Final NEWSLETTER _LR

Hello. I’m Nick Ransom and I have been volunteering with the Lisa May Foundation for
over two years now. Despite studying a degree in Television and Radio at MediaCityUK in
Salford, I still enjoy producing online video content for the charity. Over the years, I’ve
worked with Cheryl to produce a number of videos for the charity’s YouTube channel. I’ve
enjoyed capturing the many fundraising events and also being able to produce some minidocumentaries
on the chosen charities we support.
This year I really enjoyed working with the guys at STIHL GB. It was great to film them take
part in both the charity football match and skydive jump. The skydive jump was particularly
memorable – it was a unique challenge and being able to use the footage from the London
Parachute School made for comprehensive coverage of the event. There were some amazing
aerial shots and being able to tell the story of the day was incredibly satisfying. There were
stacks of footage and the editing process was really enjoyable.
When Cheryl explained Parity were taking their students to Runway’s End Outdoor Activity
Centre, I jumped at the chance of producing a film containing the highlights of the week.
It was a real honour to produce the video especially as it marked 25 years of the service.
The work they do really is incredible and it was good fun to make a video with so much
positivity and energy. As much as I love covering the fundraising events, being able to dig
deep into the stories embedded within our community really makes me tick. I love meeting
and interviewing new people and filming Parity’s activity week really was a great project
to lead. I’ve since launched my own business, NR Media, and have worked with a variety of
clients. As a uni student, I offer reasonable rates. Why not email me for a quote?
Working with the Lisa May Foundation has been an absolutely joy and
I cannot wait for 2017. I’ve been presented with so many opportunities
and the amount of experience I’ve gained whilst volunteering here
has been immeasurable. I can only encourage other people my age
to put their skills to good use and have an amazing time whilst doing
so. Congratulations on everything you’ve achieved LMF, here’s to
another successful year.
Nick
Hello my name is Lauren Haughey and I am a student at Farnborough
6th Form college.
I have been volunteering for the Lisa May Foundation (LMF) since
November after meeting Cheryl at our college’s volunteer Fair earlier in
the year. I liked the idea of volunteering for a charity that helps people
on both a local and international scale. This Christmas they helped clothe
the homeless and sponsored several Christmas parties at their chosen
charities. They have also continued to support Nepal even after the media stopped reporting.
Through volunteering with LMF I have already helped with the creation of this newsletter,
and have been given the exciting challenge of developing a new e-newsletter in college with
LMF and our target audience will be the younger generation. Our aim is to inspire more
people to volunteer and fundraise for this amazing organisation and other charities too!
It’s a great opportunity to help others and gain experience in a field I’m really passionate
about.
Thank you LMF for this great opportunity, I look forward to working with you on these two
exciting projects as well as many more creative writing opportunities in 2017 and beyond.
Lauren x
Are natural disasters increasing,
and is it our fault?
In recent years we’ve seen a series of natural
disasters causing devastation through the
destruction of lives and livelihoods across the
globe. From the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004, to the
violent earthquake that shook Nepal in 2015 - we’ve
seen it all...Or have we? There’s a new question
striking concern in our hearts. Are natural disasters
increasing, and is it our fault?
Using evidence found from historic data, satellite
imagery and other sources we are able to identify
a change in the global pattern of natural disasters
and understand what’s going on. Accuweather
shockingly says that “There were three times as
many natural disasters between 2000 to 2009
compared to the amount between 1980 and 1989. A
vast majority (80%) of this growth is due to climaterelated
events.”. NASA also agrees that natural
disasters related to climate are surging, stating that
there is an “increased risk of drought and increased
intensity of storms, including tropical cyclones with
higher wind speeds”. It is noticeable that all these
hazards mentioned are linked to climate...But what
is the link?
The answer is simple: climate is changing and
temperatures are rising. This means that Earth
has the perfect conditions to stir up some more
hurricanes, more water-stressed conditions, and
more wildfires with bolstered power. The change
in climate is down to a phenomena known as
the ‘Greenhouse Effect’, meaning that gases are
trapped in Earth’s atmosphere which cause our
planet to swelter.
The effect is actually a natural process, but the rate
at which it occurs has been enhanced by human
activity, causing it to be more harmful. This is a
result of actions we take daily that emit greenhouse
gas emissions, including gases like carbon-dioxide
and methane. The BBC Weather Centre states that
carbon-dioxide is “currently responsible for 60%
of the ‘enhanced greenhouse effect’ “ and “Since
the Industrial Revolution the concentration globally
has increased by about 40%”.
This demonstrates that there
is a clear link between human
activity and greenhouse gas
emissions,
image courtesy: blogs.edf.org
due to the technological
changes we made in the
Industrial Period. This
includes changes to
transport, such as our
increased use of train
lines and cars which
release carbon-dioxide
emissions. In fact, the Scientific American Podcast
states that in 2007 car usage was the second largest
source of these emissions, releasing 1.2 billion
metric tonnes carbon-dioxide into our atmosphere.
It is therefore no surprise that gas emissions have
soared by a record breaking “30 parts per million
(ppm) in the past two decades”, as told by the
American Chemical Society (ACS). Something
we’ve never seen before, and something that is
quite concerning.
Another human cause of greenhouse gas emissions
is our increased consumption of food at restaurants,
such as burger-chains. One reason for this is given
to the fact that many of these restaurants carry out
deforestation in order to make space for the cows
they breed to feed our mouths. In fact, Mongabay.
com says that in the Amazon Rainforest “more
than 60 percent of deforested land ends up as
cattle pasture” demonstrating that a lot of trees are
butchered purely for this purpose. Deforestation
occurs on a massive scale and is another cause
for enhancing our global temperatures through
the Greenhouse Effect. This is because trees
store carbon and transform it into food. So,
when there are more trees, less carbon-dioxide is
emitted into the atmosphere. The WWF says that
“46-58 thousand square miles of forest are lost
each year—equivalent to 48 football fields every
minute.”. This horrendous figure is responsible for
“15% of all greenhouse gas emissions”, and as
consequence conveys the effect humans have on
our future in terms of increased temperatures and
natural disaster severity.
With this in mind, there is all the more reason to
support the Lisa May Foundation. They generously
give aid to those suffering from natural disaster
devastation, and the positive result is clear to see
in this newsletter.
Lauren x
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.