and a home in America, Alfie always keeps Fleetwood and the Fylde Coast close to his heart and is a passionate supporter of the local hospice, Trinity and Brian House, becoming patron several years ago.  As such, £2 from each ticket sold will go to the hospice, considerably contributing towards their annual £5M+ running costs.  Head of Fundraising, Linzi Young, said:

This is quite incredible news for the Hospice. Alfie has been our patron for five years and has helped us launch various fundraising campaigns, has sent videos of support for events such as our annual Ball, and has also sent private messages to some of our patients and their families facing very difficult circumstances.  He is a man with a big heart, as well as a big voice. His global fan base is a window on the world for us; fans from across all continents get involved and send donations to Trinity in his name. We feel very privileged indeed to have the support of Alfie and his team.

Yet again fans can enjoy Alfie’s music whilst also supporting his charities – a win win for everyone!

Tickets go on sale Friday 24 November at 9am from Ticketmaster.  Click here for tickets.

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Alfie Boe Fans Got Together for Trinity!

A couple of weeks ago I told you about the new fundraising initiative for Trinity Hospice, Get Together.  As one of Alfie’s charities (he is patron), his fans are more than happy to support Trinity in their annual push to raise £5 million and this year was no different, with a number of fans ‘getting together’ to raise money by taking part in an Alfie Boe YouTube marathon.  Held over the weekend, lots of fun was had by watching various videos and donating (a perfect excuse to sit and watch Alfie!).  The event started with a boost as Alfie had very kindly sent us a message wishing us well:

Thank you so much for getting together to raise money for Trinity. As a Patron, I hold the Hospice very dear to my heart and your contributions will ensure their brilliant work continues – good luck with the marathon! Lots of love Alfie x

 

 

Thanks Alfie – we did really well, raising an amazing £442! Wow!  Thank you to everyone who took part and donated – Trinity are absolutely thrilled with the amount.

The videos that ended up in the playlist (all fifty one of them!) can all be found here:

The YouTube marathon is ended now but if you would still like to donate to Trinity in Alfie’s name then click here.

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Alfie Says Get Together for Trinity Hospice

As fans of Alfie Boe we are aware that he supports several charities that are close to his heart and one that we have recently heard from is Trinity Hospice, the hospice supporting adults and children on the Fylde Coast which is where Alfie is from.

At the unveiling of Alfie’s blue plaque at the Marine Hall, Fleetwood, Shirley Morgan from the hospice told us about Alfie’s support, both public and private and told us what that means for them, particularly for their fundraising abilities.  Supporting adults and children on the same site, each year Trinity needs to raise £5 million to keep going and they are always looking for new ideas.  The past few years have seen them run Trinity tea parties, with Alfie himself urging everyone to “put the kettle on and raise money for Trinity” and this year they are running a similarly themed event, Get Together.

As patron, Alfie is wholeheartedly behind this new initiative and says

There’s nothing I enjoy more than a get together with friends and family. The weeks I spend on the road makes family time so precious – and I’d ask everyone having their own get together this summer to think about supporting Trinity and Brian House by doing a little bit of fundraising at the same time – that makes it a real win-win.

Here are just some of the ideas already:

sizzling summer BBQ

themed dinner party

girly lunch or boys night in

evening of G&T or cocktails

family garden party

movie marathon

thoughtsofjustafan will be hosting an online Alfie on YouTube marathon over the weekend of 15-16 July – click here to join in the fun!