Make-a-Wish: News and events

See our latest newsletter, online

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Here's a direct link to the new issue of our newsletter, 'I Wish...'.

This is the latest issue, covering May - August 2013. We publish three times a year; the next issue is due in August.

Wish child Deakon

Please click here to enjoy our new issue...

You can:

READ ALL ABOUT some of our great wishes:- Center Parcs, Darth Vader, Chelsea FC and Electra Formosa are all involved!
FIND OUT how to raise money for Make-A-Wish - for FREE!
SEE WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING with the wishes and fundraising that go on in Scotland and Northern Ireland (we have dedicated satellite offices in both Edinburgh and Belfast).
DISCOVER how to refer a child for a wish - and who does so.

Please click here to enjoy our new issue...

Don't forget, we also send out a monthly eshot - so, to make sure you're bang up-to-date with what's happening in the world of wishes, scroll down to the bottom right of our Home page and fill in your name and email address; we'll do the rest!

“He had a smile on his face the whole day”

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Thomas had been having headaches for some time. The doctor advised Mum Stephanie to come back for a check-up in a couple of months. But when he started falling asleep at strange times, Thomas was rushed to a specialist unit in Bristol.

“Everything changed that day,” said Mum. Thomas was diagnosed with a type of brain tumour called Medulloblastoma and remained in hospital for three months.

Thomas had to endure an operation to remove his tumour, weeks of radiotherapy and months of chemotherapy. Mum and Dad had to spend most of their time caring for Thomas in hospital, meaning that they were separated from Thomas’s younger brothers Nathan and George who had to stay with their grandparents. Mum told us that “the impact has been huge”. Thomas’s treatment affected his speech and co-ordination and has left him unable to walk unaided.

Eight year old Thomas has always been fascinated with diggers and machinery. So when our volunteers asked him what his dearest wish was he quickly replied “to drive a big digger”! After the wish, Stephanie said: “Thomas was very excited about riding in the JCB digger; he had a smile on his face the whole day!” Thanks to donations from people like you, we gave Thomas and his family a magical day.

Help grant more wishes to children like Thomas by making a donation today.

Take on the Beard and Moustache Competition!

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Ten year old Chloe, from Chard in Somerset, had her wish to go to Paris granted in April last year. Since she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in September 2011, Dad Andy (see picture above) has raised more than £6,000 for the various charities who have been involved in making his little girl’s life better, including Make-A-Wish.

He’s the Regional Organiser of the Wessex Beardsmen, part of The British Beard Club, and he has decided to organise their first-ever Beard and Moustache Competition, to fundraise for Make-A-Wish!

Registrations are now open and there are people planning on coming from all over the country – there’s even been quite a bit of interest from overseas.

There’s a website specifically for the competition: www.wessexbeardsmen.org. Competition categories include Full Beard Natural, Business-Class Beard and Free Style Beard/Moustache! There's also a Facebook page, where you can see pictures of some ‘Beard Squad’ merchandise they are selling to raise some extra funds.

So, whether or not you're interested in entering yourself, if you have any bearded friends or know anybody who might be interested in growing and styling a beard or moustache for the competition – please let them know!

Could your child win the Buyagift Young Authors Competition?

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Does your child enjoy books and stories of all stripes and types? Could they be the next J.K. Rowling?

Special offers website Buyagift has announced its first Young Authors competition – a chance for budding writers to see their work made into their very own professionally-finished book.

They´re looking for stories submitted by children up to the age of ten on the theme of ‘The Unexpected Gift’.

The stories will be judged by famous children´s writer Giles Paley-Phillips, the award-winning author of The Fearsome Beastie:

and leading picture book blogger Emma O´Donovan.

The winning story will be illustrated, published and printed into three limited edition books for you and the kids to keep – all of which will paid for by Buyagift.

They´ll also be printing 100 copies to be sold on their website, with all profits coming to Make-A-Wish – as well as choosing a runner-up, who will be awarded a children´s gift experience worth £100!

For more details about the competition and its rules, and information on how to enter, please visit www.buyagift.co.uk/youngauthors. The deadline is 23.59pm on Monday 3rd June, and the maximum number of words for the story is 400. Good luck!

A volunteering story…

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Last May, Reading-based actor and businessman Kevin Hallett decided to run the Reading Half Marathon for us. He’s since signed up to become a volunteer and recently attended his first fundraising event and cheque presentation. Here he tells us all about it:

By Kevin Hallett

I gave my first public presentation for Make-A-Wish last week. So Asia in Camberley were having a two year anniversary celebration and they wanted to use the event to raise money for a locally-based charity. As they are a very family-friendly restaurant and Make-A-Wish such a worthy cause, it wasn’t a difficult decision.

The brief I received was that, as well as giving a short presentation, they wanted me to help out with some bingo and raffle calling. So, never shirking from a challenge, I made my way to Camberley.

On arriving I was given a very warm welcome and we ran through the itinerary for the evening. The Mayor of Surrey Heath and Nepal’s Ambassador to the UK, Suresh Chandra Chalise, were going to be in attendance, so it was quite a prestigious event!

After people had arrived and had started to eat, Mr Ramesh Sarankoti from So Asia welcomed everyone and thanked staff and customers for their support over the last two years under the new management. I was then invited to speak.

So Asia only wanted a brief presentation, so I concentrated more on the effects of the wish on the children and their families. The Mayor had already told me he was going to speak a bit about the history and give a few facts and figures about Make-A-Wish, so that fitted quite well. Before the presentation, I certainly had those butterflies in the stomach, which is always a good thing! Once started it all went smoothly and I was able to speak with pride about the work Make-A-Wish does. And, when the manager wasn’t around when I had finished, I was able to talk a bit more and relate some more experiences of wish children.

After some excellent traditional Nepalese dancing, we had great fun playing bingo. So Asia put up five prizes for the bingo and 22 prizes in the raffle, and when we counted up the money and it came in at £591, the manager rounded it up to £600 and wrote out the cheque. But – before the Mayor could present it, one of So Asia’s guests matched it to bring the total to £1,200!

It was a fantastic night and I tried to get round to everyone at the end to thank them. Everyone was so pleased to be supporting such a great charity.

Further, two people I spoke to were interested in volunteering and a third was going to see if their school would do some of their own fundraising for Make-A-Wish. So, a productive evening all round.

The management were so pleased that we managed to raise so much money and they were impeccable hosts. The food was very good too! So if you are ever nearby, please pop in – I’m sure they’ll make you feel very welcome too.

Make-a-Wish: News and events

See our latest newsletter, online

Here's a direct link to the new issue of our newsletter, 'I Wish...'.

This is the latest issue, covering May - August 2013. We publish three times a year; the next issue is due in August.

Please click here to enjoy our new issue...

READ ALL ABOUT some of our great wishes:- Center Parcs, Darth Vader, Chelsea FC and Electra Formosa are all involved!

FIND OUT how to raise money for Make-A-Wish - for FREE!

SEE WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING with the wishes and fundraising that go on in Scotland and Northern Ireland (we have dedicated satellite offices in both Edinburgh and Belfast).

DISCOVER how to refer a child for a wish - and who does so.

Please click here to enjoy our new issue...

Don't forget, we also send out a monthly eshot - so, to make sure you're bang up-to-date with what's happening in the world of wishes, scroll down to the bottom right of our Home page and fill in your name and email address; we'll do the rest!

“He had a smile on his face the whole day”

Thomas had been having headaches for some time. The doctor advised Mum Stephanie to come back for a check-up in a couple of months. But when he started falling asleep at strange times, Thomas was rushed to a specialist unit in Bristol.

Help grant more wishes to children like Thomas by making a donation today.

Take on the Beard and Moustache Competition!

He’s the Regional Organiser of the Wessex Beardsmen, part of The British Beard Club, and he has decided to organise their first-ever Beard and Moustache Competition, to fundraise for Make-A-Wish!

So, whether or not you're interested in entering yourself, if you have any bearded friends or know anybody who might be interested in growing and styling a beard or moustache for the competition – please let them know!

Could your child win the Buyagift Young Authors Competition?

Does your child enjoy books and stories of all stripes and types? Could they be the next J.K. Rowling?

Special offers website Buyagift has announced its first Young Authors competition – a chance for budding writers to see their work made into their very own professionally-finished book.

The winning story will be illustrated, published and printed into three limited edition books for you and the kids to keep – all of which will paid for by Buyagift.

They´ll also be printing 100 copies to be sold on their website, with all profits coming to Make-A-Wish – as well as choosing a runner-up, who will be awarded a children´s gift experience worth £100!

For more details about the competition and its rules, and information on how to enter, please visit www.buyagift.co.uk/youngauthors. The deadline is 23.59pm on Monday 3rd June, and the maximum number of words for the story is 400. Good luck!

A volunteering story…

Last May, Reading-based actor and businessman Kevin Hallett decided to run the Reading Half Marathon for us. He’s since signed up to become a volunteer and recently attended his first fundraising event and cheque presentation. Here he tells us all about it:

Further, two people I spoke to were interested in volunteering and a third was going to see if their school would do some of their own fundraising for Make-A-Wish. So, a productive evening all round.

As for me, I’m really looking forward to my next mission with Make-A-Wish.

If you’d like to find out more about volunteering for Make-A-Wish, please have a look at this website's Volunteering section.