A fabulous patron

We have been incredibly lucky and Bernard Cornwell has agreed to be our patron. Which is, not to put too fine a point on it, absolutely fantastic news. He is being unbelievably supportive of what we are doing, and to be truthful I cannot say it any better than he can, so here it is..... When asked about his appointment Cornwall commented “ I’ve made a living writing about the adventures of soldiers, and it just seems appropriate to give something back to the men and women who’ve provided me with so much material over the years! I have a huge admiration for those who serve in our armed forces, they risk everything to make certain we have a comfortable existence, and too often their problems and needs are ignored when their service ends. A very good soldier once told me that his career had been spent ‘fighting battles for those who can’t fight for themselves’, and now many of those men and women who fought those selfless battles need help themselves, and FirstLight is trying to offer that help, and I’m honoured to be involved” He continued “I think Firstlight have identified an need that has been overlooked; it isn’t enough to provide housing or employment for veterans, though God knows those things are hard enough for many ex-servicemen and women, there is a need for psychological support that a low-key and welcoming organization like FirstLight can provide”. So a huge, huge thank you Bernard. Your support is the best Christmas present anyone could have hoped for.

'Thermals required' it said on the invite and oh boy did we all need them !! It rained, it hailed, it snowed ......but nothing was going to put people off. A brilliant day. Thank you to EVERYONE that made this day possible.Now the real work starts!! And thank you Gillian for organising it all - I am sooooooooo sad I missed the hog roast - I know how good they are!!!

Such fun....

Having become completely neurotic about my own personal 'rain cloud', I drove to Scarborough last weekend to help Gillian and crew with some ground clearing. The weather in the south was atrocious and showing no sign of improving. The drive was a nightmare - accidents, the M1 doing its normal impersonation of a car park, and it took over 8 hours to get there. And lo and behold, clear skies, and a stonking frost. Saturday dawned cold and clear - simply gorgeous. I met up with Gillian to learn that the 'crew' had disappeared into nothing bar two great guys, Martin (who makes a mean cup of tea and builds a brilliant bonfire) and Kevin who cleared, chopped and sawed with the best of us and the lovely Ruth. We beavered away for most of the day and had an epic bonfire - so so so satisfying. So many thanks guys - it was great to see you and I am sorry I will not be up this weekend to launch the charity with an epic hog roast! Lucky lucky you.....

This is the before shot......

And as you can see here from Gill's expression - it was hard work!!!

The view from the hill

As you may or may not be aware, one of the things I am passionate about is the importance of 'the view from the window'. Which, translated, means that what you look out on is as important as what you live in. Which, if you have ever been housebound or ill you really, really appreciate. So I thought that you might like to see the view from the 'hill'! This is the fabulous view that you can look out on when you come and visit us as Stepney Hill Farm; well the cafe anyway. I know that Gillian et al will be beavering away to try and get everything readied for FirstLight's soft launch, whilst I sitting down in the south am worrying away at other admin and boring stuff. So like you I too can come and look at this view and know that all that we are doing is worthwhile and desperately needed. It helps too when you can go outside and breathe in fresh air, and space!!!

And here are some of the current residents.........

Just about up and running.....

Well we are nearly there. An idea that started out of a desperate need for a grass roots, collabarative, community-based charity, is finally becoming reality. The FirstLight Trust, is now official - registered and in existence. There is a massively long way to go, but we can now raise funds (once the bank account materialises out of thin air......); we have a website, are about to have stationery... have an office with one of the best views in the country (thank you Ashley), and if we are still minus phone lines we have desks, computers...... just not installed yet. With a launch date of 1 December there is still one heck of a lot to do. But if anyone has any ideas, wants to volunteer to help, or donate some much needed funds - please please visit the website at www.firstlighttrust.co.uk Many many thanks.