Time two move

Anything he can do, I can do too!  Twins Peter and Paul aren't letting the grass grow under their feet, nor is one lagging behind the other,  they are both on the move and crawling.

And the beautiful boys were chosen for Star of the Week Awards when they were helped into the limelight to receive their certificates by Marian who carried Paul, while Musyoka carried Peter.

The twins, who are all most impossible to tell apart, we tickled pink with their certificates and eager to take a closer look.

CHARITY NIGHT

Be sure to order your tickets early for our big night of the year, the Happy House Charity Night and Second Birthday Party which is taking place at the Hotel Sheraton, Queens Prom, Blackpool on Friday, March 16, from 7pm-midnight. Mama Sue and Papa Dave will be flying in specially and are looking forward to seeing you. Tickets £15  (inc light buffet) 

Contact Elizabeth Gomm, email: elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net or tel:07905 130 589 for details or send your cheque (Payable to the Happy House) along with  your details, number of tickets required, and a SAE envelope to Elizabeth Gomm, 6 Burwood Drive, Blackpool, FY3 8NS. The Sheraton is offering rooms in the Sheraton Lodge (adjoining the hotel) at a special rate of £22 to people attending our event. To book call: 01253 352723 please specify the Lodge when booking and the Happy House Charity Night.

Boys will be boys...

All the world over, boys will be boys and Katana was doing his own superhero impression when he fell and broke his arm!

Rose tells me: "He climbed on top of a pile of galana stones pretending to be a Spiderman when the accident happened."

Uncle Bill took him to Malindi General Hospital where his arm was x-rayed and set and now our brave soldier is on the road to recovery.

Get well soon Katana.

Thank you St George's

A Parcel a £1 for Christmas campaign netted £125 for the Happy House thanks to the big-hearted pupils at Blackpool's St George's CE Business and Enterprise College.

After hearing about the Happy House from Elizabeth Gomm when she visited the school in the autumn, Year 7 pupils were on a mission to help.

And because we always need funds to meet our bills they decided to have some festive fun by asking their fellow pupils to parcel up a £1 coin in a decorated box - with prizes for the most creative - and then strung the parcels up as decoration! The £1 coins added up to £125.

The youngsters, who are so enthusiastic about helping our kids, also made a presentation about the Happy House to a full school assembly, taking our message out to everyone in school.

We love it when children want to help our children, it's extra special. And their teacher Miss Hayley Clarkson, who with her partner sponsors Mercy and David, says our charity and our children have really captured their imagination.

Elizabeth was delighted to invited back to receive their cheque and the children had another barrage of questions for her, and told her all about their plans to raise more money by making gifts and cards for Mothering Sunday.
Another St George's pupil Melissa Miles, a very talented young singer, whose family sponsors Maria, has raised hundreds of pounds for us, too, with sales from her debut ep.

Our kids will be so thrilled to see these pictures of their friends at caring St Georges. The love and support of everyone at the school means so much to our family.

And a very big THANK YOU.

You are invited...

It's not just our Happy House kids who know how to party...

We're having a party and YOU are invited!

Our annual charity night will take place on Friday, March 16, at the Hotel Sheraton, Queen's Promenade, Blackpool.

And as as that is the eve of the second anniversary of the Happy House it's going to a be a big birthday bash so that any of our charity's friends in the UK can come along and join the fun.

Our much loved Mama Sue and Papa Dave will be here to celebrate with us, making it a very special event indeed, and will bring with them the very latest news of our children.

They are so looking forward to meeting up with old friends and having a chance to meet, for the first time, those who have joined us more recently as we hope that may of child sponsor family will come along. 

It's a good chance to get to know others in your child's sponsor family and to make new friends. So don't be afraid if you are on your own, you'll be among friends.

There will be fun, games, dancing, tombola, bottlebola, raffle and much more to keep you entertained throughout the night which will run from 7pm to midnight.

Tickets are £15 and include a light buffet. Anyone who would like to stay over can book in at the Sheraton Lodge, which is just round the corner from the main hotel, at a discounted price of £22 b&b per person (please specify that your are attending the Happy House Charity Night and that you are booking a room in the Lodge).  For those wanting to make a weekend of it two nights in the hotel, dinner, b&b is £65 per person. 

If we raise £3,000 on the night, Santander will match it - so we're pulling out all the stops to reach our target and need all the help you can give us. 

We are appealing for raffle and tombola prizes and bottles (from ketchup to cava) for the bottlebola. We would also be grateful to anyone who would like to bring along a birthday cake - we'd like everyone to have a slice so we're sure to need a few.

Tickets are limited so it will be first come first served. 

To reserve yours please send a cheque , made out to the Happy House, along with the number required and your contact telephone number and email address - plus a stamped, self addressed envelope so they can be posted out to you, to Elizabeth Gomm, Children of Watamu, 6 Burwood Drive, Blackpool, FY3 8NS.

If you have any queries or can help in any way please ring Elizabeth on 07905 130 589 or email elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net

Look forward to seeing you!

Thank you

Thanks to the Croydon Advertiser for using this article about the Happy House Masquerade Ball, Christina Young (a member of baby David's sponsor family) is holding in Croydon on February 25 http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/Fundraising-masquerade-ball-Selsdon-Park-Hotel/story-14398888-detail/story.html

Balloon antics!

What fun there was in store for our kids when Claudia Dabelstein called to see them.

Claudia from Bad Lippspringe, West Germany, had contacted sue a few weeks ago to ask if she could call to visit the family and, of course, found a very warm welcome awaiting her.

Claudia made animals and hats from balloons for the kids and also did aerobics and hiphop  with the kids to music she had took with her and left for the family.

Sue says: "The children really enjoy their time with her."

Thanks Claudia for taking time out of your holiday to visit our family.

Puppets so popular

Finger puppets, handmade with love in Blackpool so proving so popular with our kids.

They were made by visitors to a craft workshop organised by community group Aunty Social held at the Super Duper Craft Fair in Blackpool Winter Gardens.

Aunty Social, which takes knitting and other craft workshops out to the most unlikely places in the resort, had a table at the fair where visitors - including the deputy mayor - could make finger puppets for our Happy House kids which are now being used  as an aid to story telling and other teaching in our school and are helping pupils develop vital language skills.

The children and teachers were thrilled with the story of the puppets -who had made them, how and when, taking time to look and talk about each one and trying to guess whether it was the work of an adult or child. They really enjoyed reading the bonus surprises - messages popped inside each puppet by the person who had made it.

Thank you to Caroline Fisher and friends for providing the materials and organising the workshop and to everyone who took part. You have brought so many smiles to our kids, all whom have had the worst possible start to life and now have safety, love and "family" in our wonderful children's home.

Sorry our kids can't reply to each of you personally but they do send you lots of love and a huge, collective, THANK YOU 

What's on the cards?

Discover your destiny for the year ahead and bring good fortune to the Happy House, at a very special fundraiser next Monday, January 16.

A whole line-up of excellent angel card readers, including Jackie Winters, Jackie Rodgers and Lynn McCluskey, who are all renowned for their psychic gifts will be giving reading at What's n the Cards for 2012  at the Grapevine, Poulton, Lancashire, from 7pm-10pm.

There are a limited number of tickets, which include a 20 minute reading, at £15 each. There will also be a raffle and information about the Happy House, of course!

Every penny raised by the evening, very kindly organised by Jackie Winters (pictured), will go to helping our Happy House family.

To reserve your ticket visit http://www.facebook.com/events/189184964507723/ or email Jackie Winters jackie.winters@yahoo.co.uk