07/08/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

GET UP STAND UP! A FANTASTIC SUCCESS AT GLASTONBURY LEFTFIELD STAGE

Listed at 16 in the top ‘50 things to do at Glastonbury‘. The guys filled Leftfield and beyond, raising awareness about nuclear weapons with their show of comedy, music and politics. We are glad to be able to help book the music talent for them and now look forward to Peace of Art event on Nov 4th.

Thanks to Geoff and all at Leftfield, to Nick Doody
Marcus Brigstocke
The Paddingtons
Tony Benn
Shazia Mirza
Matt Kirshen
Simon Munnery
The Beat

visit Come Clean which is run by Carol Naughton and an Ambassador for Freedom in the Air. Carol a trained Paediatric Physiotherapist spent years fighting to get the skills and talents of young people with disabilities recognised and to encourage them to get out there and do it for themselves!!

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27/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Freedom in the Air’s final day with carers from Spurgeons and Bedfordshire County Council Rural Communities Charity. In this slideshow, we get to hear from an instructor, senior carers and of course the bubbly and adventurous younger carers.

Young carers are children and young people who are the main carers of a sick or disabled parent or sibling. Estimates of the number of young carers in the UK vary between 15,000 and 50,000. Read the rest of this entry »

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26/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Here is a short movie from our recent Freedom Wings days, June 28th and July 24th & 25th with the young carers from Spurgeons. Every carer whom we met during the last few days playing with aeroplanes have a very special and important job to do.

They sacrifice so so much to care for loved one who have a wide range of disabilities.  Spending time with them certainly brightened up our day and we sincerely hope they all had a day to remember. 

Posted in Freedom Wings, inspiring, Good causes, Film, Fun Flying | Print | No Comments »

24/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

The Rehabilitation Centres For Children in Kolkata is where I once underwent 2 years of corrective surgery to give me a chance to be independent. A few weeks ago, i went back there to make a documentary for Al Jazeera English about my life.

RCFC was established by some amazing people due to the inspiration and back-breaking work of a British nurse, Jane Webb OBE. Jane died a few years back, shortly after fulfilling her dream of becoming an Indian citizen.

RCFC is her legacy to the world and I owe so much to her, her vision and all the doctors, physiotherapists, teachers, calliper makers, surgeons, fundraisers, administrators and volunteers who have given their time either for free or for a pittance to RCFC.

Since getting back to London, I have been chatting to Dr William Bunting who is a surgeon and has spent a lot of time at RCFC. We both have the same meeting of minds as to how we both wish to help them grow and raise funding to. Here is an article he Dr.Bunting wrote:

APPROACH TO ORTHOPAEDIC CARE OF DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN AROUND KOLKATA.

Rehabilitation Centres for Children (RCFC) was established 35yrs ago,in the southern suburbs of Kolkata by Jane Webb,an English nurse nd has grown in size and scope since then, its facilities are now extended to the children of the rural poor in Orissa,West Bengal and even Bangladesh. Read the rest of this entry »

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15/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Had it not been for CINI, which is run by Samir Choudhury, chances are i would have never met my mother Patricia. During my visit to Kolkata, i had the pleasure of visiting Samir and seeing what they are up to.

The Child In Need Institute (CINI) works to break down the cycle of poverty, malnutrition and ill health and provides basic educational services to some of India’s poorest communities. Its vision is of an India where children are able to reach their full potential, regardless of their gender, caste, class or ethnicity. Read the rest of this entry »

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12/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Flying without wings
Bedfordshire County Council, in partnership with Spurgeons, Beds Rural Communities Charity and ‘Freedom in the Air’ arranged for a group of 10 young carers to take part in a flying day at Cranfield Airfield on Saturday 28th June 2008.

Click on the logo above or to read the rest of the story follow this link to read an online article about our recent Freedom Wings event on June 28th at Cranfield.

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08/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

I am now back from Kolkata, WOW what an adventure it has been. The week moved at 120kts and it is only now that my brain is starting to gently comprehend and try and understand my voyage of discovery about me, my roots, the city of kolkata and everything else since then. I visited The Rehabilitation Center for Children, which is where i spent many years having operations. I will upload some photos soon. The kids were great and all they wanted to know about is what it is like to fly - so i told them and i loved the expression on their faces….they gave me a wonderful shirt made by the children and this card…

Read the rest of this entry »

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25/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

SPURGEONS TAKES OFF WITH FREEDOM IN THE AIR

On 28th June 2008 10 young carers from Spurgeons will be taking to the skies for the day!

With the aid of Freedom in the Air, Cranfield Flight Training and TA Aviation, the kids will take off from Cranfield Airport. As well as being introduced to the basics of flight, the children will be given a presentation on flying, a tour of a static aeroplane led by an experienced pilot, and a demonstration of the workings of the aircraft.

Spurgeons is one of the UK’s largest Christian charities working with children, young people and families.  They want to see a world where all children and young people have hope for their future, the ability to make choices and are excited about the opportunities before them.

From giving children in care in the UK a voice in their own future, to supporting AIDS orphans in Africa, Spurgeons exists to create opportunities for vulnerable children and young people to find hope and transformation now and fulfilment in their future.

There are a staggering number of young carers who struggle to look after younger siblings or parents who are unable to care for them due to a disability. Read the rest of this entry »

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25/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

The Menier Chocolate Factory opened in 2004 and later that year had its first West End transfer (Fully Committed). It has received numerous awards including the prestigious Evening Standard Theatre award for Outstanding Newcomer 2005.

Throughout its history, the building has been inspired by both individuality and the pursuit of quality. Built in 1870 to house a chocolate factory, this unique space now comprises an art gallery, restaurant and theatre. Having maintained the original exposed wooden beams, unusual cast iron columns and an amazing brick feature interior.

Full Circle will be exhibiting between 13th October - 19th October 2008. Gautam Lewis of Freedom in the Air will  photograph the locations of his early childhood in Kolkata, India for a London photo exhibit coinciding with World Polio Day: 24 October. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Disability news, Good causes, Media, images | Print | 1 Comment »

04/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Mr Hanif Kapadia who runs a chain of Kodak Express here in London has agreed to support Smiling Wings. They will be printing all the certificates for the youngsters and printing the Smiling Wings tour photographs.

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04/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Nothing is difficult just different - Smiling Wings at Cranfield, EGTC

(London - UK: Wednesday, June 4, 2008) On Friday 6th June 2008, Aviation Without Borders (AWB) and Cranfield Flight Training will be hosting an ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day beginning at 10:30 from Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire. The day is named, for obvious reasons, Smiling Wings day and, with the support of EADS, will be Aviation Without Borders’ first at Cranfield Airport.

10 local children with disabilities from Bedfordshire and Luton will have the chance of a lifetime to experience the freedom of flight, Read the rest of this entry »

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03/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

I am very happy to announce that Sebastian Pooley of Pooleys Flight Equipment has become a supporter of our Smiling Wings tour. Pooleys have provided a goody bag for 100 children. This year we have planned to host that many children during the Smiling Wings tour. In the goody bag will be playing cards, a book, diaries to name a few items..Next year we have agreed to work together to host a Smiling Wings day at their annual fly in at Compton Abbas. A family run business and the oldest of its kind in the industry, Pooleys commenced its many aviation activities in 1957, becoming a Limited Company in 1961 and opening it’s present factory at Cranfield in 1966. Most of the products on this site are from this factory.

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29/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Stan Brock started a charity - Remote Area Medical (RAM) - more than 20 years ago to bring relief to those cut off from healthcare. Originally it was to help poor tribes in the former British colony of Guyana, South America.

That is where he lived after leaving Preston, Lancashire, more than half a century ago - he still is a British citizen. The full article is on the BBC website - RAM website is here

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