I have lived in Ampthill all my life. Since 1997, I have proudly served as a Councillor on Ampthill Town Council. Between May 1998 to May 1999 the Mayors Charity was the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, for which we raised £1770. The picture below shows former Mayor Mrs. Pauline Mayhead and myself, presenting this cheque to Diane Howe (Anthony Nolan - Appeals Controller). Since March 2001, Ampthill Town Council has had a website of its own, which was designed by me.
LEUKAEMIA & THE
ANTHONY NOLAN BONE MARROW TRUST
I am a survivor of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (C.M.L), following the enormous efforts of the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust in locating not one, but two unrelated donors for my two transplants. Therefore, I am deeply committed to promoting the work of this charity, as without their efforts I would not be here today. I help raise money & the profile of the trust on a local level, with the aid of the Trust's Area Appeals Manager Jacqui Simons, who can be contacted at jacqui.simons@popmail.anthonynolan.or.uk for further details of fund raising events in the area (also see the Leukaemia Page). The Trust has compiled a register of 290,000 potential donors in Britain and in 1998, 305 of them were able to donate bone marrow to give a complete stranger the chance of life. I would encourage any one between the ages of 18 to 40 to become a potential donor; the Trust is particularly keen to recruit more members of ethnic minorities to broaden the scope of the potential pool of donors. Sadly, Shirley Nolan (mother of Anthony) passed away in July 2002 and it is certainly the case that without her tireless work in setting up the Trust in the 1970's, I would not be here today. I was actually contacted by the Sun Newspaper to pay tribute to Shirley Nolan on 16th July, 2002 and the next day the paper carried an article, including my heartfelt tribute. You can view this article by clicking here.
I had my two transplants at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, which is one of the worlds leading centres for the treatment of C.M.L. therefore if you are interested visit the Blood section of Hammersmith Hospital Research Website. Also the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, has developed a very useful website for adults and children alike, which in game form, details the fight against cancer and leukaemia using chemotherapy, through the cartoon 'Adventures of Captain Chemo'. Furthermore, I would also recommend visiting my Leukaemia Links Page and in particular the Leukaemia Care Web Site. My Story, along with those of fellow suffers can be viewed on the C.M.L. Support Website.
Because of my illness I have found it particularly difficult to return to work. However, after been out of work for 5 years, due to my ill health, I have become the Chief Officer for the Mid Beds Council for, Voluntary Service (C.V.S) in Mid Bedforshire (based at 10 Bedford Street, Ampthill, Beds MK45 2NB. I now work as an information officer for Community & Voluntary Service Mid and North Beds in Bedford,
Additionally, whilst ill I managed to secure a B.Sc.(Hons) Degree, through the Open University. I can be seen to the right on my Graduation Day, in London (May,1998). In 2000, I successfully passed 'The Challenge of Social Sciences' (the Foundation Course of an O.U. Masters Degree in Social Science)
Lastly, President of
Ampthill and Flitwick Dramatic Society, a member of the organizing committee for
Ampthill Town Festival (held annually throughout June)
and have undertaken voluntary work within Ampthill's
Citizens Advice Bureau (I actually designed their website). Additionally, I am a member of the governing committee of the local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Although contracting Leukaemia was the worst thing that has happened to me, in many ways it was the best thing, as it prompted me to travel extensively (e.g. the USA, South Africa, Australia, Russia, Scandinavia & Malaysia/Singapore). This can be witnessed by the photo to the left, showing me by the Statue of Liberty, in New York. In so far as travel is concerned I would recommend that you pay a visit to the Worldwide City Guide Web Site, the What's On When Web Site, the Lonely Planet Site, the Time Out Site, the Where Will We Go Website & Rough Guides Site.
I am a keen pop music fan and an avid chartwatcher. If you share this interest I would suggest that you visit the very comprehensive Chartwatch Website. You can also access the UK Charts at the Dotmusic Web Site (& obtain the midweek chart positions by subscribing to the Popbitch e-mail service) and the US Charts at the Billboard Web Site (Incidentally, details of the lyrics to over 11000 US Top 40 songs - 1930 to 1998 - can be found at the 'Lyrics World' Web Site' & also consult Joel Whitburn's 'Record Research' Web Site, for details of his comprehensive books on the US Charts). I would also suggest a visit to the Every Hit Website, which provides a searchable database of all Top 40 UK Hits. Also if you are interested in Sixties Music, pay a visit to the Sixties City Website. You can also find the lyrics to songs at the Lets Sing It website. Certainly the cheapest websites I have found for buying C.D's are CD.Wow! (which sells most top 75 C.D's for £ 8.99) & Play.com (which sells an even wider range from £ 8.99). Also, the best site I have found for locating long deleted records & c.d.'s is the GEMM (Global Electronic Music Marketplace) Site. Two other very informative music websites are the Ultimate Band List & the All Music Guide.
I also enjoy taking part in quizzes in the local area and if you share this interest I would recommend that you try: -
'Jon's Pop Quiz' @ The Kings Arms, St Mary's, Bedford ( Sunday 8.30 p.m. - £1.20 Entry) - Website: www.jonkutner.com. Jon Kutner is one of the co-authors of 'The Complete Book of British Charts - Singles & Albums' (Omnibus Press). Jon's Pop Quiz is the longest continuously running pop quiz in the country and on 22nd April 2001 celebrated its 10th Birthday. It regularly attracts between 20 to 30 teams. The main prize is for the half-time round, in which you have to be the only team to correctly identify the A-side of the B-side being played. If you do so you can win up to £ 500 (the prize money increases in increments of £25's if the jackpot is not won). Why not give the Quiz a try! In addition, Jon runs a pop quizzes in St. Albans, Harpenden and Hoddesdon. One of the participating team's, the MusicMasters, now have their own website, click here to view it!
You can access pictures of our 'Trevor' Quiz Team, by clicking here. These are but a few of the quizzes that take place in the surrounding area. You can view details of others I have become aware of on the Quiz Page of this Website.
I especially enjoy visiting the theatre and seem to visit Milton Keynes Theatre and the National Theatre (in London) the most. However, another useful theatre site for the West End of London is 'The Official London Theatre Guide'. Plus I am a keen cinema fan and would recommend that you visit the 'A'int It Cool News' Web Site', which provides news and reviews of new films, often before they have been released in the U.S.A and long before they appear in the U.K. In addition I would also direct you to the Internet Movie Database Site, as you will find over 200,000 movie & TV titles to search through.
I am additionally interested in Environmental and Human Rights issues. Again, if you share an interest in such issues I would recommend that you pay a visit to the Greenpeace & Amnesty International Web Sites.
Apart from maintaining the www.ampthill.org.uk website, which seems to have become an all consuming hobby, I have found time to design the Mid Beds Citizens Advice Bureau Website, Ampthill Town Council Website & the Mid Beds Council for Voluntary Service Website.
On occasions I've appeared in the local and national press, namely in The Sun with my Tribute to Shirley Nolan & in Bedfordshire on Sunday regarding my 'Put Up or Shut Up' Campaign.
I also occasionally visit the Louqax Website (detailing all the UK Webs competitions), however I've yet to win one! C'est La Vie!
Contact e-mail Address:- info@ampthill.org.uk
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(see My Online C.V.)
