December 2009 Newsround

Pip Laker of Dawlish Community College won The Helen Foundation Award for "best endeavour in the arts" at a recent award ceremony at the college. The citation read: "In an enormously talented group within an exceptional year, Pip distinguished herself by her intelligent and highly sophisticated acting." Pip, on receiving the award said: "My family were already keen supporters of The Helen Foundation so now they are embarrassingly proud of me for bringing this award into our home! The award is something that I will treasure all my life. I am seriously very honoured to receive it."

(from a young person - aged 11 - supported by the Foundation to attend a Saturday stage school...)

"This time last year I was getting ready for my first day at Stagecoach, a stage school and I have to admit it was pretty scary thinking of all the people and all the things I would learn about being on stage but we finally got there and I was introduced to some really nice girls who helped me out and showed me what it was like and made sure I didn't get lost.

"There were staff as well who helped me out like Audra and Beth who do drama and Colin who does singing. There was the dance teacher as well Liz, and trust me, she can keep a secret. So I went home that day proud to be wearing the Stagecoach logo on my chest and ready for another week. OK it may have its downsides like the travelling, but it has helped my career a great deal and I am so happy. I am so thankful to The Helen Foundation for helping us afford it, my mum for giving up her Saturdays and Jan for making me feel so welcome, being nice and just being great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Stagecoach has given me so many opportunities and not so long ago I auditioned to be in Evita at the Princess Theatre in Torquay and I GOT THE PART!

"So thank you sooooooooooooo much!"

The Foundation's trustees have approved a number of bursaries recently, including:

1. a student at a Teignbridge college for help with travel and audition fees for drama school applications; and

2. a young person receiving support with drumming lessons, who was referred by social services.

Details of how to apply for bursaries from the Foundation are set out detail on the "apply" section of the website. We always welcome applications from those who may be entitled to receive our help in order to continue their endeavours and pursue their dreams in the arts.

Yet another triumph from the terrific team at Ye Olde Jolly Sailor in Teignmouth. Part of a hugely popular series of live music occasions the pub has run throughout the year, over seven acts appeared on 14th November and drew an enthusiastic crowd. Live music is alive and well at the Jolly! The weekend raised £220 and we wish to thank everyone who contributed to the evening and all the customers who have been so generous to The Helen Foundation. Thank you!

The View from Here project, supported by the Foundation, promotes young people's film-making in Newton Abbot. On Monday 30th November at the Shaftesbury Theatre in Dawlish they presented 'Young View', an evening screening of their work, and wowed the audience with the quality of it all. Some real winners here! Well done! Keep up the good work!

Harry Moore, ably assisted by a team of helpers and musician Ian Roy, organised a ran a delightful Country'n'Western evening in Dawlish recently and raised over £300 for The Helen Foundation.

Thank you everyone - what a really enjoyable evening it was! Harry was a science teacher at Teignmouth Comunity College and taught Helen, her brothers - and Muse! - there. This was a special gift from him to her memory. We are very, very touched.

Katie Lane of Kingskerswell School produced a great card for the Foundation selected from over 200 entries at her school (see below). Really superb Katie! Cards cost just 30p each, with all proceeds of each card (approx 20p) going to directly to The Helen Foundation.

Granny Galactica is the children's musical written by local composer David Haines. It follows Granny Nettle and her Granddaughter, Bono, on their adventures around space.

Create Theatre, a Dawlish based drama group supported by the Foundation, performed this work last month at the Carlton Theatre, Teignmouth alongside Tykes - the youth branch of the Teignmouth Players - and the Teignmouth Community Choir. It was a truly successful run and many were saying afterwards the show should be put on in the West End! Thank you so much everyone who took part and helped make it a real triumph.

We recently received this email from the parent of a very talented drama student who had been struggling to find the funds to further her career applications: "Have just read your email and wanted to say how very grateful we are to you. Your kind offer is amazing and we can assure you it will be a great help towards making J's dream a reality! I, as a mum, have spent weeks worrying and feeling such a failure! This business is so expensive! I'm emotional writing this as I know as a parent of a child with talent and a dream just how much we all want to help them be fulfilled. Your Foundation is something to be very proud of and I wish you all the very best with it. Thank you so much, let the applications begin..Hoooray! What a relief!"

At a special end of season presentation, The Teignmouth Friendly Charity Dart League presented a cheque for £2,500 to The Helen Foundation. The money is raised throughought the 19 weeks of the summer league through subscriptions, raffles and donations. The charity dart league has raised thousands of pounds over the past ten years for local charities.

One of the Foundations' trustees, Annie Kirk, says: "We were completely amazed when we were told of the amount raised! How incredible is that? We were delighted to be invited to the British Legion to receive the presentation cheque and to be able to thank everyone present in person. We loved the atmosphere of the evening and immediately sensed that the word "friendly" really does mean friendly. We felt very welcomed and were powerfully impressed by the sense of generosity and good will among the darts league members. We are very grateful to everyone who donated so generously to the fund."

On Friday 11th December, local indie rock band The Quails, along with The Helen Foundation, hosted Teignmouth's first under 18's music festival at The Arts Centre at Teignmouth Community College - called The Smile Festival. Lead singer, Dan Steer, was keen to return to TCC where he and his fellow band members went to school: "I had so much support from staff at the school who believed in me as a musician, and I would like to give something back to the school by organising a gig there. We often play at clubs where you have to be over 18 to get in, and since supporting Muse in Teignmouth, we have had a lot of feedback from our younger fans. This gives them the perfect opportunity to come along and see us and our support bands and we want to put on a really special show for our fans. The new arts centre is a really cool venue and makes a perfect place for a gig."

Supporting The Quails was Sophie Mendoza and her band, some of whom are also past students of the College and local three piece band Atrio. The Quails will now be busy rehearsing new material ready to return to Sawmills Studios in Cornwall where they are working on their second album which is due for release in May of next year. "We are very excited about the new album and can't wait to play our new material to our fans. We have been approached by a number of festivals for next summer already and we're looking forward to next year."

On Sunday 20th December in the Bohemia Nightclub in Torquay, with South Devon bands and renowned DJs, this grand circus-themed Christmas Bash invites those attending to go in fancy dress with a £50 prize for the best dressed.

Tickets from Torquay's Bohemia, tReds and Woody's Bar or email mountthecurb@live.co.uk. Special shuttle services are available from Newton Abbot and Teignmouth. Funds raised through the event's raffle will support The Helen Foundation.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our friends and supporters a very happy - and safe - holiday over the festive season. Thank you for your help and support during 2009 - we couldn't do what we do without you!