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Written by Administrator
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07 June 2009 |
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Now here's a thing! When we founded brainstrust I had no idea of the wild and wonderful things it would get me into. The latest was an invitation by Channel 4 to spend an evening at The Wellcome Trust in London to watch Paul Grundy, one of our Patrons, perform an awake craniotomy live on TV. It was actually OK - the only bit I couldn't watch was when the skull was lifted away from the dura. It was highly informative and the fact that the audience (live and TV) could interact with the process through twitter, facebook, email and phone, made it accessible for all. It was sensitively handled, the patient and his family had agreed to the filming and if things had gone pearshaped then filming would have stopped.
So I was surprised at the backlash. Criticisms ran rife about reality TV and how inappropriate this was. Surely the more you know about a situation the better prepared you are to deal with it? I know that when Meg and I were diagnosed with cancer we wanted to know what our options were so that we could make our own choices. And I am glad we did. Meg would be on her honeymoon now if we hadn't. I believe in looking the tiger in the eye; the more information we have the better. You don't have to watch this stuff. There is an off button. It's about choice. I have a right to watch this; you have a right not to. But it isn't right to deny someone the option of being informed. |
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Written by Helen Bulbeck
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01 April 2009 |
52% of charities say the credit crunch has affected the work they do, according to a report by the Charity Commission. Almost two-thirds of charities with an annual income of £1 million-plus also said they were concerned the downturn would have a significant impact on their work. Just over one in 10 have upped their fundraising efforts and 6% have taken to drawing on their financial reserves. Charities face that double whammy of a drop in income as well as an increased demand for services. Source: Sky News 17-03-2009
And yet . . .
Comic Relief defies the credit crunch. Comic Relief defied the recession by raising a record £57 million for charity. The BBC1 extravaganza broke the previous record of £40.5 million, set in 2007. Source: Mail on Sunday 15-03-2009
So who is right? From our perspective we just need to keep being smart – smarter about using our database, smarter and more imaginative about our fundraising efforts and smarter in our approach to potential supporters. Being small let's us do this, so there’s a lot to be said for being small and smart.
But brainstrust doesn't always feel small!
Helen |
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Written by Helen Bulbeck
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10 February 2009 |
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Ok- this is about as far as I can go now. In the last month I have moodled, blogged, tweeted, twittered and wordled. And the best experience? Wordles. If you haven't come across these tricksy little wordy things then you are missing out.
See this boring list:
brainstrust hope health support care spirit steering journey exploration here now help collaboration honesty fortitude courage brain cancer
Now look at it:
You can do this too! Just look at wordle.net
Happy wordling!
Helen |
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Written by Helen Bulbeck
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15 January 2009 |
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Ok - I am obviously getting wise to blogging because the Hampshire Chronicle have also asked me to blog. But don't read it because it will probably say exactly the same thing as this one. There are only so many hours in the day! But I am well in with journalists now, particularly those of the healthcare kind. Take this week for example. I was incensed to read what the Independent health correspondent had written. He was having an argument with his wife. The argument arose because the NHS had been unable to provide critical information to a brain tumour patient, which would have save her having to raise £130,000 to go to the USA for proton therapy treatment.
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Written by Helen Bulbeck
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10 January 2009 |
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 With all the hype about charities and recessions, we think it's time to put the record straight. 2008 was a brilliant year for brainstrust, and to achieve our goals, the campaigning and fundraising must continue.
The end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 has seen some magnificent efforts in a range of contexts from our supporters.
In total they've raised over £9,000!
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Written by Helen Bulbeck
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01 January 2009 |
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 It seems appropriate to be launching the brainstrust blog on 1st January 2009. What exactly is a blog? A personal diary? A soapbox? A breaking news outlet? Memos? A shared space? Collective intelligence? A daily pulpit? I would hope that the brainstrust blog will become all of these things. But I know it won't be daily!
It is important though that you, the brainstrust blog readers, join in the fun, the seriousness, the thinking, the imagination, the ideas, the news and views that will be appearing in the brainstrust blog. We have no resolutions, just sheer determination that the world will become a better, more hopeful place for brain tumour sufferers and their families.
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