Well what can I say we are in what can only be described as a Worldwide crisis. I can’t remember anything as serious as this and while I still believe it’s been hyped up by the media, we are are in it now and hopefully somebody is going to find a solution.
The Radiothon was set up in 2015 when Jo from our office asked the Breakfast Show if they would consider broadcasting for 24 hours. This challenge was duly accepted and the Radiothon was born. For the first 2 years we helped raise money to help the Pirates Charity Premiere and their charities. When the Premiere stopped in 2016 we decided to keep the fundraising going by setting up The Jacques Sasson Foundation. Jacques will best be remembered for his invention of the Pirates Adventure show in Mallorca and employed Richie in 1994 and he has worked there ever since. In 2019 we decided to extend the hours of broadcasting from 24 to 36 hours starting at 07.00 on Friday morning and going all the way to 19.00 on Saturday evening and we managed to raise 25,363.11€. In 2020 this will again be the challenge for me and Ayesha from Friday May 15th to Saturday May 16th. Now we can’t do this without your help so they’ll be plenty of ways you can support us. You can sponsor an hour and come and join us in the studio, pay for a song to be played, challenge us to do something, buy raffle tickets, bid on an auction item or just make a donation. Remember even a euro can help make a difference. If you can help us by donating an auction or raffle prize we would love to hear from you.
The following charities have benefitted from our previous Radiothons;
2015: Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, The Paediatric Ward of Son Espases Hospital, Salvation Army, Shambhala Foundation.
2016: Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, The Paediatric Ward of Son Espases Hospital, Calvia Lions, Help 4 Heroes.
2017: Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Son Espases Intensive Care Unit, SOS Animal Mallorca, Fundacion Nazareth, Club Vidalba.
2018: Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Son Espases Intensive Care Unit, Asociacion Ondine, Feliz Animal Andratx.
2019: Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Son Espases Intensive Care Unit, ASPANOB, ASDICA.
The total raised in our Radiothons so far is 106,200.59€.
This year’s Charities will be Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Son Espases Intensive Care Unit, Yachting Gives Back, Cancer Support Group Mallorca.
Great Ormond Street
Pirates and the Radio at a later date have been supporting GOSH for 15 years now. So far we have raised nearly 750,000€ and in that time the money has been put to many different projects including a Pirates treatment room. More recently the money has been spent in four main areas: rebuilding and redevelopment of the Hospital; research (GOSH are currently embarking on a 5-year research strategy to target rare diseases in childhood); latest and replacement medical equipment; parent accommodation and support services for families and patients.
Son Espases Intensive Care Unit
We have been working with Son Espases for 5 years now and this year we are helping the only Child Intensive Care Unit in the Balearics. Our first donation to the Paediatric Ward of Son Espases Hospital was used the money to redecorate the doors of each room with cartoon characters making them look less like hospital bedrooms. Something we learned very early on our many visits to Great Ormond Street was the biggest challenge was to make the hospitals look less like hospitals so the children could relax. The second year we helped redecorate a new pirate ship-themed CAT scan in the Paediatric Department. Some 350m² of decorative vinyl wrapping gave Son Espases entry into a very select group of hospitals to implement such an idea, alongside the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York, the Hospital Municipal Jesus in Rio de Janeiro and Hospital San Juan de Dios in Barcelona. In each case they’ve proven that this fantasy décor creates a warm, inviting, relaxing atmosphere and reduces levels of anxiety – making life easier for patients and professionals alike. Over the last three years we have been helping the intensive care unit firstly with murals above the beds of the children. And for the last 2 years we have helped build a rest room for the parents of the children being treated by the intensive care unit.
Cancer Support Group Mallorca
We have been working with Son Espases for 5 years now and this year we are helping the only Child Intensive Care Unit in the Balearics. Our first donation to the Paediatric Ward of Son Espases Hospital was used the money to redecorate the doors of each room with cartoon characters making them look less like hospital bedrooms. Something we learned very early on our many visits to Great Ormond Street was the biggest challenge was to make the hospitals look less like hospitals so the children could relax. The second year we helped redecorate a new pirate ship-themed CAT scan in the Paediatric Department. Some 350m² of decorative vinyl wrapping gave Son Espases entry into a very select group of hospitals to implement such an idea, alongside the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York, the Hospital Municipal Jesus in Rio de Janeiro and Hospital San Juan de Dios in Barcelona. In each case they’ve proven that this fantasy décor creates a warm, inviting, relaxing atmosphere and reduces levels of anxiety – making life easier for patients and professionals alike. Over the last three years we have been helping the intensive care unit firstly with murals above the beds of the children. And for the last 2 years we have helped build a rest room for the parents of the children being treated by the intensive care unit.
Cancer Support Group Mallorca
Cancer Support Group Mallorca (CSG) is a registered association that was formed to help the expat community in Mallorca. Their aim is to help patients, carers and anybody who has been affected by Cancer. Their aim is to help you by, reducing stress, increasing your sense of control over your own life, improving your self-esteem, reducing loneliness, providing practical help.
Yachting Gives Back
Yachting Gives Back started a year ago as a food-raising campaign in which the yachting industry, including yachts, service companies and anyone else, could help to alleviate the serious problems of poverty and hunger in the Balearics. As well as food, Yachting Gives Back now collects clothes (adults and kids), bedding, toiletries, cleaning products and toys. They work with several local charities, including Associación Tardor, a social dining room serving 300 meals a day which has recently opened a new homeless shelter in Palma, Mallorca Sense Fam, a food bank which delivers foodstuffs to underprivileged families, Shambhala Fundación which works with vulnerable young adults and Joyron Foundation helping Mallorca’s children in need.”
Last Sunday the boys and I went to see Atlético Baleares against UD Ibiza in Segunda B Group 1. It was first against second so we were expecting a good game. The match in Ibiza was a tight game which Baleares won by 1-0 and this was similar. In fact the match was decided by two dreadful mistakes from firstly the Baleares goalkeeper in the first half and their left back in the second who spectacularly volleyed into his own goal. It was a great atmosphere amongst the 3,250 in attendance especially the 500 or so from Ibiza. Who went home extremely happy after they ran out 2-0 winners.
Real Mallorca achieved their first away win since last April with a 2-1 victory against Eibar. They’re still in the relegation places but with the suspension now of all football across Spain and the majority of Europe who knows what will happen next?
My youngest Jude lost 2-1 at the weekend and my eldest didn’t play. Not sure what we’re going to do this weekend as there’s no footie anywhere.
Keep safe everyone and try to enjoy your weekend!
Richie presents the Radio One MallorcaBreakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!
Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com
Dad Taxi Mallorca 