Water Babies

 

The kitchen and shower rooms are taking shape. We are waiting for the sinks and toilets to be installed. The water will be supplied from a well, that was sunk as one of the first jobs that had to done when we started  bulding the Happy House a year and 3 weeks ago. Free water, just how we like it! All we need now is a pump to get it from the well up into the roof tanks, and to pump the water from the underground collection tanks up. There's always a snag isn't there?? 

To Top It All

The roof in now in place, the celings are being put in the upstairs bedrooms, we are moving closer by the day to being ready for the children in for January 2010.

Louise Gary & Grace Webster visit the Happy House

Louise has supported our work for the children in many ways over the years. During their recent holiday to Turtle Bay Beach Club Louise helped Rose to make a new notice board to be displayed in the hotel. Silas & Rose were delighted to take Gary, Louise & Grace to see the Happy House for themselves. Louise was the very first person to decide to sponsor one of the Happy House Kids.Since then others have followed suit to enable us to finish & furnish the Happy House ready for the first children to come 'home' in January 2010. This is what Louise had to say:-

 

"As  the first sponsors of the Happy House children, we visited Watamu recently and were amazed to see first hand what has been achieved. You really need to see the Happy House to appreciate how beautiful and tranquil the place is. Sue and Dave, you never fail to amaze us with what has been achieved. We look forward to going back one day to see all the beautiful children playing there."

Add a Happy House Kid to your Shopping List

Jackie Fineman  is great support to our work in so many ways. Jackie and her daughter Hayley both sponsor Happy House children. Jackie and her family have done sponsored bike rides to raise the much needed funds to complete the Happy House  so we can be ready to open to the first children in January 2010. I had mentioned to Jackie how we are going to start a scheme in conjunction with the Blackpool Gazette Eve in Africa Appeal to Add a Happy House Kid to your Shopping List in the hope that people will each week buy one item that is so needed for the children. Jackie took me at my word and called in today with lots of toiletries, potties, vests, toothbrushes lotions and potions to keep our babies sweet.

Hayley is also very instrumental in sending letters and brochures to electrical companies in the hope they will donate funds or items that will be needed in the Happy House.

Can you add a child to your shopping list?

Kosy Kids

It was so nice to receive a call from Bernie Brannagan so say that she had crocheted 10 cot blankets for the Happy House Babies.I had never met Bernie but she had been speaking to  Andrea Manders who has also made blankets for the children. How nice is it that people are now talking about my children and even better that they are 'Making a Difference' to their comfort.

Thanks for Caring

Dorothy & George Barr are two of the nicest people I have ever met.

 

 They have sponsored Martin one of the boys at school for a number of years. Silas was delighted to meet them during his trip  to the UK.

 

Dorothy is now also supporting the Happy House Kids by buying items that will be needed when we open in January. Nappies, Baby Wipes etc. I am thrilled to say that Dorothy, who is 83 years old, will be travelling to Watamu in March 2010 with her niece Beverly and family, who also sponsor at school and the Happy House, to be at  the official opening of the  Happy House on March the 17th 2010.

 

 Elizabeth Gomm a journalist from the Blackpool Gazette who is a terrific support to me personally,and our work in so many ways and Brenda Groves a very active and caring sponsor have also added a Happy House Kid to their weekly shopping list. Can you??

 

You can also follow Elizabeth's blog by logging onto www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk and clicking on the Eve in Africa Appeal logo on the left had side of the screen.

 

 

Curtains for our Kids

Bob Lees recently contacted me with regard to supplying all the curtains needed for the Happy House Kids, this is what he had to say:-

 

I can't quite fathom how Children of Watamu got such a hold on me so quickly. Historically I wouldn't describe myself as a particularly good neighbour, never mind 'charitable'. I don't watch the big charity day things on the telly, and in fact the 'big' charities just don't seem to do anything for me.

 

Children of Watamu have unique appeal through being a small charity and locally based, and in that 100% of the money raised goes straight to the kids. It feels more worthwhile because you feel part of it and you know your individual contribution represents a far greater proportion of the whole than if you were giving to one of the charity giants.

And then of course there's Sue and Dave. What they've achieved is both humbling and uplifting. You feel involved, and you want to be a part of it because of the vibrancy you can feel.
My nephew is 21 and at a bit of a loose end as, probably, most new graduates are. I suggested he considered doing a bit of charity work to use his time fruitfully and to improve his CV. He described the phone call to Sue as 'the biggest of his life', she gave him motivation and from then on we were all hooked!

That's why we at SwatchBox are calling in your old, unwanted mobile phones. They will be sent off to be recycled, and the money we get for them will be used to buy the material and make, at cost price, the 60 pairs of curtains Sue needs for the Happy House .

At the same time old mobiles won't be going into landfill, so it's doing a bit for the planet too. 

Sue is inspirational, but as a newcomer to all this, I'm struck at how rewarding helping her charity makes me feel.  In particular it's exciting how quickly things seem to happen. 

'That's because it's right' said Sue.  

Then a chance phone call, a shrewd piece of advice from Blackpool Gazette journalist Elizabeth Gomm and Melinda Messenger agreed to back what we are doing to help the Happy House... posing for pictures to show it!

Must be because it's right, hey Sue?

*Please search out your old, unwanted mobile phones, and chargers, and just drop them into your nearest SwatchBox. We'll do the rest!

 

Swatchbox stores at:

 

25/27 Mesnes Rd, Wigan, WN1 2DG. Tel 01942 824001

374 Talbot Rd, Blackpool, FY3 7AT Tel 01253 392665

32 Harrowside, Blackpool, FY4 1LY Tel 01253 404487 

502/504 Blackburn Rd, Bolton, BL1 8NW Tel 01204 300178

4/6 Buxton Rd, Stockport, SK2 6NU Tel 0161 477 5603

 

Bob Lees.