Ray of hope appeal

Today, the Ray of Hope Appeal accepted a cheque for £2,000 from Graham Paisley, Bob's son, and Ian Graves of the Bob Paisley Memorial. The money was left over from the plaque in Hetton-le-Hole and the Paisley family immediately suggested giving the extra cash to the Appeal. Not only does this link Bob and Ray again it also means that the money stays in the North East. The two Geordies were close friends during their time at the club so it's touching for the family to think of their near-neighbour. We cannot thank them, and Ian, enough for their generous donation. Look out for Tony Barrett's interview with Ray in Thursday Echo. Ray of Hope Appeal

Saturday’s victory at the Stadium of Light was watched by Ray Kennedy. The Ray of Hope Appeal would like to extend our sincere thanks to Niall Quinn and his staff for making Ray feel so welcome. Thanks in particular to Niall for taking the time to greet Ray before the game. Sunderland are a well run football club with a thoroughly good man at the top and we wish them the best of luck for the season. Thanks also to Chauffeur Drive North East for their help in getting Ray to the ground and for looking after him so well. Sunderland have been superb to us since we contacted them about our visit in April’s 92 club tour, giving us a signed ball and now giving Ray a seat in the Directors Box. Ray rarely leaves his house save for doctor’s appointments so this was a major excursion. The Ray of Hope Appeal’s remit is to give him a better standard of life so it was great to see him smiling after the match. He told us that he was tired but delighted when we met him after the final whistle. While thanking Niall and his staff its important to remember that its your generosity and support that made Ray’s trip possible. Whether you donated into a collection bucket, attended the launch night, sponsored the dash, joined the Euro predictions or donated in any other way, YOU have helped Ray Kennedy. Thank you for your continued support www.rayofhopeappeal.org.uk

The below interview was conducted by retroreds.co.uk back in March and is kindly reproduced here with their permission. The Ray Kennedy story has been well documented in books, documentaries and numerous websites, so rather than repeat statistics that can be found elsewhere I will concentrate on today, my first solo meeting with Ray at his home in the North East of England. Retro Reds Memorabilia was launched over 2 years ago in response to the plethora of fake autographs that had permeated the market. The idea was to work directly with as many of our former players as possible and provide collectors with a low cost service, as well as updating them on players who haven't been in the public eye for a while. Whilst the likes of Alan Kennedy, Bruce Grobbelaar and Ronnie Whelan are familiar faces on the after-dinner circuit and still turn out for the Liverpool Legends teams, players such as Willie Stevenson, Laurie Hughes and Ray Kennedy have a lower public profile and older fans are always keen to hear what yesterday's heroes are up to. And so it came about, shortly before knocking Chelsea out of the European Cup for the second time in three years, that Jimmy Case agreed to arrange a signing for us with Ray in May 2007. Very few people had seen Ray in public since his benefit match at Highbury in 1991. Through our previous work with Jimmy and a number of the 1977 European Cup winning team, many of our customers and Liverpool and Arsenal supporters around the world had asked about Ray and asked us to pass messages on to Ray via Jimmy. Ray agreed to sign some photos for us, though he was sceptical that anyone would be interested in them. We posted a number of photos of the signing on our website and it proved to be our most popular signing to date. Our second signing later that year was soon followed by a meeting with Emilio Zorlakki, an Arsenal supporter with an encyclopaedic knowledge of football matters who works with an on-line Arsenal fan site. Emilio is interested in running a piece on the site about Ray and we agree a series of questions to ask Ray at our next meeting. Today, Jimmy is in Liverpool recording a documentary on Ray for the LFC TV Channel but Ray has invited me to his home on my own, for the first time, so I find myself preparing for today's meeting with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Ray greets me in person at the door and shakes my hand warmly and firmly. "Good to see you," he says. "Do you want tea ?" I accept a glass of water as Ray clears a table for us to sit at and chat. I notice a giant glass replica European Cup on the table, inscribed with his name and the details of the 1981 victory over Real Madrid. It has a slight crack on one side. "The club gave us all one," he says. And chuckles. "I put it in the dishwasher - oops ! Too hot - cracked it. Never mind..." he taps his temple. "I have all the memories." I pull out my notebook and the questions Emilio wants me to put to Ray, but as the session progresses I struggle at times understanding some of Ray's answers. Due to his medication, and for additional energy, Ray has an almost constant thirst for lucozade, which recently cost him most of his teeth. At times he slurs a little, but you would have to be a fool to underestimate the strength of mind of this footballing legend. He remains Razor sharp, mentally alert and quick to dispel any notion one might have had of him looking for sympathy. There is no self-pity and no hint of misery and it would be a foolish man to treat him any differently because of his illness. However, this explains why, when we start our interview, the continuity is not quite as fluent as it may have been under different circumstances. Ray signs a few shirts and photos for us as we talk. Emilio wants me to ask some more obscure questions rather than the obvious ones which he must have been asked a million times. Q: You trailed Astley 1-3 in the Blake Cup Final. Can you remember what the score was in the return game ? A : I can't remember to be honest... it was a long time ago. I think we won 2-0, maybe 3-0 though. I have a photograph of the team with the cup, I'll get it for you. (Ray stands up and returns with a huge box. His father kept scrapbooks of Ray's career, with beautifully mounted photos and press cuttings dating back almost 50 years. One of the earliest pieces is a photo of the boys team Ray played in.) "We were a good team... a very good team. I think one of the players signed for Swansea." (He chuckles again. He is, of course, referring to himself.) Q : There are different versions of Stanley Matthews' rejection of you which were harsh. But when you met him again, how did you approach one another ? I seem to remember you showing off to him your European Cup Winners medal. Did Stanley ever show any remorse/regret ? A : Mr. Matthews was right. I was slow. Very slow. He could beat me in a race and that wasn't good for a striker. He was pleased that I did make it in the end. He really wanted me to do well and he wrote to my parents a lot. (Ray reaches into his box and pulls out an envelope containing letters from Sir Stan to Ray's parents. They are warm, caring letters, personal letters which begin with Ray arriving at Port Vale and detail Ray's experiences at the club before concluding with what must have been a heartbreaking letter to receive in which he explains that he will be shortly be releasing Ray and wanted his parents to know first so they could prepare him for the inevitable shock. Retrospectively, there is the obvious humour in that Sir Stan hopes Ray will continue to study and find an alternative career. It is clear that Ray bears no hard feelings towards his former boss and respects his decision as being the right one at the time.) Q : Were you disappointed not to score in the 1971 FA Cup Final ? You did miss some good chances. A : Did I ? I can't remember. (Ray chuckles again. I think he is deliberately forgetting.) Q : You really can't remember ? Or you choose not to remember ? A : Maybe if we lost it would have been painful. We won the match. We won the double. You have to win the double to realise just how good it is. Nobody really remembers anything bad if you win. Like nobody remembers anything good if you lose. Jimmy (Case) scored one of the best goals ever in the FA Cup Final (Liverpool V Man Utd 1977), but people don't remember that because we lost. I missed some but we had won the double and there was no need to be disappointed. I have only good memories. All good memories, from Arsenal and Liverpool and England. I think I did OK in the end. Q : Did you ever feel nervous before big games ? Did this change as you got more experience ? A : Yes, nervous sometimes, but it became easier, yes... both teams were good, maybe the best in the world at the time, it was good to see Sammy Nelson, Frank McClintock or Jimmy Case, Graeme Souness in the team with you... you always felt you were going to win. Arsenal or Liverpool. That stopped you being too nervous. Q : What was it like to play against Arsenal ? You scored against them too ... 1978 League Cup Semi-Final... A : You just have to do it... by 1978 it was a different Arsenal team to the one I played in... by then I was just Liverpool, two very different teams... but I got a slight twinge when we beat them... sad for them and the fans, but obviously delighted for us and our fans. It's difficult... hard to explain... The fans were always good though. Q : Someone called you a 'semi-final man' for your incredible record of scoring in so many semi's. Coincidence ? Did you feel any difference compared to a Cup Final ? A : No, not at all, not at all. It was just one of those things. It was always good to score, but for us it was always about winning, that's all we had to do and everyone was happy. If you score in the semi-final it means you can play in the final and someone else gets the chance to score in the final and win the cup, so every goal is as important. Even in the first round. Q : In your opinion, what were your best games for Arsenal and Liverpool ? A : Arsenal V Spurs were always good, but winning the double against Spurs, definitely the best. Liverpool... Rome... 1977 European Cup Final. My favourite. We lost the FA Cup at the weekend after winning the league... but when we went to Rome we knew we were going to win. We were ready. I enjoyed that more than any other. I think I played OK, but we won... we were superb ! Q : And your favourite goals ? A: Ohhh... that's hard... maybe Wolves V Arsenal... a cracker... 20 yards and a right footer... and Liverpool V Derby County ... we won 5-0 I think, 1978... Q : Regarding your illness... how different is your treatment and medication today to when you first became ill ? A : I rattle now. (Ray laughs, indicating how the dosage has changed.) At first I just had the one tablet a day... now I have one hundred... well, maybe 20 or so... Q : Do you meet up with others who have Parkinson's ? A : Only at the doctors. And this guy... (He delves back into the box and passes me a photo from his book.) ... I met him once. Used to fight more than me. (It is, of course, the photo of Ray with Mohammed Ali.) Q : Do you manage to get out much ? Holidays ? A : Not really... mainly to the doctors, dentist, stuff like that... can't go too far at the moment... Q : Apart from Jimmy, do you keep in touch with ex-colleagues ? A : Not much... Alan Kennedy is OK, he did some stuff... Graeme Souness when he was up here... people are a long way away... Q : Do you have any hobbies ? A : I like reading... auto-biographies especially... sports and others... Q : Do you still follow football on TV ? A : I do yes... Q : What do you think of Rafa and Arsene's current teams ? A : They are good teams they have... Arsenal play beautiful football, this season they have been very good to watch... Torres is also very good at Liverpool, very classy, they need someone like him... they are on the way back, I know... Q : Who will win the Champions League quarter final ? Arsenal or Liverpool ? A : No idea. Either can win. Very very even in this cup... I hope whoever wins will win the Cup though... As mentioned at the start, a number of my questions and answers have to be omitted, but we continued a chat for another 3 hours, interspersed with calls from Jimmy to see how we were getting on. I was prepared for a short session, but Ray appeared very comfortable with how things progressed and was genuinely surprised at the level of interest there still is in his career and well-being. He signs some photos of him and Jimmy with the European Cup in 1977 and nods encouragingly. "Batman and Robin they used to call us... Good photo" he tells me. Then pauses. "Good game too..." We wrap up a while later, still talking football and the imminent matches between Arsenal and Liverpool in the Champions League. As I pack my shirts and photos away and prepare for the long journey south, I ask Ray if he'd like to leave a message for the Liverpool and Arsenal fans who will eventually read this. He thinks for a moment and gives me the thumbs up. "Yes... thank you for remembering me..." Ray... as long as we both play in red, you'll never be forgotten... and you'll never walk alone.

Liverpool fans and Arsenal fans played a friendly in Hatfield last Friday in aid of the Ray of Hope Appeal. The match was a huge success, finished 3-3 and raised (through donations and sponsorship) £1095 for the appeal. Thanks to everyone who was involved, especially Arsenal fan Chris Phillips who helped set the game up. A replay match will hopefully take place later this year. Also, the Ray of Hope Appeal 92 ground car dash will begin this Friday. 3 of the appeal's trustees will be visiting each league ground in the space of a week to collect donations and memorabilia which we can auction to raise funds, finishing at the Fulham game on the 19th. If you'd like to sponsor us, please make donations via paypal to rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk, or direct to our bank account HSBC 21817299 sort code 400327. Ray never let us down when he pulled on the shirt - now its time for us to help him. Ray of Hope Appeal

All The trustees of the Ray of Hope Appeal will shortly be embarking on our next fundraising initiative for the appeal - the 92 ground car dash. This does what it says on the tin: we have written to every club in the football league asking for support and will be visiting each ground over the course of 9 days between the Blackburn and Fulham matches. We have received a great response with many clubs pledging items, including signed shirts, balls, and even match tickets which we plan to auction on ebay through the summer and up to next Christmas to raise funds for the appeal. The itinery for the grounds we are visiting are as follows: Day 1 11th April. Friday. 1/ Wigan Athletic 2/ Everton 3/ Blackburn Rovers 4/ Manchester City 5/ Crewe 6/ Stoke City 7/ Accrington Stanley 8/ Bury 9/ Wrexham 10/ Stockport 11/ Rochdale 12/ Port Vale 13/ Blackpool Day 2 12th April. Saturday 14/ Tranmere 15/ Chester City 16/ Shrewsbury 17/ Macclesfield 18/ Oldham 19/ Burnley Day 3 13th April. Sunday 20/ Manchester United 21/ Liverpool Day 4 14th April. Monday 22/ Boton Wanderers 23/ Preston North End 24/ Morecombe 25/ Carlisle 26/ Newcastle United 27/ Sunderland 28/ Hartlepool 29/ Middlesborough 30/ Darlington 31/ Leeds United 32/ Bradford City 33/ Huddersfield Day 5 15th April. Tuesday 34/ Barnsley 35/ Sheffield Wednesday 36/ Sheffield Untd 37/ Rotherham 38/ Doncaster 39/ Sc***horpe Untd 40/ Hull City 41/ Grimsby Town 42/ Lincoln City 43/ Chesterfield 44/ Mansfield Town 45/ Nottingham Forrest 46/ Notts County 47/ Derby County Day 6 16th April. Wednesday. 48/ Leicester City 49/ Peterborough 50/ Norwich City 51/ Ipswich Town 52/ Colchester Untd 53/ Southend Untd 54/ Dagenham & Redbridge 55/ Leyton Orient 56/ West Ham 57/ Gillingham 58/ Brighton & Hove Day 8 17th April. Thursday. 59/ Portsmouth 60/ Southampton 61/ AFC Bournmouth 62/ Yeovil FC 63/ Plymouth Argyle 64/ Bristol City 65/ Bristol Rovers 66/ Cardiff City 67/ Swansea City Day 8 18th April Friday 68/ Hereford Utd 69/ Cheltenham Town 70/ Swindon Town 71/ Reading Fc 72/ Wycombe Wanderers 73/ Watford 74/ Luton Town 75/ MK Dons 76/ Northampton Town 77/ Coventry City 78/ Birmingham City 79/ Aston Villa 80/ West Brom 81/ Wallsall 82/ Wolverhampton Wanderers Day 9 19th April Saturday. 83/ Barnet 84/ Tottenham Hotspurs 85/ Arsenal 86/ Charleton Athletic 87/ Millwall 88/ Crystal Palace 89/ Brentford 90/ QPR 91/ Chelsea 92/ Fulham We are, therefore, asking for sponsorship for this event. Please pay all donations via paypal to rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk and please add a note to your donation saying "car dash". You can also pay contributions direct to HSBC account sort code 40-03-27 account number 21817299 - all cheques payable to Ray of Hope Appeal. Alternatively, if you'd like to send a cheque or money order, please contact us on rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk and we will send you details. Thanks in advance for your support. Ray of Hope Appeal

The Ray of Hope Appeal in accordance with its mission statement have agreed to pay the Parkinson’s Disease Society 10% of all money raised in the by the 23rd of the calendar month. Thanks largely to the success of the Anfield launch night and Irish Kop we are delighted to soon be presenting a cheque to the PDS for the sum of £1,399.30. This is in addition to the £945 we paid on the Anfield launch night. The Appeal would like to thank every contributer for making this possible. Watch out for details of next month’s 92 club car dash on the Ray Kennedy Appreciation Group on Facebook. Paypal account set up for online donations – please pay all donations to rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk. Alternatively, please pay direct contributions to the Ray of Hope Appeal c/o HSBC account 21817299 sort-code 40-03-27. Paying direct or doing a bank transfer will avoid paypal commission.

The Ray of Hope Appeal – Forty four days later. The Ray of Hope Appeal was launched on 21st January 2008. It was the aim of the trustees to raise enough funds to purchase essential equipment and services for Ray Kennedy who is struggling with Parkinson’s Disease. As we have stated before Ray’s illness deprived him not only of his health but of his livelihood. He was robbed of the chance to make a living through the media or as a coach – a shame given that he has won everything in the game and would assumedly know more than a few people who occupy those roles today. Ray Kennedy is essentially a private man who would not like to complain about his condition or the turn his life has made since his diagnosis. Liverpool and Arsenal fans who know him of old would not be surprised by this as Ray’s demeanour has always been that of a dignified and stoical man. The only downside of this is that he has shrunk from public view since his testimonial in 1991 which has left him forgotten by many. The Ray of Hope Appeal is therefore delighted that he and his magnificent ability has become a topic of conversation throughout the land again. The trustees of the Appeal deliberately chose not to set a target for monies raised as we don’t see any figure as failure. We needn’t have worried. We have been astonished at the generous donations that have come in from all over the world. Only this week we’ve had emails from India and Japan from people who want to send their money and best wishes to Ray. So far the Appeal has raised £21,000. Added to that is a promise from the Professional Footballers Association that they will pay a figure of £5,000 to any work or purchases that Ray needs. The Ray of Hope Appeal saw its official launch on 23rd February 2008 at the Paisley Suite at Anfield. Starsailor, Atomic Kitten’s Liz McClarnon and The Foundry provided the entertainment and Alan Kennedy told some of his hilarious stories from Ray’s time. We also invited two representatives from the Parkinson’s Disease Society along and, as part of our agreement, gave them a cheque for 10% of the fund – a sum of £945. Let us not forget that the Appeal plans to help ALL who suffer from Parkinson’s Disease, not just Ray. The night raised over £11,000 – something that could not have happened without the help of John Mackin, Kevin Sampson and Bob from Retro Reds. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them publicly. While we’re in the thanking mood we would like to voice our appreciation from Irish Kop who raised £1,046 for the Appeal and brought over seventy people for the Anfield night. They also bought a vast amount of items that was kindly donated by Bob from Retro Reds at the auction. Thanks also to The Coleraine Branch held a quiz night in the Railway Arms with £400 raised for the Ray of Hope Appeal. There are more fundraising events to come. again in Coleraine on St Patrick’s Night. For Reds in Toronto there will be a fundraiser on the day of the Arsenal game. Contact lfc-webmaster@lfctoronto.com for details. Talks have opened with Arsenal about what we can achieve from the upcoming game at the Emirates. We hope to appear on their TV channel and website before too long. We are also planning an Arsenal v Liverpool (friendly!) fan game to be played at the weekend of the Emirates match. Hopefully this will be followed by a fundraiser/raffle. We’ll keep you posted. The trustees are also organising a 92 club tour of the country and have written to every club asking for five minutes of their time for a photo and a piece of memorabilia that we can auction off. Again, the response has been excellent. More to come on this. We had no idea that we would receive this level of coverage but, then again, people want to help Ray so maybe we shouldn’t have been so surprised. Brian Reade from the Daily Mirror got the ball rolling on this and has also invited us onto his radio show on City Talk FM. Since then we have appeared on both Liverpool FC’s official TV station and website, Talksport, the Liverpool Echo, The Daily Post and The Guardian. The Ray of Hope Appeal has been in touch with Ray and his family and there are plans to organise a new bathroom for him soon. Thanks to the donations he will soon have the entire room renovated and built specifically for his needs. The first forty days have been amazing but we don’t want to give the impression that we’re finished. The more money raised, the more comfortable we can make Ray’s life. There is a Paypal account set up for online donations – please pay all donations to rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk. Alternatively, please pay direct contributions to the Ray of Hope Appeal c/o HSBC account 21817299 - Sort-code 40-03-27. Paying direct or doing a bank transfer will avoid Paypal commission. Should you wish to make a donation by cheque then please make it payable to The Ray of Hope Appeal and send it to The Ray of Hope Appeal, 3 Cormorant Court, 18 Magpie Close, Colindale, London NW9 5DD. Please ensure you include an email address so we can thank you. We’ve started well but we still need your donations. Ray Kennedy was there for us when we needed him. Let’s help him now. The Ray of Hope Appeal Trustees: Karl Coppack, Andrew Campbell, Stephen Hinds, Matthew Anton, Robbie Ashcroft, Professor Andrew Lees MD, FRCP

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N...080226-1147.htm

Just a reminder that the Ray of Hope Appeal launch night will be taking place in one of the suites in the Centenary Stand at Anfield tomorrow night from 8pm-1am. The event is a complete sell-out, and thanks to all those who've bought tickets and who have helped to set the event up, in particular Tom Cassidy and Paul Cuttill, and Paul Eaton from liverpoolfc.tv for all the publicity. Below is the provisional running order for the evening so get in early to get your photo taken with the European Cup. Please can anyone forward any photos taken on the night to rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk - we plan to collate these and forward to Ray to let him know we're all thinking of him. 8.00 - doors open 8.00 to 8.45 - European Cup available for photos (£5) 8.30 - buffet is served 9.00 - introduction to the evening's aims and running order from Alan Kennedy and the Parkinsons Disease Soceity. This will include a cheque presentation to the PDS of 10% of the funds raised to date. 9.15 to 9.45 - Riuven 9.45 to 10.15 - First Raffle 10.15 to 10.45 - Starsailor (Acoustic set) 10.45 to 11.15 - Second raffle 11.15 to 11.45 - Liz McClarnon 11.45 to 12.15 - Auction, conducted by Neville Skelly 12.15 to close - The Foundry The auction includes loads of signed stuff, the pick of which is Gerrard's and Carragher's signed shirts from the Inter Milan game on Tuesday. Please also note - you don't need cash to bid on the night - we will have the facility to accept payments by debit and credit card. Finally, there will be a bucket collection taking place around the pubs before the Middlesbrough game with all proceeds going to the appeal. Please give generously if you see one of the lads (or lasses) shaking a bucket in your direction. Thanks all Ray of Hope Appeal

All The Ray of Hope Appeal, assisted by the HJC, is organising a bucket collection to take place in the pubs around Anfield prior to the Middlesbrough game on February 23rd. All monies raised will go to the Ray of hope appeal and Parkinson's Disease Society. We are looking for helpers who can spare an hour or two prior to kick off on the day of the game. If you can help, please drop us a line on rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk and we'll take things from there. Tickets are also still on sale for the Ray of Hope launch night to take place after the Middlesbrough game, 8pm-1am in one of the Centenary Stand lounges. Tickets are priced £10 and are available from the HJC shop. The shop is open Monday to Friday 10.00 till 14.00, best ring 0151 260 5262 before you set off just to make sure it's open. Thank you The Ray of Hope Appeal

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N158549080123-1638.htm Thanks to the official site for their support. Ray of hope appeal

Admin - thanks for making this a sticky. Donations coming in via paypal and the bank account already which is great. Ray never let us down when we needed him, now it's our turn to be there for him. Ray of hope appeal

Bump

Over the last few months, the idea for a Ray Kennedy fund raising appeal has gathered momentum. It's taken a significant amount of time and effort to get everything lined up but we're now ready to hit the "go" button and launch the appeal properly. This post is by way of introduction to the campaign, explaining who we are, and outlining our aims and projects. This message is getting posted on a number of Liverpool and Arsenal message boards. Where possible, we would be grateful if the board moderators could make this a "sticky" at the top so that as many people read this as possible. We are hoping both that Liverpool and Arsenal fans support the appeal - although it's Liverpool fans who have driven the appeal up to this point, we have had an extremely positive reception from Arsenal websites and Arsenal FC, both of whom are keen to be involved. This certainly isn't intended to be a partisan exercise, and is not generic to one group of fans or website or forum - this is about Ray and no-one else. Instead, we'd respectfully ask that you take the time to read this post and if you'd like to help, please do. Ten minutes of your time or 10 quid of your money for the man who scored the crucial goal at Munich in 81 or the title winner at White Hart Lane as part of a double season isn't too much to ask. The appeal started out of a chance conversation between Karl Coppack and Ray Kennedy's doctor just under two years ago. Ray is Karl's all-time favourite Red and it has always vexed Karl that there had been no update on Ray's condition since the publication of his autobiography 15-odd years previous. Karl emailed the good doctor just asking how Ray was, not really expecting a reply. He certainly didn't expect Ray to give him a call, but that's what happened. Over the next few months, Karl stayed in touch with Ray, and it transpired that Ray isn't keeping too well at all. We wish to respect Ray's privacy, and as a result don't want to give chapter and verse on his condition. Parkinsons Disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, characterised by muscle rigidity, tremor, and in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement. Doubly sad when it afflicts a once great athlete. We'll leave it there. What are our targets? Well, simply as much money for Ray as we can raise within the next 12 months. Sorry to be blunt, but Ray needs financial help to get by. He has not had any significant income since his testimonial in 1991 and had to sell his valued medals in 1993. Your donations will help make Ray's day to day life as comfortable as possible, and will assist with his domestic, financial and medical needs. We have been granted permission by the Parkinson's disease society to fund raise under their banner (this is for, amongst other things, legal and financial purposes). This means that 10% of all monies raised will go to the PDS, with the balance being held on trust for Ray. The strands of the appeal agreed to date are as follows: - Paypal account set up for online donations – please pay all donations to rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk. Alternatively, please pay direct contributions to the Ray of Hope Appeal c/o HSBC account 21817299 sort-code 40-03-27. Paying direct or doing a bank transfer will avoid paypal commission. We will be maintaining an email circulation list to keep everyone updated on a quarterly basis as to the funds held. - Ray of Hope Appeal launch night at Anfield after the Middlesbrough game on February 23rd, supported by Reclaim the Kop. This will take place in one of the suites in the Centenary Stand, and will include live music, ex-players, an auction and a raffle. This promises to be a great evening so please keep an eye on www.raotl.co.uk for details of how to purchase tickets in the next few weeks. - Collecton buckets at Anfield pubs. The Hillsborough Justice Campaign have kindly offered to provide us with their closed collection buckets which will be distributed at pubs around the ground at a match in the next few months. If you see one of these buckets before the match, please have one less pint or don't buy the programme, and instead throw a few quid in. - 92 ground car dash around the Emirates game in April. This does what it says on the tin. We are writing to every club in the football league requesting support for Ray, and will be touring each ground in the space of 5 days to hopefully collect donations and memorabilia which we can then auction off to help Ray in the following months and through to next Christmas. The intention is to support the tour with local newspaper coverage and sponsorship via the justgiving.com site. Again, more to follow over the next few months. - Tales from the Travelling Kop. Being released to coincide with the official start of Liverpool's coronation as European Captial of Culture, Tales From The Travelling Kop is a compilation of supporters' experiences at Liverpool away games over the past four decades. Available from the Walton Breck Road website on Saturday 12th January 2008 with all proceeds from the sale of the book going to the Parkinson's Disease Society and the Ray of Hope Appeal, set up to help former Red Ray Kennedy who is battling Parkinson's. Tales From The Travelling Kop costs £18 and is a must for any Red. http://www.lulu.com/content/1350480 - Liverpool/Arsenal fanzine game on the day of the Emirates match in April. - End of season fundraiser at the Olympia after the Man City game on the 2nd May. The intention is that this is to be purely a fans' night. Again, please keep an eye on the boards for details of how to purchase tickets in the next few months. Many thanks to everyone who has helped so far, especially the Liverpool New York Supporters Club (for their generous donation), Matt Richards (for designing the appeal logo), RTK, and the Parkinsons Disease Society and Hillsborough Justice Campaign for their support and assistance with the logistics of it all. Finally – one housekeeping point – as we are fund raising under the Parkinsons Disease Society's banner, any events must be done with our endorsement. If people want to help in their own way (for example, a supporter's club organising something), then that is great – but please, please contact us and keep us in the loop before you start anything up or post anything in relation to the campaign elsewhere – everything needs to go through us centrally. We welcome all comments, enquiries, suggestions and feedback to rayofhopeappeal@hotmail.co.uk. Thank you The Ray of Hope Appeal