Legacy of love and a Rotary weekend

A science laboratory is an essential element of the Happy House Secondary School which, funds permitting, we plan to open in January 2016.

The laboratory is now a certainty thanks to a £5,000 donation from the Christine Walker Memorial Fund.

Christine (left), a Blackpool optician and passionate member and past president of  the Blackpool and District  branch of Soroptimist International,  suffered Multiple Sclerosis and died in 2011, aged 53.

In her will she made a £150,000 bequest to Blackpool SI with instructions that it should be the benefit their work with charitable causes.

We are delighted that our application to the fund has resulted in such a wonderful donation from Christine's Fund.

Elizabeth Gomm was guest speaker at Blackpool Soroptimists last week, when she told them just how much this donation meant to our children and how it would help to instil and develop an interest in science for our children, a number of whom aim for careers in medicine. Diana, pictured, dreams of being a doctor.

She also emphasised the importance Mama Sue places on treating girls and boys equally in a country where, all too often, women and girls are undervalued.

Soroptimists is  global women's organisation., which inspires action to transform the lives of women and girls around the world.

Club president Jo Darbyshire said: "Christine cared passionately about issues affecting women  and girls throughout the world and fully supported the aims and objectives of Soroptimism to make difference to the lives of women and girls

"We know she would be delighted to know the difference it will make to children at the Happy House."

Thanking Soroptimists, Elizabeth said: "Our science lab will be a lasting memorial to a clever, caring and courageous lady."

* PIctured: SI Blackpool president, Jo Darbyshire and secretary, Su Gordon with a plaque which will be placed on the laboratory,

Rotary weekend

Thank you to all the members of Rotary and their friends who showed such an interest in our Happy House stand in the Hall of Friendship at the Lancashire and Cumbria District  Rotary Conference held at the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool, this weekend.

It was lovely to know that so many of you remembered us from the conference in Scarborough two years ago when Mama Sue, one of the main speakers, made such a powerful and inspiring impression.

We hope that some of your clubs will consider helping us further after learning this weekend of how much further Mama has developed our work and how many more children are being helped, since that speech in 2013.

Special thanks to Pauline Royle  (Jane's sponsor family) and Andrea  Manders (Natasha Thoya's sponsor family) for helping Elizabeth on the stand, and to Sandra Foulkes (Saumu and Pendo's family) and Ma

raret Lund (Hapy's family) for taking Happy House into a Rotakids Conference Workshop.

Pictured: Above: Janet Simpson of Fleetwood Rotary (who is in Sudi's sponsor family) with Mary  Mason (r) who is wife of District Governor, Roger Mason.

Left: District Governor Roger Mason, past Rotary governor, Tony Quinn and Great Britain and Ireland Rotary President, Peter King. 
Buy a Bed Appeal
If you would like to help promote our Birthday Buy a Bed Appeal by displaying this poster please email Elizabeth elizabethgomm@childrenofwatamu.net  and she will send you a copy you can print.
We are on a mission to replace all our beds as quickly as we can, but are prioritising with new beds for the older children who are getting too big for narrow bunks.
A new bed is £25 and a mattress £15. To donate online please go to https://www.justgiving.com/childrenofwatamu/Donate/