Fw: Cookin' up cash!

Paula Lochrie hosted a Pampered Chef evening at her Oxfordshire home and raised an incredible £445+ for the Happy House, write Elizabeth Gomm.

Paula's mum and dad, Brenda and John Groves,  who sponsor Happy House toddler Charity and SDA secondary pupil, Joy.

They have long been friends and supporters of Children of Watamu and have done so much to raise moneuy and awareness, as well as helping practically by volunteering at the Happy House. Granddaughters Chloe and Lucy have also been to help us.

The Happy House sends a huge thank you to Paula, Brenda,  and all their friends who made this latest fundraiser such a tremendous success. Paula is pictured (second left) with some of her friends who attended the evening.

Brenda and John set off for the Happy House next week and have so much to take with them that is needed by our kids - including two travel cots. We so appreciate all they do and the way in which their whole family has become involved.

Tomorrow (Friday) we have a Chinese Banquet at the Ocean Palace, Talbot Road, Blackpool, 7pm for 7.30pm, with proceeds rto the Happy House. Tickets are £16. Email elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net if you would like to come.

Also tomorrow, in Belbeggie, Perthshire, Agnes and Brian Crighton, who sponsor baby Harry, are holding a Donkey Derby night at the Macdonald Arms, Belbeggie. It starts at 7.30pm and everyone is welcome!

Classroom capers!

Wide-awake Childcare and Social Health students at Yorkshire's Doncaster College went to class in their pyjamas to raise money or the Happy House.

The students, prompted by tutor Lesley Pidcock, who sponsors Natasha and Janet, paid £1 each to swap their usual uniform for pjs or regular clothes. They also held a raffle and  sold copies of a painting created by Health & Social Care student, Diag, 

Lesley said: "I thought it was so good I had it framed for her  and asked her permission to copy it, we have printed 50 copies which we are selling numbered as a limited edition for the price of £1."

By the end of the day  they had raised £114 - £35 of  which has been used to buy a new cot ,which I  will be taking out  to Kenya with me next week. The remainder will go towards meeting the vital costs of bringing up an ever growing family.

The students and staff have also raised enough money to sponsor one of our children and are thrilled to be in the sponsor family of one of our newest arrivals, baby Joseph.

Thank you so much to everyone at the college who for continuing to support our children and a  special mention must go to  Lesley for the way in which she is constantly mindful of taking the Happy House word to a new audience and for her own individual fundraising efforts.

 

Baby David is home at last

 

We are so thrilled that the Happy House Kids have a new brother, David Hayward. David was abandoned by his Mother on the 20th of December 2010, he was 2 months premature and weighed 1.5kgs. His birth Mother walked out of the hospital within hours, as so often happens. He should have come home to us last week but the hospital found his blood count was very low and needed to have a small transfusion. It may be that David's Mum was HIV positive. We will not know if David also has the virus until he is a few months old and the tests can be more conclusive than at this age.

The Happy House Kids are always thrilled to have a new brother, and welcomed him with open arms.

An Ever Growing Family

 

On Monday the Children's office called us to go with them to visit some children who were being very badly neglected by their mother. When we arrived at the house a neighbor told us the Mother had taken the youngest child, a baby girl into Malindi for begging. 4 children were alone in the ramshackle filthy hut. Fred, the youngest child there was naked, the others were in dirty rags. Billy our Social Worker has been doing his job for 15 years and he was shocked by the conditions as were the Children's Officers. I was just stunned that a Mother could leave her children like this. I have worked here 11 years and seen many cases of extreme poverty, but this was not just poverty it was neglect in the extreme.

It was decided we would take the children home to the Happy House. When we asked them to come with us they just came, there was no questions, no resistance, nothing. Billy thought it was due to the fact that they knew wherever we were taking them could not be any worse than where they were. A message was left with a neighbour for the Mother to go the Children's Office the following morning with the baby, which she did. She was told why her children had been removed from her care and also told to give us the baby. She just handed baby Rose over to us. As we walked towards our vehicle Billy carrying the baby, the Mother waved goodbye. No show of emotion at all, just nothing!! She still has 2 older children in her care and the children's Office will monitor the situation carefully. The man who raped the 9 year old was known to the child so we have informed the children's office who say they will follow the case.

When we arrived with Rose her brothers and sisters were so thrilled they were passing her from one to the other kissing and cuddling her. They were a family of little carers. Now they are part of the Happy House family they can again be children, children who run laugh and play in the knowledge they are safe with a family that loves them.

A taste of the Orient

A Chinese banquet is very kindly being staged  to raise funds for the Happy House at one of Blackpool's best known restaurants, The Ocean Palace, Talbot Road, on Friday, February 25, at 7.30pm Tickets are £16, and there will be a raffle and a few other things to bump up the proceeds on the night.  Please let me know how many  tickets you would like by emailing elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net 

Limvadry Rotary Club

This week we have been delighted to welcome Doug & Lorna Hare to the Happy House. Doug and Lorna have supported our work in lots of different ways and have always been very kind and generous.

 

Doug worked hard with his Rotary Club in Limvardy Northern Ireland to raise the funds for a much needed banda. Doug brought a plaque with him so we had the official unveiling. Doug brought lots of friends from Turtle bay beach Club Hotel and our children said thank you with songs and traditional dancing. It was a lovely afternoon.

 

The Rotary Club also sponsor Harry, so it was lovely for Lorna to give Harry his bottle and see that lovely smile and big dimples.

 

Thank you to all at Limvardy Rotary Club for caring about our children.

For Lily with love!

Stephanie Hill loves her little sponsor child, Lily, so much she  has put herself under the needle to get a tattoo in her honour, writes Elizabeth Gomm.

Stephanie, who lives  near Blackpool, had her elaborate creation of lilies tattooed on her back at Forever Tattoos in the resort.

"It's my little way of always having a piece of Lily with me. When she is a little bit older then she will know that she was in my thoughts everyday and it is something that won't ever fade," says Steph, who has done so much to help the Happy House by fundraising (including a  bungee jump and a Kenyan themed night).

"It  took about an hour and was done by a guy called Mel, he is great!," adds Steph.

" I love tattoos and I love Lily, so I combined the two and am so pleased with the result."

It's lovely to know how much our children are loved by their sponsors and everyone at the Happy House will be expecting to see that tattoo when you visit later in the year,  Steph.

Especially, one little girl!