£23,000 raised at the Community Fun Run!
16/06/2015
On Sunday 193 people of all ages took part in the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run raising funds for Nicki’s Smile.
Together they managed to raise an amazing £23,000 which will go towards funding pancreatic cancer early diagnosis research initiatives.
Taking place at the home of Saracens, Allianz Park, this was the first year that Nicki’s Smile had entered the Community Fun Run and we’re truly humbled to have been represented by the 4th largest contingent of runners out of the 48 charities that took part.
With a total of over 2,000 runners and 1,500 spectators the only thing that didn’t shine on this English summer’s day was, somewhat predictably, the sun. Still, the weather was perfect for covering distances including 1km, 5km, 5km walk and 10km with a few suspiciously fit people taking on all three runs.
Of course, it wasn’t just the running (or pushing buggies around the 1km route) that kept people entertained as there was a Fun Zone amusing the children and experts were on hand promoting how to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle at the Health & Wellbeing Hub. Perhaps they shouldn’t have checked in at the Charity Fair which, in addition to promoting the good work of the charities, was busy peddling popcorn, candy floss and brownies.
In our own unhealthy competition it’s congratulations to Leila Sosnow who was closest with her guess of 1,800 to the correct number of jelly beans in the jar on our stand. We’ll be in touch to deliver your prize and would suggest not eating them all at once.
Dan Blake, chair of Nicki’s Smile said “We are delighted that our runners have raised an incredible £23,000 for Nicki’s Smile. This sensational amount will catalyse our early diagnosis research efforts and help us to achieve our aim of improving pancreatic cancer survival statistics. We are truly grateful to our runners and their supporters and look forward to the 2016 Maccabi GB Community Fun Run!”
Date for your diaries: Next year’s run will take place on Sunday 19th June 2016. We look forward to seeing you there!
Running for their friend
08/06/2015
Ava Sandler, Lauren Brickman, Charlotte Rabinovitch, Ellie Brickman, Solly Jacobs, Joshua Blake
A class of primary school children are coming together in a tale of young friendship to raise money for Nicki’s Smile.
Solly Jacobs, Ava Sandler, Zach Spevock, Jake Rosenberg, Charlotte Rabinovitch, Jacob Selzer, Gabriel Nathan, Casey Bond, Dylan Fabian, Abigail Cane and Lauren and Ellie Brickman are in Year 2 at Hertsmere Jewish Primary School and are just some of the classmates taking part in the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run on Sunday 14th June.
The enthusiastic friends are taking their training very seriously and are looking forward to the family event. But for one member of the class – seven-year old Joshua Blake – the day is so much more poignant.
Joshua was just three years old when his mother Nicki lost her battle to pancreatic cancer aged just 33. A year later Nicki’s Smile was launched and in the four years since, nearly half a million pounds has been raised and two pioneering pancreatic cancer early diagnosis research projects have been funded.
The children will be running stride for stride alongside their friend Joshua. Solly Jacobs, 7, says, “We hope we raise lots of money in memory of our friend Joshua’s mummy”.
Involvement has extended from the children to their parents, mum Amanda Rabinovitch says, “The children are all very excited to be taking part in the fun run. And the families in the class are working hard to raise as much money as possible for Nicki’s Smile and pancreatic cancer early diagnosis research”.
If you would like to support Nicki’s Smile then any donation, large or small, will be gratefully received. You can find some of the children’s fundraising pages here:
Solly Jacobs: https://www.justgiving.com/BettinaJacobs/
Ava Sandler: https://www.justgiving.com/AvaSandler/
Zach Spevock: https://www.justgiving.com/ZachS/
Jake Rosenberg: https://www.justgiving.com/jake-rosenberg/
Jacob Selzer: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AndrewSelzer
Lauren and Ellie Brickman: https://www.justgiving.com/FionaBrickmanbtinternetcom/
Dylan Fabian: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Ross_and_Dylan
Abigail Cane: https://www.justgiving.com/Abigail-Emily/
Joshua Blake: https://www.justgiving.com/Dan-and-Joshua/
Keeping it in the family for the Community Fun Run
04/06/2015
Ariella Flenner, Mark Flenner, Angelo Nardi and Asher Flenner taking a break from training
A family spanning three generations will team up to raise money for Nicki’s Smile.
Grandpa Angelo Nardi will be running with his daughter Juliet, son-in-law Mark Flenner and their children Asher (9) and Ariella (7) in the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run on Sunday 14th June.
The close-knit Nardi-Flenner family, who live together in Finchley, have chosen to support Nicki’s Smile at the fun run, as they too have been personally affected by pancreatic cancer.
Juliet says “Nicki’s Smile is a cause close to our hearts, and we hope the event will raise as much money as possible, so the charity can continue to fund vital early diagnosis research.”
Ariella says “We are looking forward to the run, and we hope we can raise lots of money. We’ve been before and it’s a really fun day, with loads to do for kids”.
If you would like to support Nicki’s Smile then any donation, large or small, will be gratefully received: https://
Charity Zumbathon raises over £3,500
01/06/2015
Three hours of non-stop Zumba raised over £3,500 for Nicki’s Smile on Sunday 7 May.
Organised by a group of mothers from north London the Zumbathon was led by the very energetic Heidi vandenBroek and her team from zumbaClubNL. They brought the Free Church Hall in Hampstead Garden Suburb alive with music, dance and all shades of lycra.
Away from the intensity and vibrancy on display inside the Zumbathon arena children were entertained with face painting and games. Men competed to concoct ingenious reasons not to participate in any physical activity and busied themselves selling raffle tickets.
Dan Blake, chair of Nicki’s Smile said: “I’m delighted the inaugural Nicki’s Smile Zumbathon was an incredible success raising over £3,500 for our special cause. On behalf of everyone involved with Nicki’s Smile I would like to pay a special tribute to organisers Kerry, Leonie, Susie and Stephanie and to Heidi and her team of Zumba instructors. They all helped ensure it was a phenomenal event.”
Zumbathon – 17th May
17/03/2015
Often wondered what Zumba was all about? Are you an experienced Zumba dancer looking to refine your moves?
Zumba has taken the country by storm over the last few years and now’s your chance to join the latest dance fitness craze in support of Nicki’s Smile.
Heidi VandenBroek & the team from zumbaClubNL are hosting a Zumbathon for all levels of Zumba fans, from the super enthusiast to the extreme novice. Come get that beach body ready for summer whilst supporting Nicki’s Smile to aid research into early diagnois of pancreatic cancer. It’s a great way to get in shape, learn some seriously aerobic Latin American dance moves and make friends at the same time, while dancing to some fabulous music.
If that wasn’t enough for you, there’s Kids Zumba, face painting, a craft table, football game and loads of toys to keep the little ones (and other halves) occupied while you get down and Zumba.
The Zumbathon runs from 2pm to 5pm on Sun 17th May at the Free Church Hall, Northway, NW11 6PB, so come for as long or as little as you like. Entrance is £20 on the door but you can buy tickets in advance for £15 from www.justgiving.com/zumbathon2015 with all profits going to Nicki’s Smile.
For those who want to Zumba for the full three hours, sponsorship forms are available.
Got any questions? Contact zumbathon2015@gmail.com, otherwise buy your tickets and get ready to Zumba!
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1383097492008737/
Special thanks to Heidi and team and Ellis and Co for making this event possible.
Enter the Community Fun Run
05/03/2015
Spring is in the air and it’s time to get your trainers out of storage!
You’re invited to run, jog or walk for Nicki’s Smile in the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run. Please save the date of Sunday 14 June in your diary.
Taking place at the world-class facilities of Allianz Park in north London you can support Nicki’s Smile by taking part in one of five great events; 1km run, 5km run, 10km run, 5 km walk or the ‘Tri-run Challenge’ (all three distances!)
There will be a family fun zone, health & wellbeing hub, food court and much more!
For more information and to register visit communityfun.org
Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile raises £9,000!
18/11/2014
Kitchens across the country were humming over the weekend as some of the UK’s finest amateur chefs brought new twists to classic dishes all in aid of “Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile”.
With several events still to run almost £9,000 has been raised, eclipsing last year’s total. Drawing inspiration from their overseas cooking expeditions, or possibly just their local takeaway menu, our talented hosts were responsible for culinary highlights including: homemade chapati, naan bread and onion bhaji; a fearsome Thai green chicken curry; a November barbecue and more cake than you’d find in an episode of Great British Bake Off.
Thank you to everyone that hosted, cooked, ate, donated, went home full – none of what we’re achieving is possible without you.
Here are some of your creations from the event;
Waitrose stores support Nicki’s Smile!
05/11/2014
Shop at Waitrose Watford and Northwood for Nicki’s Smile!
We’re pleased to announce that for the month of November Nicki’s Smile is one of the Charities of the Month in the Waitrose stores in Watford (top floor of John Lewis in Intu Watford/ Harlequin) and Northwood (52 Green Lane).
All you have to do is collect those green tokens that you get at the till (ask for a few more each time!!) and pop them into the Nicki’s Smile collection box. The more tokens we get the higher % of the donation we will receive at the end of the month.
With “Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile” happening during November these Waitrose stores are the perfect place to get all your food for the event and help raise a bit more money at the same time.
November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month.
Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile – Annabel Karmel recipes
30/10/2014
We are delighted to publish the first set of recipes kindly donated by our Event Ambassador, cookery author Annabel Karmel, in advance of our Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile event (14-16 November).
Whether you’re baking sweet treats for a coffee morning, brunch or tea, these delicious recipes from Annabel will wow your guests! Stay tuned for more tantalising dishes….
There is still plenty of time to get involved – to host an event please email event@nickissmile.com and for more information please visit: Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile
Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecake
Ingredients
150g Chocolate Digestive biscuits (or could use ordinary Digestive biscuits)
50g butter, melted
200g milk chocolate
150g cream cheese
200ml whipping cream
25g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate shavings to serve (optional)
Method
- Line the base of an 18cm 7” round loose bottomed cake tin.
- Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter. Spoon into the tin and smooth over, then put in the fridge.
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool.
- Whisk the cream cheese and cream together until thickened. Add the sugar and vanilla. Divide the mixture in half. Add the chocolate to one half of the mixture and combine.
- Remove the tin from the fridge and spread the reserved cream mixture over the biscuit base. Spread the chocolate mixture over the top, and gently swirl the two parts together to create a marbled effect. Put the cheesecake in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Remove from the tin before serving. You can decorate the top with chocolate shavings or curls if you wish.
Makes 6 slices
Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
225g plain flour
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
40g ground almonds
185g soft brown sugar
75g porridge oats
75g dried cranberries
75g white chocolate
225g butter
1 egg, beaten
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160˚C fan). Sieve together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Then stir in the ground almonds, soft brown sugar, porridge oats and cranberries. Break the white chocolate into small chunks and then stir in too.
2. Melt the butter in a small pan. Stir this into the dry ingredients, together with the egg. Mix well then, using your hands, form the mixture into walnut-sized balls and arrange them on two large non-stick baking sheets.
3. Gently press down on the dough balls to flatten them slightly, leaving space between them to allow the biscuits to spread. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Makes 16 cookies
For more information on Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile please visit: Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile
Annabel’s Family Cookbook (Ebury Press) is filled with cooking inspiration for the whole family and available to buy now. Visit www.annabelkarmel.com.
Annabel Karmel supports Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile
13/10/2014
We are delighted to share the exciting news that Annabel Karmel is supporting ‘Come Dine for Nicki’s Smile’ over the weekend of 14th -16th November!
Annabel is the leading expert and best-selling author on baby food and nutrition. Since launching with the Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner more than 20 years ago, Annabel has written 37 books and sold over four million copies worldwide.
We are thrilled to have Annabel on board who will be sharing some of her brilliant bake ideas for event hosts nearer the time. Annabel adds “Nicki’s Smile is a fantastic cause and I’m delighted to be supporting it.”
If you’d like to get involved and host an event please email event@nickissmile.com.