SWU supports former BASW Chair Guy Shennan’s 60th Birthday Quiz-A-Thon!

Every two years Guy does a sponsored activity for 12 hours to raise money for Palestine solidarity

This year for his 60th birthday on Saturday 4th December, SWU member and former BASW Chair Guy Shennan is doing a special quiz-a-thon to raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) which is a London-based charity set up over 30 years ago by a young orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Swee Chai Ang.

Every two years since 2009 (other than in 2017 when he walked 100 miles as part of the BASW/SWU Boot Out Austerity campaign), Guy has done a sponsored activity – crosswords, backgammon, playing cards – for 12 hours nonstop to raise money for Palestine solidarity.

MAP provides medical aid to those in need at times of crisis and develops local capacity and skills to ensure the long-term development of the Palestinian healthcare system. It also bears witness to the impact of occupation, displacement and conflict on Palestinian health and wellbeing, and campaigns for the realisation of Palestinian rights to health and dignity.

More details can be found on the MAP website: map.org.uk

Before celebrating his birthday in the evening, Guy has invited friends, relatives and colleagues he has known during his 60 years to ask him questions nonstop from 7.30am to 7.30pm.

This includes numerous social work friends and colleagues with Professor Mark Doel, who taught Guy at Sheffield University from 1987-89, among the early risers who will get the quizzing going with a round on the history of social work. Mark’s book Social Work in 40 Objects includes an object from Guy, Riad’s ID Card, which tells of the denial of the human rights of Palestinian social worker Riad Arar (the book continues to raise money for TARA children’s centre in India and is still available).

BASW and SWU colleagues from Guy’s time as BASW Chair will be joining too, including Austerity Action Group members and SWU General Secretary John McGowan, who will be asking live questions on… that would be telling!

SWU will be featuring the questions in the February 2022 edition of the SWU Newsletter.

If you would like to donate, with all money going to Medical Aid for Palestinians, Guy’s fundraising page is at: justgiving.com/fundraising/guy60thquiz-a-thon