Christmas Tree Festival Winners Announced!

Congratulations! With 18% of the overall votes, coming first place is Slimming World Milton Keynes with Jane, supporting Alzheimer's Research.

Slimming World Milton Keynes with Jane is an award winning, super supportive weight loss group running from venues in Stony Stratford, Wolverton, Old Stratford and Olney. Whilst losing lb's we are also committed to raising £'s for Alzheimer's Research a disease which has impacted so many of us.

Jane's Dad was formally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia in 2017 although there had been signs for many years before that.

The diagnosis was devastating for him and all of Jane's family. To stand by and watch an articulate and intelligent man lose his vocabulary and sense of identity was soul destroying. Changes in personality and mood meant that the person they knew and loved gradually disappeared along with his memories.

Sadly Jane's Dad passed away on 10 August 2021 after a minor chest infection lead to a short stay at MK Hospital, where he contracted sepsis which lead to a fatal heart attack.

Alzheimer's Research are the UK's leading dementia research charity, dedicated to causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and cure. Backed by our passionate scientists and supporters, we’re challenging the way people think about dementia, uniting the big thinkers in the field and funding the innovative science that will deliver a cure.

This tree is a memory tree. Dementia often causes confusion and so this tree celebrates all occasions along with remembering loved ones we have lost. All decorations will be available to buy in the New Year to raise additional money for Alzheimer’s Research and have been made by Slimming World members across my groups.

Find out more about Alzheimer's Research UK including how you can support them here.

Congratulations! With 15% of the overall votes, coming second place is Probadge Limited, supporting Medical Detection Dogs.

Probadge, an office full of dog lovers, chose a charity close to their hearts. They are proud to be supporting amazing work that is saving lives with our four legged friends.

Can you imagine if a dog could detect an illness well before we had any idea there was a problem and reduce the need for intrusive, unpleasant and expensive diagnostic tests?

Well for over 15 years, Medical Detection Dogs has been training dogs to do just that; to save lives using their amazing sense of smell.
It does this with Medical Alert Assistance Dogs and Bio Detection Dogs, both of which can be trained to detect even the tiniest trace of the smell caused by a medical condition.

Bio Detection Dogs are trained to detect diseases like cancers, Parkinson’s, malaria and bacterial infections.
Medical Alert Assistance Dogs support people with complex health conditions like diabetes, PoTS and severe allergies when they are in danger of having a potentially life-threatening medical event, so they can take the necessary action and prevent hospital admission.

The charity is already making a huge difference to many by training dogs to not only save lives but also restore the confidence and independence that many of its clients lose when they become ill. And the list of diseases the world-leading Bio Detection research focuses on is growing all the time.
Medical Detection Dogs relies solely on the public’s generosity and goodwill. Please help it continue its life-changing work.
Your support will save lives.

Click here for more information

Congratulations! With 14% of the overall votes, coming third place is Samaritans Milton Keynes, supporting Samaritans Milton Keynes.

Every 10 seconds, Samaritans responds to a call for help.

They are there, day or night, for anyone who’s struggling to cope, who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure.

Samaritans is not only for the moment of crisis, they are taking action to prevent the crisis.

Samaritans give people ways to cope and the skills to be there for others. They encourage, promote, and celebrate those moments of connection between people that can save lives.

Samaritans offer listening and support to people and communities in times of need.

In prisons, schools, hospitals and on the rail network, Samaritans are working with people who are going through a difficult time and training others to do the same.

Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy, and Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide. That’s why they work tirelessly to reach more people and make suicide prevention a priority.

Click here for more information.