Lifting a Bus

One from the archives - often mentioned, but this is a fuller account:

 http://bigdavegauder.blogspot.co.uk/p/lifting-bus.html

Funding the roadshow.

The roadshow has to be funded. In the past the Community Safety Partnerships between Police, Schools, Local & national government made funds available to carry out the work. Many of these initiatives don't exist anymore. The work continues, but funding has to be sourced. Those reading this could help by voting for the grants where available.

We'll keep everyone updated here on what we're doing, where we're going & if there are other funds you can help us get by the click of approval from the links we provide. 

Thanks in hope of your assistance.

Vote here for our bid to the Galaxy Hot Chocolate fund:

https://www.galaxyhotchocolate.com/fund/profiles/angel-of-strength

Opening the Angel of Strength Archives.

Being on the road with the Anti bullying campaign has produced a lot of results. A few crates of paper in the garage contain hundreds of testimonials, newspaper clippings & a lot of nostalgia. It's been a habit to file these away - there is no need to read thank you's more than once when there is more work to be done. The crates in the garage, regularly added to for a number of years, have been kept for when there was time to sort them out, if the need ever arose: it has. 

The economic climate of the last few years has meant that many of the organisations & agencies that made funds available to police & education partnerships have been dissolved. Cutbacks have had to be found in all areas & with no easy way to measure prevention many good projects aimed at building futures for youngsters have gone. 

New avenues have to be explored. Grants for specific projects are still available but a bid has to be made. 

Each panel have a number of questions to be answered usually starting with "Is there a need for this project?" The news headlines suggest that there is. Children in schools are affected the most by bullying. Technology has provided the bully with the means to continue their campaigns after hours & mass media doesn't appear to be full of positive messages. Adults in the work place fare little better. Those with the most resources & ability to stand up to bullying - celebrities & Members of Parliament - are complaining that they are being targeted. So yes, there is a need for this project.

The need to combat bullying, antisocial behaviour, knife crime, drug culture & promote a healthy way of living has not diminished. Tackling the problem in schools & with young people is a solution for now & the future. Supporting evidence for projects is always asked for. So the crates have been turned out, looked at photographed & some of the photos thought lost have appeared. Odd press clippings provide reminders of special memories - unlikely stunts & lots of happy people met along the way. 

There will be a lot of photos appearing in the gallery & a file of some of the testimonials that will grow as other crates & boxes are found & tackled. Hopefully some of the missing photos of the bus lift & train pulls will appear too. To the funding panels who don't know about the thousand or more bus pulls or the million children that have benefited from the positive message delivered the evidence is here. Please help keep the campaign going - for the future. 

Bullying can be tackled. Positive messages can overcome negative cultures. 

Newtown Primary School Anti Bullying Presentation - 18th November 2015.

Angel of Strength Dave Gauder has continued his Training regimen, sharpening himself up for Anti Bullying Week & the start of another round of presentations to school children. 

 Click here to view the Angel of Strength's latest demonstration (18th November 2015)

It's not all about the stunt - it's about gaining the children's attention & this format - a big physical effort, followed by a motivational talk has proved successful, so much so that during a campaign a few years ago, Home Secretary David Blunkett presented Dave with a prestigious Oyster Award in recognition of his efforts towards anti bullying.

#a1fromday1 - A fitness journey for Adam Šapić

@adamsapic

Adam wants to lose 4 stone in 6 months. Could the Angel of Strength help? Certainly. A plan was formulated & work started swiftly - Nutrition was made a priority - junk food to be replaced by a healthy eating strategy. Regular strength, conditioning & fitness sessions programmed around the working week. 

Adam, a digital marketing strategist & music professional decided to share his journey with the world through social media. 

Here are the video links of his progress - either click on the text or the play button on the video:

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Further episodes will be added here, check back every week to see how he's doing. 

Big Centre TV Interview

Last week Big Centre TV interviewed Dave Gauder about his work with young people & his anti bullying campaign. If you missed it, watch here:

Prevention is better than cure.

An engineer will tell anyone who will listen the benefits of preventative maintenance because fixing something that is broken costs more than spending a little regularly to keep everything running smoothly. Some accountants will tell you that such investment is too expensive & any breakages can be worried about in the next accounting period. Kick the can down the street far enough for someone else to worry about & the books might balance this year & bankruptcy may be averted. 

Can we measure prevention? How can we justify investing in the what if's when there are other priorities that demand immediate attention? These basic - but vital - decisions are the bread & butter of politics & a blame culture. Who is right? The engineer that tells us that it will cost more later or the accountant who says there is not enough money available to do everything we want to do? Those who inherit the machine will also pick up the bill for the repairs or replacement. They will likely argue that their approach to the problem would have left a perfectly functioning machine operated at half the cost & twice the efficiency. Elections are coming & promises will be made. The only guaranteed not to be cut is the length of the speeches made by those who claim to have the vision of how things could be with them in charge. 

The metaphor of the engine used in this story represents the child who is having a tough time. A combination of circumstances can mean that small things start to go wrong & escalates into a larger problem for families & society. 

Dave Gauder was bullied at school. It made his life a misery & affected his education. Millions of others had the same treatment & some never recovered from it. Dave decided that he would do something about it. Over the years he pursued strength through weight training. He never stopped. Such an improvement in physical power can be the makings of a bully - or a hero. He directed his energies towards improbable feats if strength. Multiple strength records followed, bringing worldwide acclaim & recognition.  

For some this would have been the start of a competitive career. Instead, Dave used this fame to begin his own crusade against bullying & anti social behavior. With a stunt to gain the attention of the youngsters he then gave a powerful presentation which a former Home Secretary stated was the most effective positive message for youngsters he had encountered. The campaign won awards & was presented to over a million children. Dave lived out of a suitcase for a number of years & pulled over a thousand buses or big vehicles - a record in itself. Dave has led many initiatives & changed a lot of lives. SLAMH continues his commitment to making a difference to people with less chances than most. 

How many people stopped bullying others? How many of the bullied found strength to tackle their situation in a way that Dave himself couldn't when he was at school? How many did he inspire to do positive things? There aren't the figures for prevention. I (Dan Earthquake) saw the article about him pulling Concorde when I was thirteen years old & it inspired me. It still does. 

Times change, funding for police & extra curricular educational activities has been cut & looks set to be cut more. The accountants have said that money has to be prioritised to other concerns in the austere times that we find ourselves in. It has been left to the public & the fourth sector to fill in where it can. 

Dave Gauder has the ability to make a difference & the sort of reputation that young people love & respect. Those wishing to help the cause can do so here.