Chester Adult Phab Club
Lynda, Chair of Chester Phab Club was nominated in January 2016 for the Small Charities Coalition Best Volunteer Awards 2016 and narrowly missed out being selected as a finalist.
Great PR for Chester Phab Club.
https://www.markeluk.com/britains-best-volunteer/finalists
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Saturday 25 June 2016, Coast to Coast in a Day Sponsored Cycle Ride
Chestertweets Founder & Director Steve Jones did a sponsored cycle ride, proceeds to Chester Phab Club
An iconic route cycled by hundreds of people every year, usually over 4 or 5 days. But how about doing it in just 1 day?
A stunning 150 mile road ride from the mountainous Western Lake District, through the Yorkshire Dales, across the flat Vale of York and finally the Northern Valleys of the North York Moors, finishing by the sea in Whitby.
What better way to tick off this iconic cycle than by doing it in one day?
We thank Steve Jones for his support and for undertaking this gruelling one day challenge during June 2016.
Chestertweets keeping chester social, Founder & Director Steve Jones
Tel: 01244 317951 / Mobile: 07837 849582
www.chestertweets.co.uk
#chestertweets is proud to support Chester Adult Phab Social Club as their nominated charity for 2016.
Founder & Director
Steve Jones
Tel: 01244 317951
Mobile: 07837 849582
We thank them for their support and look forward to working with them during 2016.
Chester Surrogate mother makes dream come true for UK couple
Chester Adult PHAB – a social group for people with and without disabilities are bursting with pride and joy as they share the remarkable news of one of their members.
Busy mum Caz from Chester balances her role as mother to Aimee age 10 with work as a carer for people with learning disabilities and a member of Chester Adult Phab social group. Caz recently helped married couple Liz and Richard make their dreams of having a family of their own come true.
Caz set about researching surrogacy as helping couples who are unable to naturally have a child of their own has been something she has been keen to explore. In 2013 Caz met Liz and Richard through a non profit making surrogacy organisation. Liz and Richard longed for a child of their own but faced barriers of conceiving naturally due to Liz’s medical condition.
After just three months of getting to know the couple, Caz agreed to offer them the amazing gift of life and decided to become a surrogate for the first time.
Caz agreed she would use her own eggs as Liz did not want to risk genetically passing on her disability to their unborn child. Liz has Larsen’s Syndrome – a congenital disorder affecting the joints and connective tissues causing severe physical disability.
Using Richards’s sperm and her own eggs, Caz fell pregnant after just five months of home inseminations. They were all elated with the good news and experienced the journey of pregnancy together; at the thirteen week scan Richard, Liz and Caz were delighted to hear they were having a baby girl.
On 29th September 2014 after nine hours of labour, Caz gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Alice at the Countess of Chester hospital. Caz congratulated new parents Liz and Richard and in return they thanked Caz on becoming a first time surrogate. Richard cut the cord and Alice was handed to Liz. Once recovered, Caz left the hospital leaving Liz and Richard alone to bond with their new baby daughter. Over the next few days Caz visited the hospital daily with her daughter Aimee to provide Alice with her breast milk.
Caz commented her daughter Aimee understood why she wanted to help others to become a family and stated “with the exception of a few concerns Aimee initially had about the pain I would go through during the stages of labour, she loves the idea of having Alice as her surrogate sister”.
Early in their relationship it was agreed Caz and Aimee would always be a part of Alice’s life. Regular photographs are sent to Caz and they communicate through telephone, email and facebook in addition to the visits Caz makes to see Liz, Richard and Alice at their Leicestershire home.
Caz is elated to have helped Liz and Richard achieve their dream of becoming a family and regardless of the genetic connection, Caz thinks of Alice as her friend’s daughter and someone who is very special.
With regard to future plans, Caz is already undergoing a ‘get to know you process’ with another couple she met over two years ago through the surrogacy organisation. Most recently Caz has donated her eggs to another couple longing for a child of their own.
It is without doubt Caz is a truly amazing individual with a huge heart. Surrogacy is such an incredible and extraordinary gift to be able to offer someone longing for a family of their own. Caz is very much of the opinion that whilst she is fit and healthy she will continue to help people’s dream come true and very much believes that if she did not do this it would be “wasting her gift of fertility”.
Caz, Richard and Liz’s incredible story has recently been featured on Sky TV channel TLC in a series called ‘My Extraordinary Pregnancy’.
Chairperson of Chester Adult Phab Club Lynda Hesketh reports to feeling incredibly proud of what Caz has accomplished. Lynda went on to say Chester Adult Phab Club is an amazing organisation transforming many lives since its formation 27 years ago, and she is delighted with the many success stories the club boasts.
The Accessible Britain Challenge Awards 2015
The Corporate Disability Access Forum (CDAF) were the Winners in the ‘Improved Mobility’ category at the first Accessible Britain Challenge Awards which took place March 2015 in the House of Commons. The Award was presented by the Minister of State for Disabled People, Mark Harper MP.
Mark and Lynda from Chester Adult Phab Club are members of the CDAF committee.
The Awards are intended to publicly recognise organisations that are making an outstanding contribution towards communities being accessible and inclusive. The judges praised the work of the Forum in involving disabled people and their representative organisations in the design of major new public buildings and spaces, such as the Theatre and Library Project and Chester Bus Interchange.
Thanks were conveyed to DIAL West Cheshire for nominating CDAF for the Award, and also congratulate them on being Highly Commended for their ‘Safe in Town’ initiative which was shortlisted in the ‘Safer Neighbourhoods’ category but unfortunately was not selected as a winner.
For further information about the ABC Awards visit:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/accessible-britain-challenge-awards-2015-shortlist-announced