Lucinda's ambition

Our guest  blogger today is our Lucinda, who is 16.
She writes:
When I grow up I will be a teacher. It will help me to get a lot of money which I can use to buy books and pens which pupils like to use.
Some people like to play games like hide and seek. I like to play them very much.

Up, up and away!

Intrepid Pauline Royle reached the heights of Britain's capital of fun, when walked to the 235ft summit of Blackpool Pleasure Beach's Big One - the nation's tallest rollercoaster.

And it was our Happy House kids who gave her the courage to do it.

Pauline, who is in Jane's sponsor family, says:

I saw "Walking the Big One,at Blackpool Pleasure Beach" in the paper sometime ago and decided to have a go and at the same time try to raise some funds for the Happy House Room for Another project.

I set up my JustGiving page, emailed all my friends and relations and told anyone who would listen about what I was doing and why.

I am quite a reticent person really, but knowing it wasn’t about me but about the Happy House kids made it easier.

Someone said I was an inspiration, but I knew it wasn’t me; it was people reading about what Sue Hayward had achieved that made them want to sponsor me.

And sponsor me they have, people’s generosity has been amazing. I had hoped to collect £500 but have a final total of £800 plus some gift aid. 

Prior to the event I had been glued to the weather app on my phone, which eventually settled,  for that evening,  on ‘It will be colder than you’d like’ and ‘You’ll prefer it to be less windy’

It wasn’t wrong, but at least it wasn’t raining!

Driving down the prom, planes were coming in to land at the airport, dropping below the top of the Big One and they still looked very high up.

Eventually six of us  congregated for the safety briefing. I was pleased to see that we were half and half (I had thought it may be a male thing), ages ranged from 15 to mine – I could certainly give them all a run for their money, age wise.

 The safety briefing included what would happen if someone wanted to abort the climb – as it would necessitate being unclipped and manoeuvred passed everyone, I decided that I would get up there no matter what.

After that it was into boiler suit, hardhat and harness – at which point I knew exactly how the Christmas turkey must feel before it is shoved in the oven. 

Then the walk through a deserted Pleasure Beach, strangely quiet and eerie with deep shadows cast by the floodlighting – it would make a brilliant setting for a who-done-it. 

At the bottom of what is technically referred to as the lift pull (I think it’s the bit that enables the cars to get round the rest of the ride) our lanyards were clipped on to the steel cable running up the ride. 

‘Think of it as taking a dog for a walk and just pull it behind you’, said our leader. Easier said than done, mine was one that wanted to stop at every lamppost and was reluctant to move on, that was the bit needed to pull it over the brackets. Then up we went, stopping at 150ft, for ‘the view’, an excuse I think to allow us, well me, to get my breath back.

So far so good, then up to the summit at 235 feet. 

Gosh it was windy, cameras out and the photographing of the view began, it was brilliant, a lovely clear sky and good views of the illuminations and Blackpool Tower changing colour.

It did sway slightly, but at the briefing we had been told a necessity as, if it was rigid it would snap. At that point I wasn’t scared, but did turn and move around a bit gingerly, holding on to the handrail as well; though there was absolutely no way I could have fallen off.

 I did manage a wave to Mike who was waiting on terra firma, he waved back, but he said later that he had no idea who was waving as we all looked like red blobs, the reflection from the aircraft warning light.

 An official photographer went up with us so we all had to pose for our photograph before making our way down. 

That was quite hard as the floodlights shining up made the steps difficult to see, but soon we were back down and my adventure was over. We were presented with our certificates, relinquished our harnesses and sent on our way.

I felt so chuffed, inordinately pleased with myself and couldn’t stop grinning all weekend. My calves were stiff the next day, even though I had tried to do plenty of walking and swimming prior to the event. "
* A big thank you to Pauline for this tremendous effort and to all her family and friends who sponsored her.

Baby Leah safe in our family

 Tragically the mother of this tiny baby girl died within minutes of giving birth last Friday, leaving her husband with six children to raise alone.

The pressure of shock and grief proved  too much for him. He could not afford to buy formula milk and could only feed his little Leah on cow’s milk.
 Unable to manage on his own, Leah was being left alone for many hours in the shade of a tree or  in a  room.

The  mother of one of our day pupils alerted the Happy House to the family's plight and brought  Leah into our care.

She was welcomed by Papa, who immediately signed her up for his Leeds supporters’ club!

Leah's father is away arranging his wife’s funeral and will meet with Uncle Billy to discuss her long term care when he returns.

In the meantime, she is safe, loved, nourished and nurtured as are all our Happy House kids and her arrival brings our number to an even 76.
There's always room for another....

The inspectors call

When the inspectors went carry out an  Ofsted inspection at St Aidan's Church of England Technology College in Preesall, Lancashire, the Happy House received an unexpected bonus.
They contributed  £17.50 towards the cost of their lunches and the school agreed to donate this to our family.
In their report, the inspectors mentioned the school's caring ethos citing its fundraising for charities including the Happy House.
Teacher Joanne Rossall's form, K7, sponsor our Linus and as part of their fundraising they have been selling badges supporting the Happy House.
Linus is now the proud owner of this one which he keeps safe in  in his memory box.

Happy birthday Mama

Today is Mama's birthday and it will be just the happiest day as she and Papa are back in the only place they want to be - with their children.
This video is of children from the Happy House family and school singing the special song they had learnt just for Mama's homecoming last month.
Volunteer Frankie Asher had shown them a video of the song and encouraged them to rehearse until they were word perfect.
Listening to them sing I Just Can't Stop Loving You for the Mama who has transformed so many little lives was just so emotional. It touched hearts, and Mama and Papa could not hold back the tears.
It was the best present the kids could give their Mama, who just can't stop loving them either.
Happy birthday Mama Sue from all the members of your Happy House family from around the world, we love you too.

Taking child protection forward

 As a key player in children's matters in the region, the Happy House was invited to a high profile meeting attended by Sweden's Ambassador to Kenya at the Child Protection Centre in Malindi.

The Ambassdor, His Excellency Johan Borgstam and the Unicef country representative, Kanyankore Marcel Rudasingwa, were at the meeting to see for themselves the centre which opened in 2010 following a three-party agreement between Unicef (the main funding body), the Kenya Government and Malindi Municipal Council.
The centre, a pilot project for Kenya, is a one-stop shop to tackle all issues of child abuse or neglect.

Mama Sue and our social worker Uncle Billy were delighted to have an opportunity to be there as Uncle Billy reports: 

"The CPC has now reached a crucial stage whereby  measuring its impact on the immediate locality and environs was necessary, hence the task force went out of their way on a fact finding mission. 

After implementation of a project it is pertinent that the merits and  maybe the weaknesses   entirely  must  be interrogated in order  to chart the way forward in achieving the most desirable results.

 In his report district children’s officer  Eric Mugaisi noted that,the centre has solved a massive case load of children issues owing to the increased awareness and  quality improvement on service delivery.

Lots of benefits have been noted, a fact  which was echoed by the district education offficer Chai  Abdalla who said that  in the wake of the CPC operation, more girls arfe being retained in school unlike in the past when many girls dropped out of school  through  negative effects of n tourism such involvement in commercial sex tourism.

Others were victims of the societal repugnant cultures such as early /forced marriages of young girls barely in their  puberty have been considerably reduced,including defilement and incest cases.

 However, it was found out that the out-reach programme needed to  be explored since the geographical location of the centre wasn’t accessible to all.

 Mama Sue raised the need to have strengthened mobile units that could go into the interior to create more awareness as well as offer direct services as well as empowering the local communities to be on their guard in reporting and mitigating child abuse cases.

 The efforts generally called for a multi-disciplinary approach whereby the police, judiciary, volunteer children officers, health workers, child counsellors, children's lawyers would all be dispatched to the most hidden areas so as to aid the existing  structures in tackling problems.

 Mama also lamented on the generational problems that needed to be addressed through educating the communities on best practices such as family planning as well as abolishing corporal punishment to children even after the perpetrators claim  justification of undergoing the same in their childhood through their parents and next of kin.

 There is a dire need to have a  paradigm shift on the way the society looked at children as voiceless beings who were there to be seen and not to be heard.

 Eventually there was an unanimous agreement that the centre was headed in the right direction and hence the  request for the extension of funding so as tothoroughly cover the unexploited areas.

 It was a major privilege for Mama and I to attend that meeting as I have been longing  for her company in such forums not only  as my great mentor but also as a  great resource person and a true servant for Kenyan children.''

Olympics glory for Namibia

 Namibia romped home to victory in the Happy House Olympics.

Teams representing six countries (chosen by the children) competed in a lively and colourful programme of events.

The Games were the idea of volunteers Andrew and Amy Dickinson who organised them, with the help and support of our enthusiastic teachers.

After a solemn ceremony to raise the Happy House flags, the assembled countries sang the Kenyan and British national anthems, before parading to the stadium for the Games to commence, with Mama and Papa as guests of honour along with parents of day pupils, friends, and teachers and children from neighbouring Upendo School.

Events included running, hula hoop, penalty shoot out, high jump, long jump, tug o'war and relay plus novelty events for teachers and parents.

There was great excitement as teams from Tanzania, Kenya, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and Namibia battled for points.

At the final count Namibia triumphed with Tanzania second and Kenya in third place.

Mama presented certificates to members of the three teams and thanked Amy and Andrew for all the hard work they had put into event and thanked teachers for helping to make it happen.

Head teacher Mr Athman thanked Andrew and Amy for assisting in school during their two weeks with our family and, in the Olympics, bringing something new and different to benefit our children.

We wish them a safe journey home today and hope they will come back to see us soon.