Together - Derian · PDF filefor as many Derian children, young people and their families as possible. So come on, get inspired by some of these ideas and help make Derian Dreams our

Inside: Get behind our Dreams campaign

Also: Wags and wellies event success; Wayne’s a winner; Remembering Jim and Bessie with gratitude

www.derianhouse.co.ukRegistered Charity No: 1005165

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE • TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE • TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A

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Danni’sDiaryNews and

views from Derian HouseAutumn 2016

Togetherwe can make a

difference

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Pages 9, 13 & 17

In focus… Support Groups

R E M E M B E R I N G

Jim Atherton

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Danni’s Diary / Autumn 2016 Danni’s Diary / Autumn 2016www.derianhouse.co.ukwww.derianhouse.co.uk2 3

“For us, Derian House is a lifeline. We often hear people say that it’s a shame that places like Derian House have to exist, but for us and for others like us, life without Derian House would be dramatically different!”

Laura Joliffe, parent of Ava who is cared for at Derian House.

GET INVOLVEDTo find out more about our activities, please call our fundraising team on 01257 271 271 or visit www.derianhouse.co.uk.

PREFER AN ONLINE VERSION?To save costs we are looking at making our newsletter and other information available online. This means that even more money can be spent on the welfare of our children and their families. To hear from us via email, please email [email protected] with your name, telephone number, postal address and preferred email address and we will do the rest.

WE WANT TO KNOW We hope you enjoy reading about all our amazing fundraisers and their activities. If you have organised, or taken part in an event which has helped Derian we’d love to feature it in our next newsletter. But we can’t include your news unless you tell us! It’s really easy; just send us as much detail as you can, together with a contact number in case we have queries. And make sure you get some good, clear pictures to send us, ideally as high resolution jpegs. The fundraising team have prepared an information sheet, which tells you what we need to know, so please give them a call on 01257 271 271 or email [email protected] and they will send one to you.

4-8 Our Derian Dreams campaign inspires intrepid fundraisers with Bedhead and Duvet Days; Bedtime books; our Sleepwalk

7 Check out our new website9 Raffle winner Chris

donates his prize to Derian; Fierce competition fells our intrepid Dragons; Wigan Council tea party; Warrington Support Group News

10 Steven’s a record breaker at the tender age of 7!

11 Our daunting fundraising target for 2016

12 Beautiful Miss England supports Derian

13 Phil’s gruelling challenge to mark his 50th birthday; Stalwart supporter Harold clocks up 25 years; Kendal Support Group news

14 Wags and Wellies are a hit at Cuerden Valley Park

15 Remembering Jim Atherton; Super swimmer Natalie

16 Meet the Team – spotlight on Kirsty Yates from the admin team

17 Morecambe & Lancaster Support Group news;

Farewell to Bessie Irving18 Join our lottery and you

could win thousands! Co-op Bank reach a new peak in their fundraising;

19 Kidz 4 Kidz celebrates 15 years of supporting Derian; Stars and Cars fundraiser; Doctor’s marathon run for Derian

20 Look out, there’s an Elf about! ‘Watch and Learn Son’; Eagley Band and Smithills Senior Brass Band concert

21 Sweet Smell of Success at our Forget Me Not lunch

22 Wayne’s a winner! You’re never too old to keep fit; Cash counter Lynda saves £££s

23 Remembering Maggie Pearl; Darwen High School challenge; Intrepid volunteers June and Mel

Back Dames on the Run get ready for Act II; Dannie says ‘Save the Date’

cover

The impact that Derian House has on the lives of the children we care for, and the families we support, never fails to make a huge impression on everyone who is involved with the hospice.

Whether they’re trustees, staff, volunteers or members of the Care and Support Teams, the knowledge that Derian House makes such a difference contributes hugely to the continued exceptionally high standards for which Derian House is renowned.

But, without your continued donations of time, money and goods, all of which allow us to meet our financial target, which this year stands at a daunting £3.75 million, we would struggle to find the funds we need.

Within this edition of Danni’s Diary you’ll find pages filled with stories and pictures which reflect the incredible lengths people of all ages go to, and the effort expended in countless bids to raise money in support of Derian House.

Included with Danni’s Diary is our Christmas Catalogue and Winter Sparkle flier which contain information about our cards and seasonal goods, our wonderful winter festival in Astley Park, and of course, our Lights of Love service at Blackburn Cathedral. I know many of you are already involved with these events, but I would like to make this my personal invitation to you, to come along and join us in enjoying all the fun and celebration of the Winter Sparkle, as well as the very special and precious atmosphere of the Lights of Love.

My heartfelt thanks goes to each and every one of you for your tremendous contribution to everything we achieve together in safeguarding the future of Derian House, and the crucial role it plays in the lives of the many children it cares for, and the families it supports… thank you.

Georgina Cox Chief Executive Officer

@DerianHouse Derian House

Welcome to the latest edition of Danni’s Diary In this issue

Don’t miss our magical

“Elf Campaign”

Editor: Susie Poppitt

We want you to get those onesies at the ready, and come and be part of this stunning event in support of Derian House Children’s Hospice.

Starting at 10pm from Astley Park on Saturday, September 17th, this 10K route will take you on a magical walk around Euxton, Buckshaw Village, Botany Brow, Cowling and Chorley, before returning to Astley Park for a midnight feast.

There will be an amazing atmosphere on this celebratory walk for Derian House, so come and join the wonderful team walking to support us. The walk will begin from the Walled Garden in Astley Park and will be stewarded throughout, so you can be assured that your safety is guaranteed.

We will provide you with lots of information about preparing for the walk, including how to structure your own fitness programme, suitable shoes and clothing for the walk, as well as what to bring with you

on the night. But most of all, we’ll give you all the support you need to help us raise as much money as possible and at the same time have a fantastic time taking part in this exciting event.

The Sleepwalk is open to everyone (specific guidelines apply to young people under 16 years of age) so you can enter with your friends, family, college or workmates….whether you’re young or not so young, male or female, families or individuals, we will look forward to welcoming you to this amazing event which we hope will raise more than £15,000.

So come on…….get out those onesies, join the Dream Team, and help us raise vital funds for Derian House.

For a registration pack, please contact the Fundraising Team on 01257 271271 and we will send you the details by return of post. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Get Behind our Dreams Campaign and help us give families a good night’s sleepThe provision of respite care is a lifeline to many of the families we support, not least because it gives them an opportunity to catch up on much needed sleep while their child is being cared for at the hospice. For many of our families, the nature of their child’s illness means that it impacts on their entire family, with sleep deprivation a consequence of broken nights and medication schedules.

In a bid to raise enough funds to provide every family with the opportunity to access respite care and the chance to get a good night’s sleep, we launched the Great Derian Dream Campaign in February.

Our aim is to get as many people as possible to hold an event that reflects the concept of sleep, the night, bedtime or dreams. Individuals, groups, schools, organisations, small companies and large corporates have already got behind us and organised a range of fun-making and fund-raising activities on behalf of Derian. But we still need more participants to help us make dreams come true for as many Derian children, young people and their families as possible.

So come on, get inspired by some of these ideas and help make Derian Dreams our best campaign yet!

As part of our brand new Derian Dreams Campaign, we’ve launched our fantastic

“Sleepwalk under the Stars”


Proud to sponsor Derian Dreams


Bedtime Stories enchant childrenWe launched the next phase of our highly successful Derian Dreams campaign in June, with the release of the Derian Dreams Bedtime Story collection.

Aimed at children up to the age of 10, this unique collection of audio bedtime stories features a range of funny and silly stories to appeal to young people. The imaginative and original stories have been donated by a wide range of children’s authors including Lancashire based Steve Hartley, Ian Bland, Jo Dearden and George Kirk. All have been recorded by well-known personalities who have given up their time to support the Derian Dreams campaign.

Participants include seasoned actors Steve Pemberton, Julie Hesmondalgh, Jane Horrocks, Jenny Platt and Ted Robbins, together with up and coming actress Connie Hatley from Rossendale, who contributed to the collection by narrating a story written by her father, Steve. Comedian Dave Spikey, and rugby stars Danny Cipriani and Mark Cuato brought their own brand of humour and expertise to their individual recordings.

The audio book initiative has been coordinated by Community Fundraiser, John Rullo, who enlisted the support of students at the UTC@MediaCityUK in Salford to help pull the project together. The Audio and Radio department recorded and edited many of the stories in the collection, guided by Teacher and former Radio Producer Louise Clark-Rowbotham.

Said John: “It’s been great fun coordinating the project, and working with our amazing readers. Everyone involved in the bedtime story collection has given their time and expertise freely, and we are so grateful for their support. We’re really excited by this unique initiative and can’t wait to hear the reaction of people once they’ve listened to the stories”.

The audio book is available as a digital download for £7.99 from iTunes and can be purchased as a CD from Derian House via our Christmas catalogue or by contacting John Rullo on 01257 271 271. The download link is:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/derian-dreams-bedtime-story/id1123004063

Or scan me!

Duvet Day winers Hannah and Shelley (right) & Michelle (below)

Local companies have really got behind the idea of our Duvet

Days campaign, with some lucky people getting an extra day’s

holiday, courtesy of the Boss!

The idea is for staff to lobby their boss to offer an additional

day’s holiday per year that will then be promoted throughout the

organisation as a raffle prize. All the staff can get involved and the

proceeds raised will be donated to the hospice.

And of course, your day doesn’t have to be confined to the duvet!

An extra day’s holiday opens up lots of exciting options, and the

Fundraising Team at the hospice would love to receive photographs

of the many ways people spent their prize day’s holiday!

As an added bonus, Snuggledown, the official sponsor of Derian

Dreams, is offering everyone who signs up to the Duvet Day a

discount on their luxury duvets.

Companies can stage their Duvet Day Campaign at any point

throughout the year. Just contact the Derian House Fundraising

Team and they’ll send you your complete information pack

and everything you need to make your Duvet Day a Pay Day

for Derian House!

Call the team direct on 01257 271 271 for more information.

Duvet Days

Check out our new websiteWe’re very proud of our new website,

which launched this autumn after lots of hard work overhauling it

to make it easier to navigate and more interactive. Check it out –

www.derianhouse.co.uk – and let us know what you think!

Wigan Council’s Resources and Organisational Development service has been fundraising on our

behalf for more than a year, with cake sales and dress down days. In April they held an afternoon tea party to celebrate the Queen’s 90th Birthday

and St George’s Day and raised £425.55

The building work being carried out at Derian House over the past few months has resulted in an unexpected donation!

John Watt (pictured left) Site Manager for contractors Eric Wright at Derian House was happy to be the bearer of good news that, having won a Samsung Galaxy 3 Tab in a raffle, Chris Goring of C & C Supplies, would be donating it to the hospice. The gift was accepted on site by Head of Fundraising Susie Poppitt.

The Tooth Fairy has done her bit for Derian… with a little help from a caring Burnley boy and the FUNDA summer play scheme.

Whittlefield Primary School pupil Scott Lewis Hughes lost the second of his front teeth recently. And the big-hearted seven-year-old decided straight away to hand over the £4 he had been left by the Tooth Fairy to help the young people and families supported by Derian House. He had found out about the work of the hospice during his action-packed sessions at the FUNDA play scheme based at Burnley College this summer.

“Many thanks to Scott for being so thoughtful and thinking of us here at Derian,” said community fund-raiser Jo Moss.

Kieran Fletcher, founder of FUNDA, a Burnley firm which encourages children to become active through holiday camps, workshops and teacher training, explained: “It’s good to work with Derian House where we can, and let the young people know about the work that goes on there. We’ve held sponsored activities with the children, been into primary schools and even dressed up.”

Scott’s mum, Kelly Hughes, added: “Scott loves his time at FUNDA and I couldn’t believe it when he came home and said what he’d done for Derian House. It was so thoughtful!”

helps out Derian HouseThe Tooth Fairy


Local schools have got behind our fun campaign, allowing pupils and staff alike to forget the hair dryer routine and for just £1 donation create their own stylish bed head interpretations in aid of Derian. Some of the

results have been quite hair raising.

This is part of our two year Derian Dreams campaign, so there’s still plenty of time to get

involved.

For more details, give the fundraising team a call on 01257 271 271 and they’ll send you

an information pack.

create lots of laughs!

Warrington Group co-ordinator Irene Roberts is probably one of the most resourceful of our volunteers, using her multi-tasking skills to ensure she maximises every possible opportunity in support of Derian House.She and her band of trusty helpers have been raising funds for Derian for more than 19 years. Among her most stalwart supporters are her husband Terry and her sister, Joyce Burgess, who is assistant to treasurer Sue Pollitt. This tightly knit team is ably supported by a wider group of volunteers too numerous to mention.

Last year their efforts from a variety of fundraising activities raised an amazing £5,000. Many of their events are held at either Irlam Social Club or Cadishead Conservative Club, where Irene’s pensioners’ club, the Jollies, also meets every Monday afternoon. In addition to the usual fundraising activities, resourceful Irene also publicises her presence at the club so people can drop off donations of clothes, gifts, and other items which can be sold in the Derian shops. She also uses her garage to store goods for the shops and the Derian van calls to collect the items she gathers. “It’s a great way of giving some extra help to the hospice without constantly asking people for money,” explained Irene. “People round here are so generous and we collect some beautiful clothes, together with furniture and items from house clearances that make a lot of money for the hospice’s shops.”

WARRINGTON

Support Group News

Our annual Charity Dragon Boat race

took place on Sunday 7th August at Preston Docks.

With some 25 teams competing in heats throughout the day

competition was fierce. Sadly the

OMNI RMS team, which had paddled the winning boat for Derian for the past two years, failed

to hang on to their title, but everyone enjoyed a fun day

out and we’re hopeful that they’ll

be able to regain the title in 2017.


Steven, from Oswaldtwistle, took on the Three Peaks challenge, scaling Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon with his mum Caroline to raise funds for Derian. And they managed to finish in 22 hours, 54 minutes, just over an hour inside the 24-hour limit. Steven is believed to be the youngest climber ever to achieve the feat.

Caroline and Steven set off at 5pm on Friday, May 27, to climb Ben Nevis in Scotland, arriving back at the base in four hours and 45 minutes, then started Scafell Pike in Cumbria at around 3.50am the following day, climbing that in three hours, 45 minutes. They set off on the final peak, Snowdon in North Wales at 12.45pm on Saturday, May 28, which they completed in three hours, 19 minutes.

Mum Caroline reported that Steven, who has been doing major walks for most of his life, finished in fine form, even running down the highest mountain in Wales to put the seal on the challenge. She said: “He slept the whole way between the peaks in the car, and ran back down Snowdon to make it under 23 hours. He wasn’t moaning or tired, he was just great.

“Steven started walking with my Grandad and me, coming up and around the reservoirs. He was three when he did his first, five-mile walk, he just loves it.”

He chose to support Derian House because it was a local charity and he could visit and see how the money he has raised will help the work of the hospice. He and his Mum raised £3,000.

Caroline and Steven stopped at each summit to pose for pictures, and were accompanied by their 16-week-old spaniel Rosie on the climb up Scafell Pike. They walk together most weekends with their two dogs, sometimes accompanied by Steven’s dad Nicholas and his four-year-old sister Jessica. For their next challenge, they plan to climb the Yorkshire three peaks next year.

Steven’s a record breaker at the tender age of 7!Super fit Steven Brown has marched into the record books by climbing three mountains in less than 24 hours.

This is the amount we have to raise this year to continue to meet the needs of children and families throughout

Lancashire and Cumbria!

That means we need...

Fundraising target for 2016

£3.75 million

£312,500 per month

12p per second

£72,115 per week

£10,245 per day

£427 per hour£7 per minute

In the time it has taken you to read this, we need to have raised £5 towards our 2016 target!

One of our longest serving support groups – Kendal - has decided to retire. The team has raised in excess of £300,000 over the years, through many and varied fantastic fundraising efforts. They asked us to include the following message:

We would like to say a very sincere and heartfelt thank you to every single person who has helped us, either directly or indirectly, over the past 25 years. One of our members said he has “happy memories of the whole thing”, which really echoes what all of us feel. So on behalf of everyone involved, past and present, with Kendal & District Support Group – Thank you

And, in turn, we’d like to thank each and every member of the support group for their tremendous efforts on our behalf over the years.

They’ll be an incredibly hard act to follow but if anyone else in the North Lakes area would consider helping Derian we’d be delighted to hear from them. Please contact us on 01257 271 271.

KENDAL

Support Group News


A shopping trip to Preston was the catalyst that kick-started a whole new life for Ribbleton beauty Elizabeth Grant. After being spotted doing a bit of retail therapy, Elizabeth was invited to take part in the Miss Preston contest, where she promptly won the title before going on to win the Miss England contest.Now she has set her sights firmly on the Miss World title, to be held in Washington in December, with Derian House set to benefit from her ongoing support.

Elizabeth has a very special and poignant connection with Derian House, for when she was just 4 years old, she lost her elder sister Melanie to a brain tumour. But Elizabeth firmly believes that Melanie is watching over her family and has influenced everything good that has happened in their lives. “If Melanie was still here now, I do believe we would be inseparable and the best of friends,” she said.

She also revealed the special significance of the number 12 to her family. “It is very special to us. Twelve was the age Melanie was when she passed away. It is also the date of my birthday – April 12. Twelve is also the age difference between myself and my older brother Chris.

“There as so many things that have happened during the years where the number 12 has been significant for us, and just to cap everything I was number 12 in both

the Miss Preston and the Miss England competitions – and I won them both! I might put in my request now to be number 12 in Miss World!”

Melanie was diagnosed with a brain tumour when her parents noticed she wasn’t using her left hand properly and having difficulty gripping her fork. She was just eight years old. Melanie battled through the ordeal of brain surgery and much to her parents’ relief was given the all clear. She seemed well for a further four years and was able to get on with her life.

But in October 2000, a devastating diagnosis revealed the tumour was back and more threatening than

ever. Melanie underwent emergency surgery and had high doses of chemotherapy.

However, the treatment was too much for her little body and the chemotherapy, intended to save her life, damaged her lungs. She died at Derian House in 2001 at the age of 12, leaving her little sister devastated.

Said Elizabeth: “Derian House helped me a lot with the grief and that’s why I

am raising money for them as Miss England. They were there for us as a family, and this is my

opportunity to give something back.”

Elizabeth is keen to support Derian House through a number of events throughout the year, and will be releasing a single in the run up to the Miss World contest which will be a means of raising substantial funds for the hospice.

“Derian House helped me a lot with

the grief and that’s why I am raising money for them as Miss England. They were there for us as a family, and

this is my opportunity to give something back.”

miss england supports derian

Back row – Joan Hanson, Joan Hodgson, Kevin Bateman, Judith Edmondson. Second row – David Hanson, Duncan MacFarlane, Margaret Bateman, Shirley Postlethwaite, Kath Gaitskell, Joyce Clark.

Front row, seated – Barbara and Louis Mason

As Phil Johnson turned 50 in June 2016, he chose to celebrate in a momentous way. He embarked on a solo 330 mile round trip on

a recumbent trike and trailer

from Castlebay to Lewis Lighthouse and back. The journey for Phil was hard going, but he raised the fantastic sum of £1409.66.

Phil and his partner Jane will be getting married in October so everyone at Derian we would like to congratulate them on their forthcoming nuptials.

One of our hardest working supporters is celebrating a special anniversary this year. Harold Joynson is a founding member of our Wigan support group, which was formed in 1991.

The group came into being after Sue Edwards, one of the original friends of Derian House, visited the men’s group at St Peter’s Church in Wigan to talk about the work and services provided by the hospice. Recalled Harold: “I asked so many questions that they asked me there and then to become part of the first Wigan support group.”

Since then, Harold and his wife, Margaret, have worked tirelessly, visiting schools and groups to raise awareness and fundraise for the Hospice. Recently they popped in to the hospice with a donation in the memory of Mr Les Bell, whose wife ran a slimming group in the 1990’s and began supporting Derian after meeting Harold at a talk.

Harold has fond memories of wearing the old Derian Dog Mascot, especially in the colder months when joining Wigan Athletic on the pitch at half time for cheque presentations.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Harold and his wife Margaret for their continued support and hard work.

If you would like to become involved in supporting Derian House please contact us on 01257 271 271 or [email protected]

Stalwart supporter Harold

clocks up 25 years

Harold Joynson and Margaret

Phil Johnson with Danni

Huge thanks to Natalie Rigby who took part in a sponsored swim for

Derian House as part of her Bishop of York Young Leaders award.

Supported by her Dad, Howard, Natalie, who attends Bury Church of

England High School, chose to raise money for Derian as family friend

Tess Sullivan comes to the hospice for respite care. The duo powered

ahead in the swimming pool at Harwood Sports Village to complete 68

lengths, which is just over a mile, in an hour. It was a great achievement

for Natalie, who before she commenced training was able to swim a

maximum of just five lengths. Their efforts have boosted our funds by an

amazing £1,527.51.

Super swimmer Natalie

R E M E M B E R I N G

Danni’s Diary / Autumn 2016 Danni’s Diary / Autumn 2016www.derianhouse.co.uk14 15

Wagging tails and lots of wellies were the order of the day at Cuerden Valley Park earlier this year, when we held the first ever Derian

House Sponsored Dog Walk in March.

A host of intrepid dog owners and nearly 140 of their canine chums took part in the two mile sponsored walk, savouring the natural beauty

of the park on a perfect spring morning.

Doggies who completed the walk received a neckerchief and a free doggy bag full of

goodies to take home, whilst owners had the chance to peruse a wide selection of stalls

selling a range of all things canine, cute and cuddly.

The event was sponsored by Wagg’s dog food supplier, Tagmakers, Pets at Home, Alpha Pet Warehouse and Andy’s Pet Shop. Stall

holders included, Mucky Paws Photography, Ribble Vets, Skool for ScHOUNDrels, Dogbola, Maplewood Pet supplies and K9 Dog goodies

Raising almost £3,000, our Wags and Wellies event looks set to be a regular feature of the

Derian House events calendar.

Get ready to sign up for next year’s event on Sunday, March 19th 2017

are a hit at Cuerden Valley Park

Derian House has been rightly proud of one of its most enthusiastic and long standing supporters, Jim Atherton, who, over the years, walked away with some of the most prestigious awards for dialect poetry in the North West.

Jim, from Darwen, was well known throughout the region, not just for his recitation of dialect poetry, but as an author of dialect poems for which he won awards from the Edwin Waugh Society, the Lancashire Authors Association, the Lancashire Dialect Society, and Blackburn Festival of Speech and Drama.

Sadly, Jim died in May this year after many years of fundraising for Derian House. Much of the income was raised through events he attended along with his late wife, Edna.

Jim first began fundraising for Derian House by selling leaflets featuring his poetry with all proceeds coming to the hospice. By the end of the first year, Jim, and Edna, who acted as his secretary and attended events with him to sell the leaflets, had raised in excess of £1,000. As Jim himself joked at the time: “Now I think about it, I do all the work, and she gets all the money!”.

What started out as a year-long fundraising campaign in 2000, continued up to the present day with donations in memory of Edna following her death in 2014, in lieu of gifts for Jim’s 90th birthday in 2015, and from family and friends in memory of Jim himself in May this year. The total raised stands at an amazing £13,076….a fitting tribute to a wonderful and talented man and his wife, for whom Derian held a special place in their hearts.

Jim Atherton

Howard Rigby and Natalie with Tess Sullivan (centre)

www.derianhouse.co.uk

Morecambe & Lancaster support group has stepped down, having raised just over £50,000 in the last three years.Its members, Hazel Williams (Chairperson) and Alan Lees (Treasurer) have been supported by a team comprising Karen Threfall, Dotty Haworth, Carol Fleetwood, Ian & Diane Clifton.

Ian and Diane are known throughout the area for bring festive cheer each year by illuminating their house with festive lights for people to enjoy and donate money for the hospice.

Hazel is grandma to Robbie Young, who used to come to Derian House for respite care along with his Mum (Heather) & Dad (Chris) and younger sister Bethany. Her husband, David, helps out regularly, helping out at bag packing events and tin shaker collections.

He’s not the only family member who helps out. Lileigh Threfall, Karen’s 16 year old daughter, is a great help to the group, selling raffle tickets and using her artistic talents when required.

Many of the events they have organised have taken place at Smokey O’Connor’s pub in Morecambe totally free of charge, thanks to the generosity of owner Sean O’Connor.

Other activities have included a Derian 20th Anniversary Tea Party at Asda in Lancaster, a Medium Nights event with Maddie Mitch, and children’s Christmas parties every year at Smokey’s, at which the group could always rely on a host of support from people including, Harry Davies, Alan Strong, Steven Simpson and Matt Park.

This group took over from Bessie Irving, one of our longest serving volunteers, in 2013. Sadly Bessie has recently passed away. Read our tribute below.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Hazel and the rest of the group for their fantastic contribution over the last three years.

MORECAMBE & LANCASTER

Kirsty joined us in 2013, initially as a part time member of the team, before taking up a full time post when one became available in March 2014. She is one of a team of four, working for admin manager Frances Lees.

Kirsty’s job at Derian combines her two great loves – children and admin! She worked as a nursery nurse for 11 years, latterly as the deputy manager, before she decided on a career change and took up an admin role.

Her work is very varied, involving managing referrals, systemising medical details, taking minutes of meetings, manning reception, dealing with donations, liaising with the shops, greeting the numerous visitors to the hospice, from bereaved parents to the many celebrities who visit. “No two days are the same,” says bubbly Kirsty. “Some days you manage to grab a few hours of quiet time that enables you to concentrate on other aspects of the job, other days it’s a constant stream of people with different requirements and it’s our team’s job to look after them all. I am constantly amazed and humbled by the incredible kindness and generosity of the many people who support us.”

Kirsty is well equipped to understand the traumas a lot of the families we help are facing, having had her own share of difficulties in her life. She lost her brother at the age of 27 after he struggled with mental illness for many years. “Not only do I understand what it’s like to lose a close family member, but I also understand how siblings feel when all the parents’ attention seems to be focused on a brother or sister,” she explained. She also appreciates what it’s like to be the child in the spotlight, having been treated successfully for cancer, which sadly left her unable to have children.

Now happily married to her childhood sweetheart – husband Phil found her on Facebook and got in touch – she is stepmum to Phil’s 10 year old son, Patrick, whom she adores. Kirsty still lives in Brinscall, where she was born. She and Phil have recently bought their first home, and are spending every spare minute renovating the property, which she admits is a ‘huge project’. Whenever they can, the couple love to escape in their camper van to their favourite destination, the west coast of Scotland.

In each edition of Danni’s Diary we put the spotlight on a valued member of the dedicated team working at the hospice. This time it’s the turn of Kirsty Yates, who is part of our Admin team.

Danni’s Diary / Autumn 2016 Danni’s Diary / Autumn 201616 17

Meet the Team

It was with great sadness that earlier this year we heard of the death of Bessie Irving who for many years was the Chairman of the Lancaster and Morecambe Support Group.

Bessie was a founding member of the group and responded to the call to action by Margaret Vinten, Founder and Lifetime President of Derian House who drove forward the original Capital Appeal for Derian

House in the wake of the Haydock Family’s initial fundraising campaign in 1991.

Bessie was a supremely enthusiastic fundraiser who every year transformed her spare bedroom into a stockroom for Derian House Christmas cards and seasonal goods, and along with the rest of her group sold the goods at countless markets, raising thousands of pounds for the hospice every year. She was a key figure in supporting Ian Clifton in his Lincoln Close Illuminations fundraising venture every Christmas and was on hand for the big switch on with John Gilmore of BBC Radio Lancs.

It was only in 2010 that Bessie stepped down from Chairmanship of the Group, but nonetheless continued to play a vital role in supporting the continued fundraising of the Support Group in the Lancaster and Morecambe area.

Over the years the support group has raised a staggering £283,332.30, and Bessie herself raised a further £10,751.16 via her own fundraising initiatives.

Bessie will be a much missed friend of Derian House, and we send our condolences to her friends and family.

F A R E W E L L T O

Bessie

Support Group News

www.derianhouse.co.ukwww.derianhouse.co.uk

Once again we are hugely grateful to Mick Croskery and Colin Wilby, who organised their annual Stars and Cars event in support of the hospice. This successful fun event was held at Parklands High School, Chorley, and raised a massive £8,413.09. Mick and Colin were helped by a great team, including Optimus Prime, Lightning McQueen, Batman, Stormtrooper’s Maleficient and Princess Aurora who accompanied them for the cheque handover.

The next Stars and Cars event will take place on Sunday 9th April 2017.

By joining the Derian House lottery, you can help us reach our £3.75 million fundraising target for this year, and at the same

time maybe become one of our many lucky winners!We can offer you the choice of joining our Goldline or Lifeline Draw, the two lotteries

we run in association with Bolton Wanderers. This means you can support Derian House and have the opportunity of winning up to £5,000 in the Goldline draw or £7,500

in the Lifeline draw. With your help, we can all be winners! It costs just £1 a week to join the Goldline draw and £2 a week for the Lifeline draw. Derian House will receive 70p from every £1 you spend. You can set up your direct debit on a weekly, monthly,

quarterly, half yearly or yearly basis. Simply visit our website, www.derianhouse.co.uk to access one or both the application forms. Complete and sign before returning to

the Promoter. You will then receive your membership card(s) with your draw numbers, further information and details of where you can check the results each week.

REMEMBER, YOU’VE GOT TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT!

A team of determined fundraisers from The Co-operative Bank

plc are stepping up to complete a tough challenge to help

Derian House.

The 46-strong team of colleagues, friends and family from the

bank are to tackle a 20-mile Kinder Scout hike – from Hayfield

to Edale and back – on September 24th, hoping to bring in

£4,000 in the process.

Their mission comes on the back of last year’s fundraising

effort which saw a smaller group took on a Three Peaks

Challenge which brought in £2,494.88 through sponsorship.

Co-op Bank staff set to reach a new ‘peak’ in their fundraising

JOIN OUR LOTTERY AND YOU COULD WIN THOUSANDS!


Images courtesy of: Steve Salmon Photography

Doctor’s Marathon Run for Derian Dr John Randall donned his running vest and trainers and took to the roads around Samlesbury to step up his training for the London Marathon in a bid to raise as much sponsorship as possible for Derian House.

Within the space of a month John had raised over £1,000, which with Gift Aid added on brought in over £1,250.00!

Said Susie Poppitt: “What can we say except, “WOW”, and thank you SO much to John!

Back in 2001 performing arts tutor Cathy Thompson-Evans had a vision – to set up a theatre for youngsters and raise money for children’s charities at the same time. That was the beginning of Kidz 4 Kidz.

Cathy recalls those early days of an organisation that has given confidence and pleasure to hundreds of children and also raised more than £12,000 for local children’s charities.

To celebrate their 15th anniversary Kidz 4 Kidz hosted a huge variety show, “Step Back in Time”, at the Charter Theatre, on Saturday July 9, with all proceeds from the show for Derian House.

This is the second fundraising campaign that Cathy has undertaken for Derian House, with £1,665 already raised for Derian in association with AJ’s Dream, a fundraising and awareness initiative begun in memory of a little boy cared for by Derian last year.

A huge thank you is due to Cathy, her wonderful team and all the amazing children at Kidz4Kidz for their ongoing support of Derian House.

Kidz 4 Kidz celebrates 15 years by supporting Derian

Dad comes out of retirement to show son secrets of the beautiful game.

Local dad Stephen Hall decided that shouting advice from the side-lines to his son, Jameson was not enough so took matters into his own hands. He resolved to come out of football retirement and play in a “proper game to show his son how Daddy played the game”.

What resulted was an action-packed day of football and family fun at Buckshaw Village football pitch, with a ‘Watch and Learn Son’ team of local Dads taking on a team from Redrow Homes pulled together by Stephen’s neighbour, Barry Holden.

Stephen’s wife, Shelley, played an integral role in making the day a success. As well as the football there was a homemade bake sale and a raffle. Overall an impressive £2,419.95 was raised for the hospice. Said Stephen: “Supporting Derian was an easy decision as they provide much-needed support for children and their parents. Anything we can do to help Derian House provide respite for these families is well worth the effort”.

The Eagley Band and Smithills School Senior Brass Band joined forces with Smithills School Community Choir in Bolton Parish Church, raising more than £1,300 for Derian.

Derian House has got a whole host of Santa’s little helpers on the horizon, not only to make sure that children throughout the region have been good in the run up to Christmas, but also to guarantee that lots of money is raised for the hospice.

The Derian Elves are a completely new addition to the Christmas campaign and are designed to appeal to parents and children alike. Parents can purchase them to entertain children in the run-up to Christmas, placing the elves round the house as Santa’s little helpers to check that children have been good! And children themselves will be enchanted by the rosy cheeked little characters who will undoubtedly entertain both them and their friends as the Christmas fun builds.

Priced at £1.50 each, the Derian Elves can be purchased individually through the Christmas catalogue, or are available to shops, schools, libraries and churches etc, in boxes containing 24 each of 2 designs.

Available from the beginning of September, we want as many people as possible to get involved in our magical “Elf Campaign”.

For more information, please contact the Fundraising Team on 01257 271 271

Look out, look out….

there’s an elf about!!


The sweet smell of success…

Glamour, beauty and the scent of a wonderful selection of perfumes prevailed at our ninth annual Forget Me Not Ladies lunch.

Held once again in May at beautiful Mitton Hall in Whalley, near Clitheroe, around 120 ladies attended the event to experience a day of fun, fashion and laughter. Starting with a sparkling reception, ladies were able to browse and buy from a wide range of hair, beauty, jewellery and fashion products before enjoying the spectacular fashion show from Maureen Cookson Fashions. Compered by Hilary Cookson with her superb and highly entertaining commentary, the fashion show proved a huge hit with everyone, before the sumptuous three course lunch provided by the Mitton Hall chef.

They were then entertained by the fabulous Adam Brown singing his wonderful range of swing classics, before the fascinating presentation by Pulse of Perfumery Director, Peter Murray who provided spectacular prizes of exclusive perfumes from his beautiful Knutsford perfume boutique.

This wonderful event brought in more than £6,000 for Derian and we’re already looking forward to staging next year’s event!

‘Watch and Learn, Son!’

Cash counter Lynda saves us £££s Regular volunteer Lynda Edwards saves us hours as well as pounds by coming in on a regular basis to empty and count the money raised via our collecting boxes. Hubby Ray also helps out as a volunteer driver and often goes out collecting the full boxes for Lynda to empty and count. “I’m happy to be saving them money as otherwise they’d have to pay someone to do what I do. That money can instead be used to help the children,” says Lynda.

Wayne’s a Winner!Wayne Gaskell is a shadow of his former self, having shed an amazing 11st 7 ½lbs in just under two years via a combination of diet and exercise. With just 1st 5lbs to go before he reaches his target, Wayne, who lives in Bolton, entered the Salford Triathlon in July to raise funds for the hospice.When Wayne contacted us earlier this year to let us know that he was intending to support us he wrote: “I am a 50 year old 6’4” man who unwittingly managed to get himself to 30st 5lb in weight which as you can imagine caused numerous problems with my physical and mental health. In October 2014 I decided that enough was enough after wearing out every excuse about my size. In conjunction with Weight Watchers and the immeasurable support of my family and friends I have so far managed to lose 11st 7 ½lbs. Getting myself to that size isn’t something I am proud of nor does it come easy writing about it in an open statement for the world to see and I really think that some good needs to come from this.”Well, not only is Wayne an inspiration to others needing to lose weight, he is also an inspirational fundraiser, beating his £1,000 target to donate £1231.75And now Wayne’s another winner, having taken the Number 1 slot in this year’s Dames on the Run event, our panto themed men only fundraiser aimed at supporting our amazing Derian Dads. See the back page for more information.

Every year Darwen Vale High School challenges its students and staff to take part in a six and a half hour circuit training marathon and also raise funds. In order to do so the students first have to commit to take part in training sessions after school and prove that they have the ability to take on the challenge. The initiative is led by Teacher Mr Wayne Hartley and is supported by many other staff from Darwen Vale. This year’s challenge raised £4,546, bringing the total raised over the years to a staggering £21,862.97.

Volunteers June and Mel Mann took part in the first ever Blackburn Cathedral Flower Festival in June by setting up a stall selling flowers with individual labels on them for people to remember loved ones. These were placed in netting around the tree at the entrance of the Cathedral, which welcomed thousands of visitors during the four day extravaganza. Their efforts raised £415.56 for Derian.

Remembering Maggie Pearl…..The memory of little Maggie Pearl Parsons will provide a lasting legacy to support bereaved families at Derian House long into the future.

Sarah Bernasconi and her fiancé Mark Parsons lost their beautiful baby girl just over a year ago, and devastated by her loss, began fundraising for cold cots - more affectionately known as cuddle cots. Sarah and Mark held fun days and sold items such as clothes and gifts through the Maggie Pearl Parsons Legacy, Stillborn Fundraising Awareness Group on Facebook. Their incredibly successful fundraising has enabled them to purchase a cot, worth £7,000, for Derian House.

Sarah, 35, of Blackburn, said: “Last June we had our baby girl, Maggie, who was stillborn at Burnley General Hospital. We were given a cold cot, which had been donated by a family whose baby, Oliver, had died. It was particularly comforting, as Maggie’s half brother is called Oliver.

“We named our baby Maggie Pearl, after my grandmother Margaret, who had recently passed away, and my nana, Pearl. Because the coldness preserved Maggie, we were able to keep her for three days, which was lovely. We were able to dress her, and my family from Spain had time to visit her.

“Since then we decided to do fundraising as we believe every

hospital should have one. They are £7,000 and we have gained enough donations for three so far. We donated our third one to Derian House as it supports a lot of families with angel babies.

“Derian House is an amazing place and helps so many people. It has a sunflower room, which is a chilled room where children who have died can rest, but we felt babies need to sleep in a cot.

“The cot has a gerbera flower, which is Maggie’s flower. Her memory will live on and this cot will help other parents, just as Oliver’s cot helped Mark and me.”

Sarah and Mark hope to carry on their fundraising to raise another cot in the future.

“We just want to help make the grieving process smoother, allowing families to create memories. This is also our way of keeping Maggie’s memory alive and gives myself and Mark a reason for carrying on,” added Sarah.

Susie Poppitt, Head of Fundraising, said: “We are really so grateful to Sarah and Mark for this wonderful cold cot. It provides such a beautiful crib for babies to rest in. Out of a really tragic situation has come something that will make a real difference to other families, and we can’t thank Sarah, Mark and Oliver enough for undertaking a campaign that will help so many Derian House families.”

You’re never too old to keep fit!Regulars at keep fit classes across Chorley, Leyland and Clayton-le-Woods have raised an impressive £2,636 for Derian House. The ladies, some of whom are 90-plus years old, specifically asked for the money to be used to help the young people who are supported by Derian Lodge. Much of it will be used to buy a HydroGym Sling which will especially help young people from The Lodge access the pool area for therapy and fun.

“It’s been a pleasure to meet the ladies from the keep-fit group and hear how they’ve been raising so much money for Derian House,” said community fund-raiser Judy Miller. “I’d like to say thanks for choosing us as your charity – your donation will really make a big difference.”

Danni’s Diary / Autumn 2016 Danni’s Diary / Autumn 2016www.derianhouse.co.uk22 23www.derianhouse.co.uk

Following the phenomenal success of last year’s inaugural Dames on the Run 5K, we are delighted to announce ‘ACT II’ of this wonderful pantomime themed event.

We’re going all out to sign up as many men as possible for this year’s event in support of all the Dads whose children are cared for by Derian House.

So come on guys… we want you to put on a dress, grab a handbag and reach for the lipstick, and if you’re prepared to do all three and take part in a 5K Run for Derian House, you’re the man for us!

Scheduled for Sunday, 9th October 2016 in Astley Park, Chorley, Dames on the Run is a fantastic ‘men only’ fundraising event for Derian House. This is a great way to get together with your mates, have a great time and raise vital funds for Derian House.

We’re inviting guys throughout Lancashire and Cumbria to find their inner ‘Widow Twankey’ or Mother Goose’, or simply get in touch with their feminine side, and go on the run for Derian.

Whether you’re a member of a theatre group, rugby team, fire fighter or policeman, accountant, train driver or teacher this is the event to turn you into a heroine, blushing bride or celebrity dame.

With prizes for the winner of the 5K Run, Best Dressed Dame and a Photo Competition, there’s something for everyone! Contact the Fundraising Team on 01257 271 271 for a Registration Pack, or sign up online using Eventbrite on our Facebook page and help us raise funds to provide crucial care and support for life threatened children and their families throughout Lancashire.

Calling all men!

View all our upcoming events at:

www.derianhouse.co.uk

Save the Date!2 0 1 6

Danni says

Registered Charity Number 1005165

Derian House Children’s HospiceChancery Road, Astley Village, Chorley Lancashire PR7 1DH

t: 01257 233 300e: [email protected]: www.derianhouse.co.uk

Astley Park, Chorley, Sunday 9th October

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH 10AM – 4PM, ASTLEY PARK, CHORLEY

S P E C T A C U L A R 2 0 1 6Winter Sparkle

LIGHTS OF LOVE

S E R V I C E

Blackburn Cathedral, Friday, 2nd December

Sunday, March 19th 2017

Documents

Together - Derian · PDF filefor as many Derian children, young people and their families as possible. So come on, get inspired by some of these ideas and help make Derian Dreams our