MUSIC IN THE MEADOW 2009

Their generosity know no bounds!

In a week’s time we will be hosting Music in the Meadow 2009. This is a highly professional gig which is more a mini Glastonbury than Glyndebourne, and we are hoping that everyone who attends will have a fantastic time but the icing on the cake is that every cost for staging the event has been met by the wonderful local companies who are providing all the equipment. Staging, lighting, facilities, marquees, printing, insurance have all been given to us, plus the bands are playing for no charge. Isn’t that brilliant!

In this economic climate I think it is extraordinary and inspiring that firms can be so generous and I hope that everyone will leave the event feeling that they have had a fun and entertaining evening, happy in the knowledge that every £ paid for an entry ticket, raffle ticket, Jug of Pimms or for a go on the Tombola will be given to the charities – STEPS Conductive Education Centre for children with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome,(70%), The Matt Hampson Trust (20%) and Ashby Folville Village charities (10%). Last year the event raised over £26,000.

So, on behalf of the charities, we would like to thank the following companies for their support. Without their help this event would not have been possible.


If you would like to join us on the evening, or buy a ticket for the Mega Raffle, check out the website www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk or call us on 01509 622022.

I’m exhausted!

It’s been a strange week. One filled with frustration at bureaucracy with the Highways Department as I’ve tried to get permission to erect posters to promote Music in the Meadow charity event; excitement as we photographed four wonderful successful slimmers for my magazine; the limitless generosity of our printer Geoff Lagor of Alpha Print who printed us an extra 350 posters for Music in the Meadow for free as the Highways Dept. were being so difficult, and Geoff Adams of Wordcraft who has printed us 10 roadside placards that are as big as a door (the Highways chaps will LOVE them! Not!) – also for free. Mike is all ready to erect them around our local villages on Saturday.

Check out the website www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk for details of the event being held on 29th August, 2009.

The tally so far for sales of Mega Raffle tickets, Gazebo Plot bookings and tickets for the Music in the Meadow event have already totalled £4k and everyone is getting excited. In two weeks’ time Ashby Folville will be turning into a mini Glastonbury and we will be ready for action. But in the meantime, I’m exhausted. It’s because organising events like this – with a wonderful team of helpers – takes time and it has to be fitted in between doing the day job and life carrying on as it does with all its twists and turns, ups and downs.

Last evening it was STEPS Trustees’ Meeting- STEPS is a conductive education centre for children with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. STEPS will receive 70% of the proceeds of M.I.M. and as such, it is a very significant event for the charity. This week we have welcomed our wonderful new General Manager to STEPS. This is what we have been working towards for the last three years. Someone, full time, to be ‘head mistress’ to run the school and take it forward to new heights. Up to now we have run the STEPS Centre with the teaching staff, volunteers and Trustees with the lion’s share being done by the charity’s founder and President, Dr Heather Crate. When Heather’s grandson, Shaun, was born with severe Cerebral Palsy 19 years ago, I am sure Heather would never have guessed what challenges lay ahead and that so much would be achieved as a result of her outstanding dedication and determination. Last night was a proud evening.

So, today, at the end of this peculiar week, life will continue to be hectic and I will look forward to the weekend and being able to do some exercise to re-energise myself. I have sat down too much this week and my stress levels have suffered because of my inactivity. As soon as I start getting more active, my body and my brain will benefit hugely. Where’s Waise (our dog)? Let’s go for a walk!

I can’t believe it!

It is very rare that I get really cross. Yesterday I did get really cross!

Mike and I are organising a charity event two-weeks-on-Saturday, (29th) to raise funds for children with cerebral palsy (STEPS), a rugby player who had his neck broken (Matt Hampson) and our local village hall and church. In the last two years that we have hosted this event in our field and over £50,000 has been raised for these charities. The event is called Music in the Meadow and all the costs are covered by ourselves and our very generous sponsors. Every penny and pound raised goes to the charities. It is a brilliant event and the folk who attend love it – and so do we. It truly is a fun evening out for everyone.

Obviously the event needs to be publicised. We have a website www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk , we produce leaflets and posters and some large roadside posters to publicise the event. Ah! That’s the problem - roadside posters.

Now, we’re not stupid. We’re not going to place the posters in dangerous places to obscure vision of traffic or in fact anywhere that would cause a public nuisance. The day after the event all posters are taken down as we are responsible organisers. This event is not for commercial or personal gain. IT IS ALL FOR CHARITY!

Having obtained all the necessary licenses to run the event, get insurance, and so on, we thought we would inform the local county council of our desire to publicise the event and our wish to place some large roadside posters, just for two weeks, in safe but strategic positions. Last year we hadn’t realised that we had to do that and our beautiful, expensive-but-kindly-donated posters were whipped away, destroyed and discarded two days after they had been put up! After a pleasant and peaceful discussion it was agreed that they would allow us to replace some of them (kindly re-produced by our very generous printer) and there they stayed until the day of the event and then dismounted.

So, yesterday I popped in to the appropriate office to discuss our proposal. Unfortunately, my meeting was with someone who had a degree in Highways Management but who had presumably failed his ‘O’ level in Common Sense and Community Relations! I was informed that whilst we could place some signage in our immediate village location, beyond the Parish of Ashby Folville was not permitted. It was considered to be ‘advertising’. Our village has 80 inhabitants. It isn’t even included on the signpost on the main road a mile away! We have a pub, a cricket field and a church and that’s it! We have virtually no passing traffic.

I have a variety of character traits, (good and bad!), and one of them is persistence. I pleaded for a sign to be placed at the side of a roundabout in a particularly strategic position, where all traffic slowed down and it would not cause a hazard. I was told it could be a distraction to motorists so could be classed as dangerous. I persisted ‘but what about the signage on the roundabout itself, displaying the sponsorship of the roundabout, which the council had sold for financial reward?’ My man didn’t approve of that either! It wasn’t his decision. I was told I could put in an application in writing to the manager detailing my wish-list for consideration, but he was currently on holiday and didn’t return until five days before the event. My man was not for turning and I was getting nowhere!

I left having shaken hands with my Graduate in Highways Management and sat in my car in disbelief. I am so not used to dealing with people who just cannot make common sense judgements. I drove back to our office and looked at all of our employees with a sense of pride, believing that any one of them would be able to make a sensible, responsible decision if called to do so, that would be appropriate.

By this time the big posters were coming off the production line at the printers and I had visions of them only making a wonderful display in our village. For my own sanity I had to call the Highways Dept. again. Thankfully, another, more helpful guy at the council spoke to me and agreed that the posters could be displayed in the two neighbouring villages as well as our own and that another manager would be returning from holiday next Monday – a week earlier than the other guy. Progress! So, it’s fingers crossed for a positive response and let’s hope we get more than a handful of folks coming to our event!

The only way to overcome fear is to do the thing you fear to do!

On Friday evening I compered a charity Fashion Show organised by Marks and Spencer at the Marriott Hotel in Leicester, close to the M & S Fosse Park Store. It was a great event and I hope that all 300 guests enjoyed their evening of entertainment in aid of a local arthritis charity called CLASH as much as I did.

But it was a fashion show with a difference. None of the models were professionals as all the models – men and women - were employees of M & S, and the child models were children of staff members. One of the children, ten year old Joel Whitfield, even performed a dance solo. He was good enough to be an aspiring Billy Elliot. They all did a splendid job!

For the last eight weeks, since the idea of a charity fashion show first sprang to mind, each Sunday the volunteer models have been meeting to practise their choreographed routines. I have no doubt that over those weeks their self-confidence grew and grew and on Friday it was their big day. Day-wear, evening-wear, children’s wear – you name it, it was on that catwalk.


At the interval I visited the ladies’ cloakroom to find young female staff members getting dressed in M & S lingerie – the next set of fashions to be modelled. They looked fabulous in their undies but you can imagine their last-minute nerves! Suddenly, what seemed like a good idea last Sunday suddenly hit as reality. They were going to be parading in front of their colleagues – male and female – and 300 guests in next-to-nothing! This was a seriously scary situation!

Anyway, after the interval and the auction and other fund raising activities, it was their turn. Bravely – if looking slightly ashen – they mounted the catwalk and strutted their stuff like true professionals. They were accompanied by some of the young male staff who stripped down to their boxers to much applause from the appreciative, mainly female, audience. I think everyone in that room was full of admiration for their bravery and envy at their gorgeous figures.

Once they had done their first routine, they were relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed it and no doubt their initial nerves were completely diminished as they stepped on to the stage and did the thing they feared to do. And that is the only way to overcome fear. Everyone who appeared in the Fashion Show will never forget that evening and everyone of them will have grown in self-confidence. Brilliant!

Music in the Meadow 2009

On Saturday, 29th August, the Bank holiday weekend, we will be hosting Music in the Meadow close to our home in Ashby Folville, near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. Whilst Music in the Meadow is now in its fifth year, this is the third time we have hosted it ourselves.

It is a fantastically fun evening in the glorious setting of Ashby Folville, one of the prettiest villages in the midlands, and all the monies raised from the event go straight to the benefitting charities. No expenses are deducted because our kind sponsors pay for everything. Last year we raised £26,500 for charity.

We are raising funds for STEPS Conductive Education Centre for children with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and other motor dysfunctions, (70% share), The Matt Hampson Trust – Matt was a Prop Forward for Leicester Tigers and suffered a serious neck injury whilst training for the England Under 21s in 2005, (20%), and Ashby Folville Village Hall and Church funds (10%).

A variety of music will be played throughout the evening including the Beatles tribute band – The upBeatles, and Midlands-based Soul and R&B dance band Hopwood Junction plus support acts. There will be a Mega Raffle which includes five holidays for two to be won, a Tombola to beat all tombolas as one in five tickets wins and the prizes are superb. You can pre-order jugs of Pimms or buy it (and wine) on the night.

It really is a great event for all the family, so if you live within a 50 mile radius of Ashby Folville maybe you’d like to come along, bring a picnic (no naked flames and no glasses please) and have a great time supporting very worthwhile charities. The gates open at 5pm with the music starting at 6pm. The event closes at midnight. Tickets cost £20 for adults and £5 for children under 16. Car parking is free. If you are thinking of coming, check out the Music in the Meadow website: www.musicinthemeadow.co.uk or maybe you’d like to purchase some tickets for the Mega Raffle. The prizes are all listed on the website and tickets can be order by post or by calling out event organiser Gaynor Cawood at our offices on 01509 622022.

Step it up for Steps week

STEPS Conductive Education Centre in Leicestershire helps children aged from birth to five years who are born with celebral palsy, Down syndrome or other motor dysfunctions. It is a fantastic facility, offered free to families of these very special children. The conductive education, based on the principles created by the Peto Institute in Hungary, enables the children to progress physically and mentally and the results are astonishing.

STEPS was formed some 15 years ago by a few families in Leicestershire, including George and Heather Crate who’s grandson Shaun had been born four years previously with Cerebral Palsy. In fact, Shaun’s condition was described as being so serious by doctors that they said he wouldn’t even be able to turn over in bed. Family and friends set about raising funds to send Shaun to the Peto Institute in Hungary on three separate occasions. Each trip cost £10,000. But the progress in Shaun was dramatic and today Shaun is 18 years old and has just completed a course at Brooksby Agricultural College, and over the last year Shaun has been helping out John, our gardener at Quorn, on work-experience. Shaun is an inspiration to us all and next week he goes for training in readiness for the arrival of –Hooch, his new ‘dog-for-the disabled’.

STEPS was created to help and support other families by providing the amazing teaching and benefits of the Peto, but here in Leicestershire – available to any child who needs help in the East Midlands. I have been Patron of the charity since its inception and I, along with the wonderful Trustees, staff and parents, work hard to raise the £200,000 needed every year to keep the school going. To illustrate how highly respected STEPS is, this year STEPS were thrilled to be awarded a grant from BBC Children in Need for £60,000 a year for three years towards staff costs.

But we still need to raise £140,000 p.a. and the STEP IT UP FOR STEPS WEEK is designed to raise the public awareness of the wonderful facility at STEPS, raise funds and welcome people to STEPS to see how the school works, and how it also helps the older children, even after they leave to go to mainstream school at age five.

Tomorrow Central ITV News will be visiting STEPS as they have played a major role in getting STEPS on its feet. Two years ago, after we had managed to purchase the building, Central helped us facilitate a complete a total makeover of the derelict school building when 130 companies gave goods and services worth in excess of £500,000 completely free. Hopefully, STEPS will be featured on tomorrow’s 6 o’clock news on Central publicising our special week of activities.

The money raising initiatives we have planned include an Art Exhibition of abstract paintings by Mike Rimmington (my husband), with all proceeds of sales to go directly to STEPS; we will be selling a selection of our family silverware on eBay, and on Thursday we are holding an Open Day at STEPS when people can come and have some fun with us as they see how many times they can step on and off a Reebok step in 60 seconds; get weighed on our magic scales that tell you everything about yourself; and visitors can eat a low fat cream tea or a low fat bacon serine from Rosie’s Kitchen! We are also putting around 300 gorgeous teddy bears out across the nation in the hope that folk will pay £1 each to name him. We still have 50 teddies left so if you would like one, together with poster for people to write in their name, we will be delighted to send you one. You just send us the £45 after you have managed to sell for £1 each all 45 names that are printed on the poster. (Call our Teddy Hotline and speak to Alison on our office number 01509 620222).

We are also hoping that some folk will be kind enough sign up to our monthly pledge request. If we can get say 1000 kind souls to pay just £2 a month by Standing Order, it would make a real difference. We have pledge forms which we would be delighted to send out. Just drop me an email at rosemary@rosemaryconley.com and we’ll get one in the post to you.

So, my week is going to be a bit different from usual. I really, really hope that by this time next week we will have raised the profile of STEPS, raised some much needed funds and had some fun along the way. If you can support STEPS in any way, THANK YOU!

How Fitness Can Be Fun!

Last Saturday our staff organised a charity bike ride around Rutland Water to raise funds for a charity that we support called Steps Conductive Education Centre Leicestershire. Over the next few months they are planning to cycle the equivalent distance to the perimeter of the British Isles – some 2,775 Miles. Overall , they hope to raise around £10,000 for Steps. Click here to view the sponsorship page


The ‘Round Britain Bike Challenge’ launched on Saturday with a ride around Rutland Water. The perimeter distance, at its maximum, is 26 miles (there is a shorter route of 19 miles) and the 19-strong team pedalled their way around the marathon course in the glorious sunshine and enjoyed every minute, riding a total of 480 cumulative miles! At this time of year there is nowhere more beautiful than the blossoming countryside and natural beauty of this part of England. And they all loved it.

Afterwards, the cyclists and their spouses and families came back to our house for a barbecue. We had such a fun time together, eating and drinking and sharing the adventures of the day. The camaraderie between the staff was almost tangible - the fun, the laughter, the way everyone was walking like John Wayne. Everyone mucked-in cooking the sausages and burgers and serving the drinks. They were really ready for it and felt they’d earned a good feed.

Then it was time for cricket. Then rounders. Then football! Shrieks of laughter echoed around the garden as balls were bowled by an aspiring Andrew Flintoff, age 8, at the adults to hit or miss, according to where the ball arrived which was very varied! Men and women, girls and boys, all having a fabulous time being active. If all fitness could be so much fun we would undoubtedly do it more often. And I hope that many families will do just that on the glorious summer days that we have been promised this year.

Yesterday, many of our staff also ran the Race for Life. Click here to view the sponsorship page. I have spoken to a couple of them already today and yes, they are stiff – and that’s not surprising taking into account all that they have done this weekend. But what a sense of achievement. They are all buzzing with it.

Sometimes we need the encouragement of other to help us get active, to do things together. Sometimes we need a reason for doing it too and raising funds for good causes is as good a reason as any to get out there and get active. Training ahead of the event is going to stand you in good stead for the event and gives you a reason for getting on your bike or putting on your running shoes. It is about having a goal, having someone to share it with and that what you do, makes a difference. What could YOU do to inspire YOU into action?

Listen to Rosemary Conley’s radio interview about her new 4-in-1 Recipe Collection book on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire

Listen to Rosemary Conley’s radio interview about her new 4-in-1 Recipe Collection book on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire.

This morning at 11.30 I’m doing out an interview on BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire about my new 4-in-1 Recipe Collection. The book is packed with over 250 scrumptious recipes and for every book sold, £1 will be donated to Diabetes UK. I am delighted to be raising funds for Diabetes UK through the sale of this book. There is a natural synergy between our organisations and, as well as raising much-needed funds to support the charity’s vital work, we are hoping to raise awareness of this condition.