OMEGA SQUADRON are primarily a group of friends who get together to have
a good time, but we also help raise money for charities.
The Squadron Ball always raises funds, and individually we've
RUN, WALKED, DANCED,
mugged people for money while dressed as
X-WING PILOTS or DARTH VADER or PRINCESS LEIA,
arranged charity fundraising events and simply just sponsored other people raising money.



UPCOMING EVENTS

DATE/TIME	PLACE	WHAT
ON-GOING APPEAL	IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN	SOLDIERS SURPRISE SUPPLIES - Send some goodwill out to servicemen and women fighting abroad!!! Chocolate is out (it melts!) but please check out the Help For Heroes Notice Board for a list of things that can really make a difference to life on the front line! Padded envelopes are best, and there is a strictly enforced weight limit of 2 kilos. Send parcels to either of the addresses below! A British Soldier c/o J I Branch HQ MND (SE) Op Telic BFPO 641 or A British Soldier c/o Capt S Beattie MBE SO3 J I HQ Task Force Helmand Lashkar Gah BFPO 715
ON-GOING APPEAL	REDMILL NURSING HOME	TOILETRIES - Any "two for one offer", please donate the "free" product! Over the past few years we've been able to hand in Christmas gifts for every single resident in the Redmill Nursing Home. Some of the residents have either no family or no family who care, so please keep up the good work. We've also been able to donate shawls and knee-blankets from the crochet-fiends in the Squadron, so wool donations would be a help too.

Listed below are some of the charities we've already raised money for.

	CHARITY	AMOUNT
	ConfiDance For Life was the idea of two belly dancers, one a dance teacher, the other a mental health professional. Due to numerous conversations with other dancers, Sophie and Nova had realised that dancing had many therapeutic benefits to offer an idea had begun to flourish. After many discussions, research and advice from Dundee Voluntary Action, the idea took on a more concrete form and the overall aim to offer dance to those who would benefit most from its therapeutic benefits was decided upon. This aim meant that after the initial belly dance project other projects could be set up to include men, older people, people with disabilities or physical illness.	£1,400
	Help For Heroes was the idea of Appeal Chairman Bryn Parry and a group of friends and relations, many of who have connections with serving servicemen and women. Bryn and his wife Emma wanted to do something to help the wounded and came up with the idea of a sponsored bike ride. They mentioned it to some friends who mentioned it to some more friends and suddenly Help For Heroes was born and growing fast. A flurry of visits to various offices led to the campaign being blessed by the head of the army, Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt.	£184 worth and counting! 106 care parcels so far!
	REACH was formed in 1978 by parents of children who were missing part of their arm or a hand, in order to lobby for the provision of a new artificial arm under the NHS. Since then REACH has grown to become a national organisation providing support and advice for children with hand or arm deficiencies, and their parents. Omega Squadron supports the Scottish Branch of REACH	£860
	In 1968, the Navajo Nation created a first-of-its-kind educational institution - a college controlled by the tribe, located on the reservation and established specifically to provide higher education to tribal members. With that monumental event, the tribal college movement was born. Since then, the number of tribal colleges and universities has grown to 32, located in 11 states and serving more than 250 American Indian Nations from every geographic region in the United States.	£100
.	The Malawi Millennium Project is a collaborative venture between the University of Strathclyde, Bell College and the University of Malawi. It aims to assist in educating the personnel needed to train future generations of Malawian teachers, nurses, scientists, technicians and engineers.	£40 of baby clothes
	NURSES - Marie Curie Nurses now care for around 50 per cent of all cancer patients who die at home. They work through the night or during the day to provide care for patients in the comfortable and familiar surroundings of their own home. HOSPICES - The hospices offer specialist support in a relaxed, friendly and comfortable environment and no charge is ever made to patients or their families. RESEARCH SCIENTISTS - Marie Curie scientists are at the forefront of cancer research. PALLIATIVE CARE RESEARCH - The Marie Curie Palliative Care Research and Development Unit seeks to improve care for those affected by life-limiting illnesses through encouraging and carrying out research into a broad spectrum of issues relating to palliative care	£291
	Cancer Research UK is the world's leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research. We support research into all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 3,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.	£600
	Epilepsy affects about 1% of ALL CHILDREN in the UK and 25% of those children, will be resistant to medication and have a high association with disability, learning and behaviour problems. This has a major impact on their as well as their family's life. Matthews Friends promotes and sponsors children on the ketogenic diet, a high fat diet designed to mimic starvation and used for the treatment of epilepsy for over eighty years.	£1,245
	Founded in 1961, Kidney Research UK is the leading UK charity funding research that focuses on the prevention, treatment and management of kidney disease. The charity also dedicates its work to improving patient care and raising awareness of kidney disease.	Helped raise £2,000
	BBC Children in Need positively changes the lives and prospects of children and young people living in the UK who have suffered hardships, difficulties or disadvantages of some kind. Each year the charity provides practical and lasting support to thousands of youngsters aged 18 and under, including those who have experienced homelessness, neglect, abuse or poverty, and those who've encountered serious illnesses, disabilities, psychological disorders or addictions.	Still counting!