The Magic Wand - February 2014

Who have you helped and

Fundraising Stories

2-3

Taking the Magic to

the Children! 4

100/100 Events 5

Inside this issue:Inside this issue:Inside this issue:Inside this issue:

Magic Wand The

The Magic Wand - February 2014

In February we held the Merlin’s Magic Wand Charity Auction and Gala at In February we held the Merlin’s Magic Wand Charity Auction and Gala at In February we held the Merlin’s Magic Wand Charity Auction and Gala at In February we held the Merlin’s Magic Wand Charity Auction and Gala at

Madame Tussauds London.Madame Tussauds London.Madame Tussauds London.Madame Tussauds London.

It was an incredible night of fundraising! Guests started the bidding for the

fantastic array of prizes as they sat down for dinner. They were able to bid

using tablets on the tables, and the highest bidders were displayed on

screens around the venue, creating a lot of friendly competition!

Videos were shown that demonstrated

the incredible days out and Taking the

Magic to the Children projects that

Merlin’s Magic Wand have supported in

the last few years, and guests were able

to meet the Fitzpatrick family, who re-

cently had a magical day out at Chess-

ington World of Adventures Resort.

The evening finished with a very success-

ful live auction and a performance from

X Factor star Lucy Spraggan. We are de-

lighted to report that the fundraising

total for the event stands at an amazing

£85,000!

We could not have achieved this record-breaking figure without the donations of our guests and the fantastic work of our volunteers and Events Team. Thank you on behalf the Merlin's Magic Wand team and all the children that Merlin’s Magic Wand will be able to help because of your support.

Merlin’s Magic Wand Charity

Gala & Auction is a hit!

Page 2

Who have YOU helped? The Magic Wand - February 2014

5 year old Naya and her parents spent her 5th birthday at LEGOLAND LEGOLAND LEGOLAND LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Berlin Discovery Centre Berlin Discovery Centre Berlin Discovery Centre Berlin and had a wonderful day out!

Naya and her family are from Syria. The family fled in October and land-ed on the tragic boat that sunk at Lampedusa. On that day, Naya lost her two brothers, one was 5 years old and the other 9 months old.

The family have finally got a visa and have been living in Germany since December. They have been through so much together, so it was amazing to see the big smile on her face when the LDC team presented her with a huge birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to her!

Three disadvantaged girls from Bu?alo, NY visited Madame Tussauds Hollywood Madame Tussauds Hollywood Madame Tussauds Hollywood Madame Tussauds Hollywood for a Merlin’s Magic Wand Visit on February 4, 2014. The girls were wel-comed with a message on the digital marquee over-looking Hollywood Boulevard and felt like celebrities with a VIP Studios Tour!

17 children from Crisis Nursery recently had an amazing

day at SEA LIFE ArizonaSEA LIFE ArizonaSEA LIFE ArizonaSEA LIFE Arizona. Crisis Nursery is a children’s

shelter for kids and family in abusive or neglectful

homes.

The children had a great day and were very excited see-

ing all of the animals!

Page 3


Fundraising Success! Love was in the air at Madame Tussauds Berlin Madame Tussauds Berlin Madame Tussauds Berlin Madame Tussauds Berlin on Valentines

Day as the raised €93.61 for Merlin’s Magic Wand! The Love

Heart RaGe was a fantastic fundraising idea where guests pur-

chased balloons and popped them with a wand to see if they

had won a prize. Congratulations on this imaginative fundrais-

ing!

Our colleagues at the European Call European Call European Call European Call Centre Centre Centre Centre in Soltau, Germany have been incredibly generous! For each birthday boy or girl, the team have a collection and get them a pre-sent for their birth-day.

However, last year instead of buying presents they saved the money up and donated a fantastic €208 to Merlin’s Magic Wand! Thanks everyone!

Alex Garnett has been making music at Merlin Magic Merlin Magic Merlin Magic Merlin Magic

MakingMakingMakingMaking! He has been giving guitar lessons to sta? and

donating some of the proceeds to Merlin’s Magic Wand -

raising a whopping £400!

Kerry Thompson from SEA LIFE Loch Lomond SEA LIFE Loch Lomond SEA LIFE Loch Lomond SEA LIFE Loch Lomond is undertaking an incredible challenge! Since losing her Mum at a young age, Kerry has de-veloped a love for water, swimming and ma-rine mammals. Working at SEA LIFE is a dream job for Kerry and she has chosen to channel some of her passion into fundraising.

“Doing the 2 mile swim around Loch Lomond is my way of raising awareness and much need-ed funds for Merlin’s Magic Wand and Sea Life Marine Conservation Trust. This is my way of saying thank you to everyone so far who have helped these charities achieve what they have already, and what they hope to do in the fu-ture. I hope to make you all proud by doing the 2 miles in a record time of 1 hour.”

Good luck Kerry, we’ll all be cheering you on! You can sponsor Kerry at www.justgiving.com/KerryLThompson

Page 4


Step By Step Guide to running a project 1. You choose a local organisation to partner with and check with MMW that they fit our criteria1. You choose a local organisation to partner with and check with MMW that they fit our criteria1. You choose a local organisation to partner with and check with MMW that they fit our criteria1. You choose a local organisation to partner with and check with MMW that they fit our criteria

Your chosen organisation should be local to the attraction and support children (18 and under) who are unable

to visit our attractions due to severe illness, physical disability or other exceptional circumstances.

2. Discuss with your chosen organisation how you can partner with them2. Discuss with your chosen organisation how you can partner with them2. Discuss with your chosen organisation how you can partner with them2. Discuss with your chosen organisation how you can partner with them

A Taking the Magic to the Children project can take many forms from gardens to playground to sensory rooms.

A project should be tailored to the needs of the organisation and represent the brand of your attraction. Be

unique and imaginative!

3. Agree funding for the project with Merlin’s Magic Wand and start design work3. Agree funding for the project with Merlin’s Magic Wand and start design work3. Agree funding for the project with Merlin’s Magic Wand and start design work3. Agree funding for the project with Merlin’s Magic Wand and start design work

In order to maximise the value of the project please negotiate with suppliers – it is for Charity!

4. Taking the Magic to the Children agreement signed4. Taking the Magic to the Children agreement signed4. Taking the Magic to the Children agreement signed4. Taking the Magic to the Children agreement signed

Both of you should discuss the design, sign the TMC agreement, and agree a completion date for the project.

5. Track the costs of the project5. Track the costs of the project5. Track the costs of the project5. Track the costs of the project

Ensure you note all costs, including items and time donated, so that we can understand the value of the project.

6. Organise PR for the opening of the project and invoice Merlin’s Magic Wand for the final amount6. Organise PR for the opening of the project and invoice Merlin’s Magic Wand for the final amount6. Organise PR for the opening of the project and invoice Merlin’s Magic Wand for the final amount6. Organise PR for the opening of the project and invoice Merlin’s Magic Wand for the final amount

Is there an organisation in your local community that you want work with on Is there an organisation in your local community that you want work with on Is there an organisation in your local community that you want work with on Is there an organisation in your local community that you want work with on

Taking the Magic to the Children?Taking the Magic to the Children?Taking the Magic to the Children?Taking the Magic to the Children?

Merlin’s Magic Wand supports seriously ill, disabled and disadvantaged children by supplying tickets

and travel grants to enable them to visit our attractions – however, some children are faced with con-

ditions and circumstances that prevent them from making the trip. This is why we invest in Taking the

Magic to the Children.

Taking the Magic to the Children is a local outreach project designed to help attractions to build posi-

tive, long term relationships within their communities.

We want to ensure that local children who are prevented from visiting our attractions due to severe

illness, physical disability or other exceptional circumstances still have the opportunity to experience

the unique magic of Merlin.

Contact Sarah Ford for more information...

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2014 is a landmark year for Merlin Entertainments. The launch of SEA LIFE Charlotte in the USA has marked the opening of the 100th attraction and Merlin’s Magic Wand will

be recognising this amazing milestone with the 100/100 Event.

Each Merlin attraction will be hosting 100 seriously ill, disabled or disadvantaged chil-dren for one day of their choosing between 20th February and 18th May 2014.

This is your chance to make your attraction known in your community, by working with local groups and charities you can host a fantastic and magical day out for 100 children

who deserve the opportunity to have fun!

Look out for a special edition of this newsletter in May, showing all of the 100/100 events that have taken place all over the world!

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The Magic Wand - February 2014