Over £4,000 and still more coming!
That the amazing result of an all-action fundraising effort organised by Lesley Pidcock in Taif, Saidi Arabia.
Lesley and her husband, Alan, are great friends of our charity and have been a huge personal support to Mama and Papa when they have had to spend prolonged visits to the UK.
Alan and Lesley visited Happy House in 2010, just a few months after it opened. They took our family to their hearts and kept it there.
They have sponsored Janet Chengo and Natasha Thoya, now both repatriated to relatives, and are also in the sponsor family of Priscilla, who they are yet to meet.
They set off for a holiday in Watamu tomorrow, and knowing she was going, Lesley was determined to raise enough money to pay the Happy House household grocery bill for the duration of their stay.
Lesley and Alan live in Taif, where Alan works, and Lesley arranged a fun day, a cake sale and other events, supported by friends of all ages.
She writes:
Taif has been a hub of fund raising and fun
over the last few weeks!
I have been very overwhelmed by the generosity of the
small community we have here.
The children did a sponsored walk last week, and I am
still getting their money handed in; a few of them did it the week before as
they were on holiday the week we did the walk.
They threw the water over me
at the end of the walk!
So far we have raised just over 21,000 Saudi Riyals
which is about £4,460 - fingers crossed we may just break through the £5,000.
Amazing, when I think of my first intention to try to raise £750 to cover household bilsl for Happy House for the time we are in Watamu.
Most days I have been given donations ranging from 30 to
3,900 SAR each one has been very gratefully received, as we know every penny
counts.
We held a fun day, where there were traditional stalls like name the teddy, how
many sweets in the jar, find the treasure, a cake stall, hot dogs and of
course a raffle.
However, the highlight
of the day was the senior management team that had agreed to be auctioned off
and have wet sponges thrown at them in the stocks this alone raised over 5,000
SAR.
We also had a band entertaining us
who had stepped in at the last minute, as the band we had planned pull out just
48 hours before the event. The band is very appropriately named ‘The 11th
Hour’...
We are hugely grateful to Lesley and Alan to all those friends who generously supported their fundraising. Every penny will be used to make life better and brighter for the children and young people in our care
Thank you.
And the Happy House family is looking forward to seeing you very soon, Lesley and Alan!
