19 / 04 / 2017
As a company with a strong sense of community we have been a vehement supporter of both local Telford based charities as well as national ones.
Jim Hinds, our Production Manager, has worked with the company for a long time and has been very supportive of many events we have championed along the way.
Recently we learned that Jim’s son, Alfie, suffers with a debilitating heart condition that affects his day to day life and the prognosis is very uncertain for him.
A Little About Alfie
Alfie was born with a severe heart defect which limits what he can do physically. Despite several major operations, at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, he still needs constant supervision and help to get around.
He is a bright, determined young boy however, and has attended school regularly but is limited to part time attendance.
Being 11 now, he is due to start secondary school and is enthusiastic to begin the next journey of his life, but he needs a motorised wheelchair in order to be able to access classrooms which may be on different floors and long distances apart.
Unfortunately the school is unable to fund the £4,000.00 needed for the chair and there is no government funding to support Jim financially with this purchase. Furthermore, the school cannot commit another person to push Alfie around in a non motorised chair during his school hours. With the start of a new school year looming, the clock is ticking.
September Deadline
The FrameXpress team is pulling together and will be working with the charity Whizzkids to help Jim raise the £4,000 he has to find by September – which is when Alfie starts secondary school. Should the amount achieved exceed the amount needed, the company will be donating the remainder to Whizzkids for their charitable causes.
Getting Involved
Everyone at the company is behind this fundraising project and a lot of Jim’s workmates have already planned a number of events which include:
Ink It For Alfie will take place on 6th May where Devil’s Ink Tattoos in Wellington has generously set aside the whole day to offer tattoos at £25 a time. The ink will be the only cost taken with all other funds being given to Alfie’s Project.
A 20 mile corporate ‘Ride For Alfie’ will take place on 3rd June for members of the frameXpress team and anyone else interested in joining in the fun. On the day everyone will cycle from the company’s main head office through to Cosford Air Museum and back. Organisers Terry Bryan and Paul Brunt have asked for a minimum donation of £5 to participate in the ride, which again, will be donated to raising funds for the motorised wheelchair.
A Sponsored Pink Hair Dye called Shine Bright for Alfie will take place on 8th June where Hayley Williams and Lewis Cotton will be asking for donations – for every £100 received the longer the bright pink colour stays!
‘Alfie’s Bash’ is due to be held on 9th June at Wellington Cricket Club where there will be a special auction that includes wonderful prizes from suppliers and local companies. We will be dancing the night away and serving traditional food and drinks all to raise funds for Alfie – information on tickets for this event is available from Diana Collier on 01952 581100.
A Great Start But Time Is Not On Our Side
The whole team has got behind the project and their hard work and generosity has already got us off to a great start with a phenomenal £ 1780.00 already raised by staff, customers and suppliers to date.
This has included an Easter Bake Off competition won by Nicola Holmes for a fabulous Victoria Sponge cake and a visit from the Easter Bunny as well as a coffee morning with Cup Cakes which were all arranged by individual members of the team.
Donations from suppliers have also been received with Ingenious Locks very generously giving £400.00 towards Alfie’s Project
A crowdfunding page has been launched now, which gives a little more information about Jim and his family should anyone wish to donate.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Alfie-Hinds
Michelle Milward, Office Manager and Project Co-ordinator commented, “With a September deadline fast approaching we need as much support as possible for Alfie.
So, on Jim’s behalf, we are asking for companies, customers and local support as we look to raise the funds necessary for him to buy the motorised chair for his son.
We really do hope that people will be inspired to help Jim and his family.”
Link into the FrameXpress Ltd Facebook, Linked In and Twitter feeds to keep updated on Alfie’s Fundraiser progress.
Please contact Michelle Milward or Diana Collier on 01952 581100 for more detailed information on the scheduled events as more are planned.