Sheffield businessman’s ‘Fave5’ ipod tracks for Virgin London Marathon featured on national portal MyLastSong.com
16 February 2011
One managing director from Sheffield is hoping to make great strides for charity this year by completing his first ever Virgin London Marathon for national charity Deafness Research UK, but has taken some time out of his gruelling training schedule to share some of his ‘Fave Five’ musical movers with www.MyLastSong.com - in the hope of people will contribute every last bean they can afford to helping him achieve his fundraising target, and leave a legacy to Deafness Research UK.
Jon Gardner of BeyondPR is currently training hard, but with an ambitious fundraising target of £17,000 he needs all the support he can find to achieve his goal. Innovative website MyLastSong.com have worked with Deafness Research UK (a BeyondPR client) in the past and kindly offered to help Jon promote his fundraising efforts and the charity Deafness Research UK in general – in return for his top five tunes and his reasons for choosing them.
Mylastsong.com encourages visitors to leave money charity in their will, and to use their funerals to raise funds for good causes. Deafness Research UK has been associated with the site from its inception, providing articles and information on topics including deafness in later life and preventing deafness from birth, so it was a natural platform for Jon to get involved with.
“Picking just five top songs is tricky, so I have tried to narrow it down to the five I would least like to lose from my iPod while training for the Marathon!” said Jon. “Deafness Research UK is a supporter of MyLastSong.com and aims to inform members of the site of the importance of making legacy and other donations that will sustain the charity and its vital work in the future, so I also hope it will encourage people to help me achieve my own fundraising ambitions this year for Deafness Research UK.”
Vivienne Michael, Chief Executive of Deafness Research UK, said: "The much needed further research to find treatments and cures for deafness, tinnitus and other hearing conditions is only possible because of people's generosity and the willingness of people like Jon to engage in extraordinary fundraising activities.
Many smaller charities like Deafness Research UK rely entirely on legacies and donations from the public to fund essential research. So we hope that through the MyLastSong website, people will look to offer millions the hope of hearing their very first song, by donating or leaving a legacy to Deafness Research UK.”
Jon’s ‘Fave Five’ selection is a real eclectic mix of modern classics people will instantly recognise married with some they probably won’t but should. This is typified by the inclusion of Youssou N’Dour’s ‘The Lion’, which may mean nothing, but for those who can cast their minds back to Italia ’90, the song will immediately stir memories - reflecting Jon’s interest in the beautiful game; while the inclusion of U2’s cover version of the Bob Dylan classic ‘All Along the Watchtower’ is a tribute to one of the great rock bands of modern times.
”Despite all the advances that have been made, there are still no drugs to prevent or cure hearing loss or tinnitus,” added Jon. “Deafness Research UK is committed to radical solutions by supporting world-class, cutting-edge research. The charity’s scientists identify the most productive lines of investigation, focus on increasing clinical research, and constantly develop the capacity of UK research by ensuring the brightest scientists are encouraged into the field and in addition to running Marathons, BeyondPR looks to play its part by helping to ensure all the hard work of this great national charity does not fall on deaf ears.”
Worldwide, there are more than 560 million people affected by deafness, hearing loss and related conditions. These disabilities are hidden but their impact on lives can be devastating, leading to depression and even suicide. Deafness from birth or in early childhood can cause difficulties with language, communication and literacy and the impact can last a lifetime. So anyone supporting Jon’s fundraising efforts is making a vital contribution to improving the lives of people too often forgotten in the modern world.
Support Jon by visiting his fundraising page, by following the link at www.beyondpr.co.uk or by following the link: http://www.mylastsong.com/advice/17637/159/115/music/fave-five-last-songs/jon-gardner-running-music to MyLastSong.com, where Jon’s top tunes (together with top tunes from other contributors) and his reasons for choosing them can be found.
ENDS
About Deafness Research UK
- Deafness Research UK is the country’s leading charity dedicated to finding new cures, treatments and technologies for deaf, hard of hearing and other hearing impaired people.
- The charity supports high quality medical research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all forms of hearing impairment including tinnitus.
- Deafness Research UK is entirely dependent on voluntary donations, gifts and personal legacies. You can donate online at www.deafnessresearch.org.uk , or call 0207 7833 1733 for further information on how to support the charity.
- The Deafness Research UK Advisory Service provides free information and advice based on the latest scientific evidence and is informed by leading experts in hearing research. The Advisory Service can be contacted on Freephone 0808 808 2222.
- For more information on research into deafness, tinnitus and other hearing conditions, log on to the website at www.deafnessresearch.org.uk where you can access a wide range of information. Alternatively you can e-mail Deafness Research UK at
- One in seven people in the UK – almost nine million people - suffer hearing loss.
- Deafness Research UK was founded in 1985 by Lord (Jack) and Lady Ashley of Stoke.
- In January 2008, Action for Tinnitus Research (ATR) was linked with Deafness Research UK under a uniting direction order under section 96(6) of the Charities Act 1993.
Jon’s Fave Five for www.MyLastSong.com
1) Praan - Garry Schyman/Palbasha Siddique http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY
An inspired collaboration of creative ideas for and by the YouTube generation. There simply wasn’t an outlet for this type of thing 10 years ago or less. Where the hell is Matt? (!) I hope Garry Schyman has made a tidy sum out of this track, because he deserves it. Haunting and uplifting at the same time. 34,000,000+ views!
2) The Lion – Gaiende (Youssou N’Dour) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CsykON_4t4
World Cup, Italia 1990; England had a football team to be proud of and were over-achieving. Roger Milla and Cameroon caused a stir and beat Argentina. If there was ever a time and a place to remember music by, for me this was it.
3) All Along The Watchtower (U2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjsw1q6UsWc
There aren’t many bands that could get away with covering Everlasting Love, Unchained Melody, All Along the Watchtower, Star Spangled Banner, Helter Skelter, When Love Comes to Town, etc, and still retain any musical credibility. Most of the band’s detractors haven’t seen them live. Those who have, generally become fans.
4) Always with me, always with you (Joe Satriani) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v-Sk_M7PxM
As a bedroom guitarist approaching Status Quo stature (I can produce a fair few tunes using 3 chords), I’m aware that the real artists of the fret board like Clapton, Knopfler, Hendrix, Vai, et al, are to be admired and treasured. This is one of the best examples of an instrumental rock guitar piece I can think of; while a well worn track on the iPod, it best lends itself to an open topped car on a hot summer day.
5) Wake Up (The Arcade Fire) (From the album Funeral) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-wEBmLht5g&NR=1
This one was a close run thing with Heavens by James, which I like almost equally as much. I’ve opted for this one purely because it’s a fave 5, not a fave 6. This one wins because it has a slightly more ironic funeral connotation. It’s also a way of sneaking Bowie into my list via the video; he features more on my iPod than I would have expected when I first ‘synched’ the thing.
Press enquiries: Jon Gardner, BeyondPR. www.beyondpr.co.uk Mobile 07930 697773. Direct line 0114 275 6996. e-mail:
Ref: DRUK0349 – MyLastSong Fave Fives for JG
www.deafnessresearch.org.uk
