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22 AsLEf people the ASLEF JOURNAL £50k will help driver blackwell’s 5-year-old grandson brandon get onto his feet Paul Blackwell, a Driver in the union’s Bristol branch, recently spoke to us about his grandson, Brandon, ‘a smashing little fellow’ who was born with Cerebral Palsy five years ago ... M Y daughter, Jade, and my son-in-law Garry are great parents - always positive and optimistic despite having to cope with a great deal,’ Paul says. ‘They are struggling to find £50,000 which would enable them to send their 5 year-old son to America for specialist surgery. ‘If they raise the money and the operation is successful, it will give Brandon the chance to walk independently for the first time in his life. ‘I hoped that by telling their story in the Journal, ASLEF members and branches might come up with fundraising ideas or donations that will help my grandson walk.’ It was an invitation we couldn’t refuse. five years ago, brandon was born ten weeks premature, Brandon really likes the ASLEF Journal,’ Paul says. ‘On the other hand, he’s only five – so he can’t read weighing just over 4lb. At a year old, he was diagnosed with cerebral Palsy. Part of his brain had been damaged as a result of the complications surrounding his birth. brandon's cerebral Palsy is called spastic diapegia. this causes extreme tightness in both legs which means he can not stand alone or walk independently. Jade says brandon is such a bright, fun boy and his physical restrictions are extremely frustrating for him. ‘We want to do everything we can to help him overcome these challenges and live as full and free a life as possible.’ HOPE IN ST LOUIS After much research, his parents discovered a glimmer of hope. An operation called selective dorsal rhizotomy was available that could help him. the drawback was that it was only available in America, in the st Louis children’s hospital. it is a complex, specialist procedure which helps release the tension in the child's legs by identifying and cutting the nerve fibres that cause the tightness. but it is an operation that would give brandon a real chance of living a more independent life, and being able to do the things he longs to – and which we take for granted. Earlier this year, the family heard that the hospital would accept brandon for the operation. ‘Now,’ says Paul, ‘they just have to raise the £50,000 it will cost to cover the cost of the procedure and his transport to and from the states.’ the medical advice is that the For five years Brandon has been in a wheel-chair. We can help him step out of it operation will result in ‘significant and permanent improvements’ to brandon's standing, balance, posture, comfort and level of movement. he will be able to walk independently with crutches in all environments and may even be able to walk independently without any assistive device. ‘WE WANT HIM TO HAVE EVERY CHANCE’ ‘this is something the family never thought would be possible for brandon,’ Paul says. ‘you can’t imagine the joy if we could see him move like other children of his age.’ Paul says brandon’s a bright young lad. ‘he is obsessed with comic characters and superheroes. he sometimes goes by the name of ‘spiderman’ or ‘buzz Lightyear’! often when i visit their home in farnborough he’s fighting an epic battle to save the universe in the front room. ‘he’s an ordinary kid in so many ways. if we can raise the money for the operation, he’ll be just that. And it would mean so much to all of us. to brandon, mostly, but also to his parents, grandparents and his little brother felix. We want him to have every chance to live a full and happy life.’ meanwhile brandon’s parents are not crossing their fingers and hoping something turns up. only last month they held two events, a car boot sale which raised £125 and a raffle at bentalls Warehouse which raised a ‘fantastic’ £1,711. then brandon's dad and a few helpers went along to the madejski stadium in reading - courtesy of London irish rugby club - to do some fundraising with supporters. ‘We’ve raised £4,586 to date, but there’s a long way to go,’ says driver Paul. ‘for my part, i have great faith that people will respond, even in the smallest way to give my grandson an equal chance in life.’ We’re sure there are AsLEf members out there who will share that sentiment, and do what they can to help …. To find out more about Brandon, and how you can help him to walk for the first time in his life, contact Driver Blackwell through Bristol Branch secretary Bernard Kennedy or visit the website www.operationbrandon.co.uk or email operation_brandon@ yahoo.co.uk
JUNE 2011 crossword 23 Prize Crossword No. 62 set by TLC CLUES ACROSS 1 An expert in treating skeletal and muscular problems (9) 8 sounds like an interminable journey (4,5,4) 11 russian girl’s name (4) 12 Night-time imagery (5) 13 goad (4) 16 Artistic composition (7) 17 contemptuous dislike (7) 18 Early movies sound track (7) 20 mysterious, enchanting (7) 21 bankruptcy (4) 22 male representative, presumably (5) 23 Prophetic sign (4) 26 Amnesty (7,6) 27 London station (3,6) CLUES DOWN 2 A flowering plants means of reproduction (4) 3 compel obedience (7) 4 cash in advance (7) 5 Pack down firmly (4) 6 slanting strokes (8,5) 7 London area covering 220 acres of grassland (7,6) 9 bedroom for a residential school (9) 10 Ladies voluminous oldfashioned skirt (9) 14 Nun’s dress (5) 15 the act of using something or of being used (5) 19 vital railway communications (7) 20 NE india state on the burmese border (7) 24 sound of a sunday morning ‘wake-up- call’ (4) 25 scottish hillside (4) solution to crossword No 61 which appeared in the may edition of the AsLEf Journal. congratulations to Peter Martin from Tonbridge, Kent ACROSS 3 scotrail 8 AEEU 9 Pendolinos 10 skye 11 runs 13 sisal 17 desire 18 valves 19 idles 22 slow 24 game 25 Accelerate 26 Asks 27 silencer DOWN 1 seeks 2 supervise 4 cedes 5 tills 6 Annis 7 Listless 12 Noel 14 in Low gear 15 Admirals 16 oval 20 Local 21 salon 22 serge 23 smoke The winner of this month’s crossword will receive Marks & Spencer vouchers to the value of £25 Name..................................................................................................................................... Address................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................Postcode...................................... Thanks for all your responses to the 60th ASLEF crossword in the May edition. If you complete this month’s crossword please send the solution to the Editor, ASLEF Journal, 9 Arkwright Road, London NW3 6AB by the 14th of the issue month. ASLEF’S legal services – your rights for their wrongs! FREE LEGAL ADVICE AsLEf also provides first class free legal advice – both for members and for their dependents. during 2009 AsLEf recovered £1,946,190.45 in damages for all types of cases. call the helpline on 0808 100 8009 EMERGENCIES if you are an AsLEf member who is arrested or being interviewed by the police and need legal assistance – day or night – you can call the members' Emergency hotline on 0800 587 7530. SACKINGS OR OTHER PROBLEMS AT WORK harassment, discrimination or bullying if your local, branch or district representative is unavailable, call the industrial relations department at union headquarters (020 7317 8600) or email info@aslef.org.uk More than just a union changed your Address Name....................................................................... Address................................................................... ................................................................................... Postcode................................................................. telephone.............................................................. branch..................................................................... membership No................................................... Please return coupon to: 9 Arkwright road, London NW3 6Ab
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Page 17 and 18: obituaries 17 JUNE 2011 BOB CALDERB
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