IN BRIEF
" WHEELS FOR COURTNEY " FUNDRAISER
GAME ON A WINNER IN LIVERPOOL
An event has been organised for 19 year old Courtney Pownall to help raise funds to purchase a new wheelchair / bike .
Courtney , who has a rare genetic condition called pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A , which means her body produces too much calcium and Vitamin B , has been accessing services at Claire House since she was four-years-old . Neil and his wife Jackie , 45 , adopted Courtney , who also has learning difficulties , and suffers from epilepsy , when she was one .
Courtney likes nothing better than singing along with her singer Dad “ James Franklyn ” who is part of the band “ Soul Jam .” In lockdown they decided to sing from home via social media . Courtney was such a hit they decided to try to raise money for Claire House and Courtney raised a fabulous £ 25k . She was nominated for Pride of Britain , and she won the ITV Granada region Fundraiser of the year award in 2020 .
Courtney ' s mobility has suffered lately and for her to remain mobile and to be able to remain socially active she needs a specialised wheelchair / bike . These are specially made and incorporate height and weight of the person .
A fundraising evening is being held on Friday 18 November 22 at Crosby Comrades Club . Doors open 6.30pm tickets are £ 15 available at www . julielawsoncommunityeventscic . co . uk .
If you would like to donate raffle / auction prizes or sponsor the event , please contact Julie at julielawson @ communityeventscic . co . uk or 07723 382553 .
Once funds have been raised for the wheelchair / bike , if there are any funds left over , Courtney ' s family have agreed they can be used by Julie Lawson Community Events CIC for people with Alzheimer ’ s Dementia and Autism as well as those who are socially isolated .
The first event of its kind for the city region ’ s gaming community was held earlier this month . Game On ! - a joint venture between the Business & IP Centre Liverpool ( BIPC ) and Professional Liverpool and part of Professional Liverpool ’ s regular Region of the Future series - took place at Sony Interactive Entertainment on Old Hall Street .
Around 75 guests came together and took part in a debate chaired by Chris Maguire – Founder of Imeg Partnership and Executive Editor at Business Cloud & TechBlast .
The panel included Clemens Wangerin , CEO of VTime , Matt Wilson of Sony Interactive Entertainment , and Lauren Forbes of InnovateHer . Lively discussions focused around funding sources , opportunities for women in gaming , raising the profile of the sector in the Liverpool City Region and retaining and attracting talent . Sony ’ s Dave Parkinson provided attendees with an insight into Sony ’ s history in Liverpool and current ambitions .
Geraldine Fuller of BIPC Liverpool City Region introduced the proceedings . She said : “ We have helped well over 1500 businesses last year and continue to support about 130 a month . It ’ s clear that the gaming industry here is big and growing with the potential to continue to make a major economic impact . There are literally thousands of businesses creating , innovating , disrupting , driving change and leading and creating in ways that had never been thought possible . We need to celebrate , harness , encourage and nurture this talent . Today marks a major step forward in doing this .“
8 merseylife . com