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CHARITY
By buying The Great Right Hope, you are also helping charity. 50% of all my E-book royalties and 25% of all my paperback royalties will go to charity. The money will split into two and donated to the following great causes.
Alzheimer's Reseach Trust
Alzheimer's Disease, the most common cause of dementia, affects around 400,000 people in the UK. Alzheimer's disease, first described by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer, is a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease, 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells. People with Alzheimer's also have a shortage of some important chemicals in their brains, which are involved with the transmission of messages within the brain.
I have not experienced, first-hand, anyone suffering from Alzheimers, and if I have, I was too young to remember, but a lot of close friends have lost people to this horrible disease. Terry Pratchett has influenced my choice of charity. I grew up reading the likes of Reaper Man, Sourcery, The Colour of Magic, Guards! Guards, but to name a few. He has had a large influence on the way I look at things. He took the world of Tolkien, something so magnificent, dark and wondrous, and put a beautiful comic spin on it. He created a world that, although in depth and horrific in places, doesn’t take itself too seriously. I like that a lot. I can't think of many things more tragic than a writer losing their creativity.
I can’t speak from experience. I can’t really say anything apart from check out Mr. Pratchett’s speech on the BBC:
Mr. Pratchett's Speech about Alzheimer's
If you would like to forget about my horrible idea for a book and donate some money directly into the reseach of this disease then go to:
http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/
Zoe's Place Baby Hospice
Zoe's Place baby Hospice, Middlesbrough is the second charity. I wanted to give something to a local charity in Middlesbrough, as that is where the book is set. Clicking around Facebook, I found the group: Middlesbrough is NOT the worst town in the country. F*** off Channel 4. I got chatting to David South, one of the group's officers, asking if I could send a message to the group about my book release. David was very helpful, and demanded that a Parmo will appear in the sequel (check out what a Parmo is, they eat them up there, you know!?). Dave put me on to Zoe's Place, a baby hospice for terminally ill kids.
This is Zoe's Place Mission Statment:
Zöe' means 'gift of life' in Greek and the hospice's philosophy is that all life is precious no matter how long it lasts. Each individual is afforded respect and dignity regardless of gender, race, culture, religious beliefs or disability.
Our aim is to provide holistic family care in a safe, consistent, home from home environment. Infants come to Zöe's for one to one nursing, respite and palliative care and to maintain their lifestyles as if at home through play, touch and stimulation, making everything they do as much fun as possible.
Zöe's Place receives very little Government funding and it costs around £800,000 a year to keep it running. Although it is a struggle, Liz Jacobs Corporate Appeals Director believes the struggle is worthwhile in order to help scores of families who are trying to cope with poorly children and every day life.
"People expect a hospice to be a really sad place, but Zöe's Place has such a happy environment. It is full of children singing, clapping and painting and getting on with things. The children are wonderful and don't let anything get to them. It makes me feel pretty humble."
Zöe's Place is a very special place. Their services can be accessed free of charge by families who have a child with a life limiting condition, special or complex needs. That is why they need the help of volunteers, members of the public, companies, organisations and charitable foundations to help them raise the necessary funding to allow them to keep providng this valuable service.
If you would like to give money direct to this great cause, then you can do so here: Donate.
The rest of the money will go towards paying my entourage, advertising
my book, renting a Russian bride, and anything spare will go to a Sexy
Party. Everyone who buys a copy is invited, but leave the Russian
bride alone!
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