Present Drops a Clanger for Alzheimer's Campaign

FIONA PHILLIPS, GMTV's breakfast presenter, met with a giant 'Clanger' on the Meridian line today to launch a range of exclusive Clanger pin badges during Alzheimer's Awareness Week (4 to 10 July).

The range of four pin badges will be on sale at all branches of Halifax and Bank of Scotland throughout July. It is hoped that other retailers will come on board to stock the badges and support the Alzheimer's Society.

Fiona Phillips said:- "The Clangers bring back childhood memories for me and I am sure the pin badges will appeal to many generations. My mother has dementia so I know how painful it is to watch a loved one struggle with this cruel disease.

The Alzheimer's Society aims to raise £55,000 just from selling the Clanger pin badges through Halifax and Bank of Scotland this month and we are calling for other retailers to also stock the badges and help people with dementia, their families and carers."

The Alzheimer's Society has been granted a licence to use the cult 70’s TV characters the Clangers for two years and Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, the makers of the series are fully behind this fundraising campaign.

Alzheimer's Awareness Week 2004 (4 to10 July) aims to help children and young people understand what dementia is and how it might affect someone they know, a parent, grandparent or neighbour.

If retailers would like to support the Alzheimer's Society's work by selling Clangers pin badges contact 020 7306 0851.

Local Pupils Produce Prime Time BBC Current Affairs Show

THE names on the credits of the BBC’s “Question Time” this Thursday may have appeared rather odd and yet somewhat special to parents of Merseyside as the pupils of St Edwards College ventured into the sensitive issues of public concern addressed by a panel of under of celebrities and peers of society – viewed by an audience of the younger generation.


The pupils were given the opportunity after their school won the Schools Question Time Challenge – a national initiative launched last November (2003) by BT, the Institute for Citizenship and the BBC. 

For the last month, Joanna Bell, Daniel Carden and Amy Williams from St Edward’s College, and pupils from three other UK schools have been involved in all aspects of the production process, making editorial decisions, researching and taking on production roles. 

The Schools’ Question Time Challenge asked schools to create a proposal for their own Question Time event, including names of panel members they would select and the theme of the debate. Proposals were then submitted to a judging panel comprising of BT, the Institute for Citizenship and the BBC. 

From the entries 14 schools were selected and given a grant from BT to make their proposed plans a reality. A panel of judges then selected St Edward’s College’s event as one of the four award winners. 

David Dimbleby, President of the Institute for Citizenship and chair of BBC ONE’s Question Time, commented:- “The idea behind the challenge is to give students a chance to take part in political debate expressing their own views and listening to the views of others. 

Although this programme is produced by teams from four winning schools working together, the pupils involved in producing the TV programme for July 8 have been an inspiration. Their fresh, creative approach has impressed all of us on the Question Time team and should deliver a challenging debate.” 

The Institute for Citizenship said that BT’s support for the Schools Question Time Challenge has provided a unique opportunity for young people to develop their communication skills and to learn how they, as young citizens, can be actively involved in society. 

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