Vapouround magazine Special Issue 01 | Page 25

VM Awards Ceremony Charity Auction The Vapouround Awards evening ended with a charity auction which raised money for two really worthwhile causes Nora’s Dream and Help for Heroes. The auction raised £6,400 which is a fantastic sum of money and it will be split equally between the two causes. It was a relaxed, informal and fun event where the whole idea was to benefit two great causes and have a good time while doing so. Once again hosts Ashley Hanson and Chris Tucker set the tone just right and did an amazing job in keeping the auction moving and the charity cash rolling in. The vaping community is very generous and giving and when a collection of Vapouround Magazine branded goodies was snapped up for £450 at the start of the auction it was clear that the event was going to be a great success. Framed first and second edition copies of Vapouround Magazine were next up and swelled the pot by another £250. A couple of cool mods brought in another £500 and a front cover picture in a future edition of Vapouround Magazine was amazingly popular and brought in £3,300. One lucky attendee managed to snap up £5,000 of Vaper Expo stand space for the October 2016 show for just £2,000 and two limited edition Vapouroundbranded mods were also auctioned off before the hammer fell for the final time of the night. Although this was a fun event for all those who took part, the main focus of the auction was on the two charities involved. Help for Heroes was chosen because of the amazing work it does in offering comprehensive support to those who have suffered life-changing injuries and illnesses in the line of duty. It provides grants to individuals, other charities and organisations, funds capital build projects and runs four Recovery Centres across the UK. Soldiers, sailors and airmen can get the help and support they need from Help for Heroes and the charity is committed to being there for servicemen and women who suffer life-changing injury in the line of duty. The charity also works closely with the MOD and The Royal British Legion to deliver the Defence Recovery Capability (DRC) which helps wounded, injured and sick personnel launch back into the next phase of their lives. Nora’s Dream is a charity which is very well known by members of the international vaping community and we are very proud to be associated with it. It raises money to fund the ongoing medical care of a beautiful young girl called Nora who was born with two forms of cystic fibrosis. Keith Fairman from Diamond Vapor named his first e-liquid Nora’s Dream and a percentage of every one of the 20,000 bottles of Nora’s Dream he sells each month goes to support this little girl, AWA R D S the daughter of a close family friend. Keith was named ‘Vaper of the Year’ at the awards ceremony for his amazing charity efforts on behalf of Nora and this proved to be a very popular choice amongst the attendees. Keith spoke movingly about his own personal journey after being named ‘Vaper of the Year’. He said: “Eight years ago I lived under a bridge and I did not think I would be able to make anything of my life. “Four years ago I told my wife I was going to create my own e-liquids and she thought I was out of my mind…but I held onto my dream and it paid off. “To everyone who is struggling with their own problems in life I would say that you must never give up on your dreams because it is your dreams which will take you where you want to go. “I want to thank everyone who played a part in naming me ‘Vaper of the Year’ and I want to especially thank everyone who has supported the Nora’s Dream fund which is so very close to my heart.” VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE USA 23