Charity Work
The Down Syndrome Educational Trust
Leslies youngest son, Danny was born with Down Syndrome.Leslie and wife Jane are actively involved in charity fundraising for the Down Syndrome Educational Trust which is a 20 year old registered charity providing support, activities and services for individuals with the condition.
The trust rely on donations to maintain and develope the range of services they offer.
Leslie and Jane have in the past organised Jazz nights featuring bands and a charity auction raising almost twelve thousand pound in one evening. Jane is one of the trusts hardest working voluntary fundraisers.
BBC TV Appeal raises £29,000 in 2001
A BBC Lifeline appeal broadcast on national television in January, raised a tremendous £29,000 for The Down Syndrome Educational Trust.
The BBC Lifeline programme was hosted by British TV star, Leslie Grantham and featured young children attending Early Development Groups at The Down Syndrome Educational Trust, and teenagers at Swanmore Secondary School, in Hampshire, England. “We were delighted that Leslie was able to help with the broadcast. Leslie’s own experiences as a father helped to make the film more personal and authentic”, commented Sue Buckley, Director of The Down Syndrome Educational Trust.
The programme was filmed over two days at The Sarah Duffen Centre in Portsmouth, and at Swanmore Secondary School in Hampshire, and involved families from across southern England. “We were delighted with how superbly the children and teenagers coped with the disruption of the film crew and lighting and the starting and stopping for different takes. We wanted as much film of individuals with Down syndrome as possible to impress upon the general public how able they can be - rather than dwelling on their difficulties. We were anxious to ensure that people with Down syndrome were accurately portrayed”, said Sue Buckley.
The film focuses on young children participating in structured early intervention activities at The Sarah Duffen Centre, and on two teenagers, included in their local mainstream secondary school. “As well as the young children working on early language skills, we wanted to show older teenagers succeeding in school - after all, the opportunities for individuals to realise their potential and for full participation in community life are what we are working so hard for”, said Gillian Bird, the Trust’s Director for Consultancy and Education.
Although the hours of film shot over 2 days has been edited into a five minute programme, the BBC will kindly provide all of the footage for the Trust’s use in workshops and conferences and for future videos.
The BBC’s call centre handled calls during the evening after the original broadcast and throughout the subsequent few weeks. As well as donations pledged via the telephone, the Trust received hundreds of letters and postal donations. Nick Elwin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, commented “We were very pleased with the response. We had obviously hoped for considerable support, but this exceeded our expectations. The funds have provided a much-needed boost. A drop in overall private donations last year and the major expense of developing the new Down Syndrome Issues and Information publications, coupled with a large, pledged grant failing to come through late last year, had led to very difficult financial circumstances. This appeal has really helped to see us through these difficulties.”
The Down Syndrome Educational Trust would like to thank Leslie Grantham, all of the children, teenagers and families who kindly participated in the production of the film, and the BBC.
2nd Notting Hill jazz night raises £12,000
The 2nd Notting Hill jazz night organised by Jane and Leslie Grantham raises £12,000 for The Down Syndrome Educational Trust.
Following on from last year’s superbly successful event, Jane and Leslie Grantham and friends organised a second Jazz Night at the Cobden Club in Notting Hill.
The event in February 2002 was another roaring success, with two jazz bands providing toe-tapping tunes and a charity auction run by Leslie. The evening’s total has now reached the massive sum of £11,900.
Jane is one of our hardest working voluntary fundraisers – many thanks to Jane and Leslie, as well as Sue Stirling, Natasha and Matt Milsom, and Debbie Copeland who also helped organise the event.
Click above to go to the Educational trust website.
The Lejeune Clinic HELP Campaign
.Leslie and Jane with son Danny pictured at the launch of the HELP campaign for children with Down Syndrome.
Leslie showing his support for charity Team Spirit
Team Spirit is a Berkshire based running group founded in 1997.
Leslie Grantham supporting Solo and Garth Harrison on their Southdown Fund Raising Ride in aid of the Down Syndrome Educational Trust.
Cricket talk as former EastEnders stars join in Pinter celebrations
A SEASON of events dedicated to Britain's greatest living playwright Harold Pinter kicked off at Chatsworth with a star-studded cricket match in his honour. Pinter's favourite cricket team The Gaieties took on a Sheffield Theatres XI featuring former EastEnders star Leslie 'Dirty Den' Grantham and his telly 'son' heartthrob Nigel Harman. The great man couldn't be there himself, as he is preparing for his one-man production of Samuel Beckett's play Krapp's Last Tape in London. The match was the first in a programme of events around the city to coincide with the Crucible Theatre's production of Pinter's classic play The Caretaker.
The Gaieties are a theatrical cricket team, once captained by Mr Pinter. He is now chairman of the team. Sam West, artistic director of the Crucible Theatre said: "When we decided to have a celebration of Harold Pinter, one of the things we quickly decided we couldn't leave out was cricket. Through Pinter's fascination with cricket you can come to a greater understanding of his plays." Pinter was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005.
