Wonderful donation from St Peter’s School, Huntingdon
A huge thank you to Ms Annie Matthews, Assistant Head Teacher at
St Peter’s School, Huntingdon and all the children who raised an amazing £880.79 for dreamdrops by organising a Christmas Jumper day.
The children were taking part in the National Citizenship services programme as part of their social action group. This donation will go towards helping local children and we cannot thank them enough!
Bumper Christmas toy delivery!
A huge thank you to Dunelm in Huntingdon who, along with their customers, have kindly donated a huge selection of Christmas presents to ‘dreamdrops’.
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of ‘dreamdrops’ said: “We have had wonderful support from everyone at Dunelm and cannot express how grateful we are for their generosity in helping local children. We could not do any of this wonderful work without their help.
“In total this year, the charity has received gifts from individuals and local businesses for over 200 children, including those in the Collins Club and their siblings, along with children who have life limiting illnesses and their siblings. Those who were unable to visit Santa this week, will have their gifts from Santa delivered by the Specialist Community Nursing team over Christmas.
“The kindness and generosity of people across Huntingdonshire to support children who are being nursed at home is outstanding. Thank you all so much for making Christmas a magical time for children who can often find life a bit of a struggle. Happy Christmas to you all!”
Hunts Phil Christmas Concert – a huge success!
A grand total of £121-00 was raised at the The HuntsPhil Christmas Concert raffle. Janet Dullaghan provided the most amazing raffle prizes and the stall looked very impressive!
Thank you to Karen and John Prestage, Pauline Rawlings and Chris Luckham for all their hard work in setting up and running the raffle, and also doing the ‘front of house’ before the concert begins. There was a great atmosphere, children came in clutching their teddy bears ready to listen to a story about Paddington Bear, and regular concert goers were genuinely pleased to see us and everyone was in a festive mood. It was another wonderful night where the very kind donations will help support local children, thank you!
Wonderful toy donation!
Dreamdrops has received a wonderful toy donation from Dovista UK Ltd for local children who have either life-limiting illnesses or suffer from hidden disabilities such as autism, and for their siblings.
They donated the most amazing selection; with something there for every age group, and there will be a lot of very happy children when they open their presents on Christmas morning. A huge thank you to Agnieszka Krysztul, Commercial Project Co-ordinator and everyone at Dovista UK Ltd and a very Happy Christmas to you all!
We cannot thank you all enough for the support that you have given to ‘dreamdrops’ to help us make Christmas special for these children.
On a Mission Fitness – Christmas Carol Singing
A huge thank you to On a Mission Fitness who took on the challenge of Carol singing around St Ives to raise awareness and support for Dreamdrops.
They raised a fantastic £235.90 for local children, we really do appreciate your support!
Local children receive a surprise visit from Santa!
Local boys and girls had a huge surprise this week when they had an early visit from Santa!
Santa popped along to the Barley Mow in Hartford and whilst his reindeers are resting for the big night, the Huntingdon and District Round Table were there to help him hand out presents along with Cllr Karl Webb, Mayor of Huntingdon.
Pauline Rawlings and Wendy Baker, dreamdrops committee members
Cllr Karl Webb said: “I had a wonderful time helping Santa to bring a smile to the children’s
faces. A huge thank you to the dreamdrops committee and volunteers for making this
possible, and for inviting me along to join in the fun.”
Christine Luckham, dreamdrops committee member, who helped to co-ordinate the event,
said: “It was so much fun, and the children were amazing. Each family had their own time
slot to visit Santa making it extra special.”
Twins Nathan and Matthew along with their sister Emily and brother Joshua, were
delighted that Santa had made a special visit on their sixth birthday.
All the children and their families had a wonderful time and Santa was thrilled to see everyone,
he said: “Even though it is my busiest time of the year, it was a pleasure to stop off in Huntingdon and have a talk and give presents to some wonderful children. Just to see their faces made the evening worthwhile. Merry Christmas to you all.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops said: “Santa’s surprise visit was a huge success, and everyone was delighted to see him. A big thank you to the Huntingdon and District Round Table for helping Santa on the day and to Cllr Karl Webb for choosing dreamdrops as his charity of the year. And thank you to Mark Dalton at the Barley Mow, for hosting Santa’s visit, we are overwhelmed by the wonderful support we receive for local families, and this was the perfect way to bring some festive joy to the local children.”
Ho, Ho, Ho, Santa flies in for a second visit
to see local children!
Santa made a second visit to see local children this week at the St Neots Rugby Club.
The Round Table of St Neots joined Santa on his visit and helped to hand out presents to all the children, including presents to some seriously ill children which included quilted book cushions, which have a slot to tuck a book into plus beautifully made lap quilts to keep them warm.
Santa enjoyed his first visit so much he wanted to come back and meet more children. He said: “After such a hard year for local families, I wanted to spread as much joy as I can before the big day, and I loved my second visit to St Neots this week. I met lots of lovely children and gave them some early Christmas presents and it was wonderful to see their happy faces. Happy Christmas to all the local children and their families!”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops said: “Santa’s second visit was a huge surprise this week and all the local children were thrilled to see him. Santa was able to command huge snow flurries to descend as they came forward to meet him, one family at a time.
“We cannot thank the Round Table of St Neots enough for stepping in to help Santa before his big day, and a huge thank you to Christine Luckham, Mike Andrews, Pauline Rawlings and Wendy Baker, dreamdrops committee members, for helping at the event.
“We receive such amazing support all year round for our charity dreamdrops and this was a wonderful way to bring some festive fun to local families, thank you to everyone involved, and may I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year!”
Photos:
Santa with his reindeer
Santa with dreamdrops committee members: Mike Andrews, Pauline Rawlings, Wendy Baker, Christine Luckham and Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops.
Santa with local children and St Neots Rugby Club
Christmas Tree takes pride of place outside
the Children’s Outpatient’s Reception, Huntingdon
A huge thank you to Frosts Garden Centre at Brampton who kindly donated this beautiful Christmas tree to our charity last year, where we placed it outside the Children’s Outpatients at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. It was re-erected again this year by some of the ‘dreamdrops’ committee members, and is continuing to give great pleasure to everyone who sees it. To quote a member of staff who saw it on her way in to work:
“The Tree looks fantastic and really does add Christmas cheer, for children and their families and staff.”
Thanks go to Mike Andrews, Wendy Baker and her husband, Paul, for decorating and arranging for the tree to be put up, and to Jackie Wren for helping to make this possible, it looks stunning!
The Odd Wheel Vintage Tractor Club Working Weekend at Wood Farm raises money for dreamdrops
Photo: Kate Cranwell, being taught how to plough at the Odd Wheel Tractor Club.
One of the really happy events this autumn was being able to welcome back the Odd Wheel Tractor Club for another Working Weekend at Wood Farm in mid-October.
This year, the Club introduced a new competition to the Working Weekend, a challenge to see who could plough the straightest furrow. The competition was held in memory of the Club’s first treasurer, Diane Buddle.
The refreshment caravan was run by Helping Hands from Ramsey, and they very kindly donated their profit to dreamdrops. This was added to the donation from the Odd Wheel Club, which made up part of the £400 cheque which Jim Mawer presented to Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops.
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops said: “It was a wonderful weekend, with many more competitors taking part this year, and members of the public joined in the fun by having a go on a tractor, in the competition to plough a straight furrow.
“As many of them had never even sat on a tractor before, never mind ploughed, it proved to be a lot of fun. The competition was eventually won by a lady who had never ploughed before. Her partner is a well-known competition ploughman!
“Thank you to everyone who took part and made the day such fun and a huge success.”
Thank you to the Wednesday Group
for their kind donation
A huge thank you to the ladies at the The Wednesday Group for their kind donation of £25.70. This lovely group of ladies meet on a Wednesday morning in Eaton Ford and Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops gave them a talk about the joy(s) of being a farmer’s wife.
They kindly donated the proceeds from the morning to our charity dreamdrops.
Thank you to everyone who donated.
Charity Golf Day raises £615 for dreamdrops!
A huge thank you to Stanton Lewis of Dignity Crematorium in March for organising a charity golf day which raised £615 for our charity dreamdrops.
The event was sponsored by Dignity’s parent company CMG and took place at Gedney Hill Golf Club. Sixteen golfers competed in this pair’s competition, and the group consisted of beginners through to competent club players.
Mr Lewis said: “The day was a huge success and we were delighted to raise funds for this local children’s charity.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “I had the pleasure of meeting up with Mr Lewis where he presented me with a cheque for £615.
“What a wonderful donation for our charity, “dreamdrops”! A huge thank you to Mr Lewis for organising the charity golf day and to everyone who took part. We are so grateful to them for supporting our charity, and the children for whom we care. Money raised for Dreamdrops helps children being nursed in the local community, children in the Hinchingbrooke Hospital A&E department, Holly Ward and the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) along with parents and front-line staff. We are truly grateful for your support.”
Photo: Stanton Lewis holding the special golf trophy he had made for the Charity Golf Day, modelled on The Ashes trophy.
Amazing generosity from The Crematorium and Memorial Group (CMG) will make a huge difference to local children!
We were delighted to receive a £10,000 donation from Dignity plc recently.
For the past 12 months, The Crematorium and Memorial Group (CMG), which is a part of Dignity, has set aside a fund to help local charities whose fundraising has been deeply impacted by Covid-19 but have adapted to continue providing services and support to local communities. The money was raised through a nationwide scheme which sees metals that have been recovered following cremation recycled, with the express advance consent of bereaved families, and the profits donated to charity.
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “This is such a wonderful donation from Dignity. Their amazing generosity will make a huge difference to children being cared for in hospital and the local community. The £10,000 donation is truly amazing, and it will help Dreamdrops to make life a little easier, when it can be at its most stressful. We cannot thank you enough.”
Crematorium Manager for Fenland Crematorium, part of Dignity plc, Mark Allbut, said: “We are delighted to help fund the Dreamdrop Charity’s vital activities to ensure that children in our local communities receive the support they need when they need it most.”
Isabella’s fundraising walk for Dreamdrops raises £500!
Dreamdrops, Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity, has received a wonderful donation from Isabella Hall who, along with her dad Phil, took part in a fundraising walk around Hinchingbrooke County Park.
Vanda, Isabella’s mum said: “Isabella has suffered with asthma since she was 6 months old. (She is soon to turn 13). She is on average hospitalised between 6-12 times a year, with various procedures taking place, and twice narrowly missed being put on a ventilator.
“She is well known to Holly Ward at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. Most of the staff know her by name and understand her complex brittle asthma, and how quickly it changes and becomes a serious breathing problem for Isabella.
“Isabella wanted to give something back for all the help and care she has received on the Holly Ward from not just the nurses, but the play leaders and domestic staff, who all genuinely care for her. This was her way of saying thanks. She had lots of support from friends and family, and we are still collecting sponsors, but so far she has raised £500.”
The money raised will be donated to the Dreamdrops who fundraise for children being nursed in the local community, children in the Hinchingbrooke Hospital A&E department, Holly Ward and the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) along with parents and front-line staff.
Phil said: “We are really proud of Isabella wanting to help children in the local area and we had a lovely day walking around the park together.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “We are so grateful to Isabella for fundraising for our charity, and everyone is immensely proud of what she has achieved. The money, which has been donated through Dreamdrops, will be used to help children and families who stay on Holly Ward at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, buying those little extras that can make a huge difference to a hospital stay.”
If you would like to help Isabella with her fundraising for Holly Ward please visit our Dreamdrops Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/dreamdrops/Donate and please add “Isabella’s Walk” to your donation.
Photo: Isabella and her dad Phil, outside Holly Ward, Hinchingbrooke Hospital
Dreamdrops second fly fishing event is a huge success!
Friday 3rd September 2021 saw the second fly fishing event for Dreamdrops, Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s Charity, this time hosted under The Fly Fishing Academy umbrella but with some familiar Instructors.
Richard and Philipa Winser who founded The Fly Fishing Academy in 2018, were ably assisted by three of their Associate Instructors; John Clark, Chair of the Hertfordshire MTSFC Fishing Charity with their Schools Liaison Officer, Ginnette Waters and Roger Adams, a seasoned fly fishing veteran.
Richard said: “We are extremely pleased to be running our second event this season for the Dreamdrops, and the Collins Club – what a great bunch!
“Last time was a lot of fun, I am not quite sure if it was the instructors or the participants that were more eagerly awaiting the second event; a very fine line of division. We were impressed by those that joined us in June, so much so, that this time we introduced the second group, to a formal Angling Trust CAST award qualification and I am glad to say that all were able to achieve the first of seven levels – that was some challenge!”
Four young children and their families from the Collins Club, joined in the fun, participating and fishing, casting and observing, naming fish, knowing the different types of flies and most importantly how to keep safe by the water.
Richard Winser, Director at The Fly Fishing Academy and Fishing for Schools Chief Instructor, presented four Angling Trust CAST Award Starter certificates and Phillipa remarked: “the level of concentration today has been commendable, you should all be very proud.”
Elinor, their ‘dog of questionable behaviour’, awarded stickers to everyone that she had met during the event, which required no concentration at all!
Everyone caught a fish, some of them sizable! These last two sessions have been so popular that they could be repeated next year and just the beginning of some fantastic angling adventures.
Cllr Karl Webb, Mayor of Huntingdon attended the event and presented the children with their rosettes. He said: “I had the pleasure of presenting rosettes to children who have been enjoying an afternoon of fishing. It’s always good to catch up with the committee and volunteers, even better seeing the children so happy.”
The children all had a wonderful afternoon and the families were delighted to have been invited to the event.
Helen Bradshaw said: “It’s lovely to see Aimee and her Dad doing this together.”
Sianade Bell, mother of Lily, Daisy and Rose said: “Thank you. The children had an amazing time. They have shown me their certificates, and were super proud of the fish they caught.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “We had a wonderful afternoon, and I would like to thank everyone who came to help, including the fishing instructors from The Fly Fishing Academy, those who very kindly donated some delicious food for the picnic afterwards and, of course, all the Dreamdrops volunteers who gave up their time to ensure that the afternoon went smoothly. I was delighted to learn that each child had managed to catch a fish. What an amazing achievement!”
Photos:
Aimee and Steve Bradshaw (dad)
Daisy Bell collecting her fishing award from Richard Winser
Lily Bell collecting her fishing award from Richard Winser
Cllr Karl Webb, Mayor of Huntingdon with Lily, Daisy and Rose Bell
Fishing for Schools
The Countryside Alliance Foundation – Fishing for Schools team are the principal coaches for the Eastern Region. In the Fishing for Schools role, they are keen to attract applications from schools in the local (Huntingdonshire) area. The school application process will open on Monday 13th September 2021, with a closing date of 22nd October 2021.
Applying for a place on the Fishing for Schools 2021-22 Programme
If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the Fly Fishing Academy or The Countryside Alliance Foundation– Fishing for Schools Programme, please visit the respective websites for more information:
Isabella is making huge strides, fundraising for Dreamdrops!
Isabella Hall and her dad, Phil will be raising funds for dreamdrops and the Holly Ward at Hinchingbrooke Hospital on Saturday 11th September.
Isabella has been a brittle asthmatic from a very early age and has been admitted to hospital at least 8 times a year!
Phil said: “Isabella wanted to give something back to the hospital and came up with the idea of a walk around Hinchingbrooke Park to raise funds. We are really proud of her wanting to help children in the local area.”
The money will be donated to the Dreamdrops who fundraise for children being nursed in the local community, children in the Hinchingbrooke Hospital A&E department, Holly Ward and the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) along with parents and front-line staff.
So far Isabella has raised over £250 for the charity and if you would like to help her on her way you can donate via the dreamdrops Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/dreamdrops/Donate – when donating please indicate that the donation is for Isabella and Phil Hall in your comments.
Good Luck Isabella, we hope you have a wonderful day!
Huntingdon Carnival a huge success!
Dreamdrops recently raised over £240 at the local Huntingdon Carnival
The windy weather couldn’t dampen the recent Huntingdon Carnival celebration, where Dreamdrops had a stall with some beautiful hand-knitted baby clothes, a selection of soft toys and hand-made knitted toys for sale. The knitted soft toys were kindly made by Committee Member Pauline Rawlings.
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “A special thank you to everyone involved in making the day a great success, in particular our Committee Members, Christine Luckham, Pauline Rawlings, Mike Andrews and Janet Dullaghan.
“Christine was instrumental in organising the stall and manned the stall all day Saturday with help from Pauline. On Sunday morning Mike, Janet and myself joined in the fun with Christine who continued to run the stall in the afternoon with the support from the Mayor of Huntingdon, Cllr Karl Webb, who also kindly drew the winning raffle tickets.
“It was lovely to actually be out and to be able to fund raise officially again, after such a long time. The public really enjoyed the event and were really careful in relation to safe distancing and we were so grateful for them for coming out in some very mixed, windy and often rather wet weather.”
The event was a huge success and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who came along to support the charity.
Photo: Christine Luckham, The Mayor of Huntingdon, Cllr Karl Webb and Pauline Rawlings
Wonderful Craft boxes for Carers
It is wonderful to see the amazing craft boxes that have been given to local carers to use when providing respite care for children with complex health needs in Huntingdon. They will have so much fun using these!
Sothius Lodge raises £1,250 for our charity Dreamdrops
A kind donation of £1,250 was given to Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity, Dreamdrops, after being nominated by Mark Bramley, as one of his chosen charities of the year.
The cheque was presented by Mark Bramley, Worshipful Master, Sothius Lodge, St Ives, who said: “During my year as Master of Sothius Lodge, Dreamdrops was one of my chosen charities. We raised funds by way of three raffles held after our business meetings and at our annual BBQ.
“We wanted to make a difference and help provide those little extras to children both in hospital and in the community and to help Dreamdrops continue with the wonderful work they do for local children.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “We are truly grateful to Mark Bramley and the Sothius Lodge for their wonderful donation.
“The money raised will be donated to children being cared for in the local community, Holly Ward and the Paediatrics unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. We cannot thank them enough for their support and this donation will help make a stay in hospital that little bit easier and provide much needed support for children being nursed at home.”
Photo: Left to right: Mike Nixon, Charity Steward, Sothius Lodge, Mark Bramley, Worshipful Master, Sothius Lodge, Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops and Gordon Cox, Lodge Almoner.
Dreamdrops donation making a
huge difference to Abbie’s life
Abbie Hall recently received her new trike courtesy of dreamdrops.
Abbie needed the trike to help with her muscles as she has hyper mobile and dyspraxia.
Dawn Hall, Abbie’s mum said; “I would like to say a huge thank you to dreamdrops for funding Abbie’s new trike, she absolutely loves it. This trike will enable Abbie to go out with her sister for a ride and to get some fresh air. She will also be able to get out and about in the nice weather. Thank you all again for your help and support to be able to fund this for Abbie.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “We were delighted to be able to fund the new trike for Abbie, it looks amazing, and I am so thrilled that she is so pleased with it.”
BMRA donates to further support children requiring medical care
Members of the Children’s Community Specialist Nursing Team along with Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops (front right) receive the cheque from Kate Magill (far left) and BMRA President Susie Burrage (front left). The AccuVein can be seen far right.
Following its donation of two children’s vein finding machines for use in the A&E department at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in 2019, Huntingdon-based British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) has made a further donation to Cambridgeshire Community Service’s NHS Trust Specialist Community Nursing service by funding a third AccuVein machine to support practitioners working in the community.
Having first been selected as the BMRA President’s charity in 2019, following the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, Susie Burrage, President of the BMRA, decided to support Dreamdrops for a further year.
The money raised was from the proceeds of a raffle held at the BMRA’s Virtual Annual Dinner event in November 2020, an event normally held in person but sadly cancelled due to the pandemic.
The amount was further boosted by an employee of the BMRA, Kate Magill, whose family have experienced the children’s services both at Hinchingbrooke and in the community, when she ran the Cambridge Half Marathon in March 2020. In total £4,511.00 was raised.
Ms Burrage said: “We were so disappointed to not hold our Annual Dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. We were thrilled to be able to hold a virtual raffle, and were humbled that despite not meeting in person, our members were still able to donate generously despite a difficult year for everyone. I am delighted that the BMRA have been able to help purchase three AccuVein machines in the last two years.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “We are thrilled to bits to receive such a generous donation from The British Metals Recycling Association as this ‘cutting edge’ equipment will be invaluable to assist staff who are caring for children in A&E who require cannulation, as well as those who are cared for by the Specialist Nursing Team in the local community. It is extremely difficult to locate veins, particularly in very small children, and having the benefit of an AccuVein (pictured right) to help, will make a significant difference to the experience of young patients receiving treatment.”
The British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) is the trade association representing the £7 billion UK Metal Recycling sector. It has been headquartered in Huntingdonshire at Hinchingbrooke Business Park. Members of the public can use the BMRA website to find a metal recycler: www.recyclemetals.org.
Wonderful day of fly fishing with local children from the Collins Club, Huntingdon
Dreamdrops, Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity held their first event of the year to coincide with World Fly Fishing Day on 21 June 2021.
The event was hosted by fly fishing instructors from the Countryside Alliance Foundation – Fishing for Schools Programme: Richard and Philipa Winser of the Eastern Region, Sally Acloque, Sponsorship Co-ordinator for Norfolk and ably assisted by John Clark, Chair of the Hertfordshire MTSFC Fishing Charity with their Schools Liaison Officer, Ginnette Waters.
They were joined by the Director and Fishing for Schools Founder, Charles Jardine; a World renowned fisherman, author and artist.
Richard Winser, Fishing for Schools Lead Coach for the Eastern Region, said: “In order to continue our fly fishing instruction during the last 18 months of lockdown measures, my wife, Phillipa and I stock a small pond, which we use for tuition purposes. It has been a real lifeline, particularly when the schools were closed, many pupils were isolated from their friends and rightly concerned about the global pandemic.”
“We were able to adjust our method of delivery and continue, despite COVID restrictions. It’s been tremendous fun, to quote one participant from a course we ran this year in Norfolk, with Sally, “that was the ‘funnest’ day ever!”
“We are keen to attract other schools in the Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire area, that will benefit from some of the exceptional interaction that Fishing for Schools are able to offer. Despite Charles establishing this over twelve years ago, there are still some schools that are yet to discover and experience this wonderful initiative!”
“We have been in contact with Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops about the phenomenal work the charity does locally. Last year we volunteered to host two days for the Collins Club participants, having worked with many similar groups over the last 14 years and we wanted to provide an afternoon of fun for the children who attend the Collins Club along with their siblings.”
Five children and their families attended the event and the afternoon involved 1:1 tuition with one of the instructors, they had the chance to discuss and learn about fly fishing, artificial flies, aquatic life, the Rainbow Trout that live beneath the depths and all the children including the Mayor were lucky enough to catch a fish!
Charles Jardine, Director and Fishing for Schools Founder, presented certificates to all participants and Councillor Karl Webb, Mayor of Huntingdon presented rosettes.
Cllr Karl Webb, Mayor of Huntingdon said: “I had a wonderful afternoon supporting my mayoral charity for the year; Dreamdrops had organised an event to teach children how to fish. Great fun was had by everyone, and it was lovely to see the children from the Collins Club enjoying themselves. Some children were apprehensive at first but started to beam as they all caught a fish; this was an amazing opportunity for everyone to do something different whilst learning a new skill. I was also pleased when handed the rod and managed to land a fish for myself. Thank you Dreamdrops, this was an experience that the children will remember forever, well done.”
Paula Davis, mother of Summer, said: “Everything was brilliant, well organised and everyone was so friendly and very understanding to the children’s needs.”
Helen Bradshaw mum of Aimee said “Aimee had a blast and she very proudly presented me with her caught fish. We thought the afternoon was really well organised, and we were very impressed.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone who gave up their time to come along and provide the children with this wonderful fishing experience.
“The afternoon was a huge success and the children thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon learning how to fish and the day ended with a lovely picnic for all the families. These type of experiences offer a wonderful day out for both the children from the Collins Club and their families, we cannot thank the instructors enough for giving up the time to come along and make the day a huge success.”
Dreamdrops, Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity, has been successful in gaining a grant from the Huntingdon Town Council who set aside a sum of money each year which can be applied for by local organisations to directly benefit their area or for some or all the inhabitants.
Local children’s centre to benefit from ‘dreamdrops’ grant
The funding obtained by Dreamdrops will be used to enhance the waiting area at the Newtown Centre, Huntingdon. The centre is for patients of the Children and Adolescent Mental Health services and the grant will be used to purchase special therapy toys and appropriate plants to make the area more welcoming for the families who attend; the waiting room will be decorated with a jungle theme.
Gemma Balnaves, Service Manager CAMHS Core/Neuro- Central Team & CASUS, Newtown Centre said “Dreamdrops has kindly offered to refurbish the Children and adolescent waiting area at the Newtown Centre, a project which started prior to the pandemic and is now finally being able to come to life.
“Our waiting room is currently very corporate and in need of an update, so this generous offer will allow us to provide a much-needed area of quiet and rest for our families and young people to be able to wait before their appointments. Often the parent and career or young person has some time to wait alone during the consultation, to allow our clinicians the time to spend individually with each family member. Giving a safe and calm space in which to spend this time, will, I am sure be most welcomed by all. The theme and design were selected by our families and young people and we gathered feedback to ensure that any games or gadgets were suggested by the children and young people themselves.
“On behalf and myself and my CAMHS teams, we can’t thank Dreamdrops enough for their support and patience to bring this project to life.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops said: “Dreamdrop’s main aim is to make a real difference to the lives of local children who are ill, or have significant health needs, and to support their families, both in hospital and in the local community.
“With the money from the Huntingdon Town Council grant we can make the Newtown Centre, a bright, welcoming place for children and their families to visit, and feel at ease.
“A huge thank you to the Huntingdon Town Council for accepting our application and enabling us to move forward with the Centre’s refurbishments; we are sure the Jungle theme will be a huge hit with the children who attend the centre on a regular basis. Work is due to start in the coming weeks and we cannot wait to see the final outcome.”
Buzzy Bee helping local children who are afraid of injections
Buzzy® is a vibrating bee with ice pack wings that decreases sharp pain when placed on the child’s arm or leg to distract them.
Buzzy® uses natural pain relief by confusing the body’s own nerves, thereby dulling or eliminating sharp pain. In the same way that rubbing a bumped elbow helps stop the hurt; or cool running water soothes a burn, Buzzy® bypasses sharp pain.
Maja’s mum said: “Maja is 9 years old and she take injections every week and unfortunately she is very afraid of them.
“Since the nurses and a lovely lady (Mag Hirst, Play Specialist) came to our house and showed and explained how buzzy bee works, Maja stopped being afraid of injections. At each visit she asks to put her buzzy bee on before the next injection.
“Thank you very much for the opportunity to try it.”
Photo: Mags Hirst, Play Specialist and Maja.
Santa Visits St Neots and Hartford
Santa really does exist! St Neots Round Table and the Huntingdon and District Round Table and Santa visited the local Rugby Cub in St Neots and The Barlow Mow in Hartford, to hand over some beautiful wooden boxes emblazoned with our ‘dreamdrops’ logo. These were made specially for us by Lucky Duck Designs, so that we could ensure that the presents destined for The Collins Club families, were handled as little as possible and delivered safely. The weather stayed dry, and each family visited Santa safely and individually. Both evenings were a huge success, and not only was it great fun, but also moving to hear the children chatting to Santa. Well done to everyone who was involved!
A huge thank you to the Mayor of Huntingdon, Cllr Karl Webb, who turned out on avery cold night and stayed to help distribute gifts to the children in the Collins Club. Dreamdrops is his charity during his term of office.
A New Christmas Tree for Hinchingbrooke Hospital
As you can see from the photo, we have had a beautiful Christmas tree donated to the charity from Frosts Garden Centre at Brampton. Mike and Wendy put the tree up at the entrance to Children’s Outpatients Reception. Mike put some lovely lights on and I would like to thank Wendy for completing the job by donating some very pretty decorations , thank you!
Photo: Wendy Baker ( DD committee member) with Mike Andrews, vice- chairman
Huntingdon company, Accio Consult and Construct, has kindly donated £2000 to Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity, Dreamdrops, in lieu of its annual staff Christmas dinner.
Iain Parnell, Finance Manager at Accio, presented Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops, with a cheque and said: “We at Accio had to forego our Christmas party this year, the time we reflect on all the hard work our team has undertaken. As it was not possible this year, our directors gave the challenge to our team to propose where we could donate funds normally set aside for Christmas.
“The criteria was simple, to select two charities where we could inject funds that would make a key difference at the point of donation, it had to be local and it had to be of importance to the team’s values. One of the excellent causes that caught our eye was Dreamdrops and we were delighted to be able to offer our support to this excellent and worthwhile cause.”
Anne-Marie, Chairman of Dreamdrops, said: “We’re thrilled to receive such a generous donation from Accio Consult and Construct.
“It was sad that circumstances meant they were unable to hold their annual dinner this year, but we would like to thank them very much indeed for supporting local sick children instead.
“It is such a kind and thoughtful thing to do, and we are really grateful to them.
Further information about Accio can be found here www.acciocandc.com.
Photo 1 L-R: Iain Parnell, Anne Adamson, Patricia Walsh and Anne-Marie Hamilton
Photo 2 L-R: Anne Adamson and Patricia Walsh
Local Argos and Mayor of Huntingdon donate sensory toys to the Dreamdrops Christmas Appeal
Staff from the Sainsbury’s Argos store in Stukeley Meadows, have kindly donated £300 and toys to Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity, “Dreamdrops”, along with the Mayor of Huntingdon, Cllr Karl Webb who donated sensory toys to the appeal.
Kirsty Luckham, Manager at Argos, presented Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of “Dreamdrops” with the gifts and said: “Sainsbury’s Argos are running a nationwide campaign called Brightening a Million Christmas’ which involves all stores making donations to local organisations and charities in their communities.
“Our store decided that we would like to donate our budget of £300 to Dreamdrops. It’s a charity that we have supported in previous years and as our store has now permanently closed, it felt a fitting way to end our time in Huntingdon by helping out a local charity. We know that many of our colleagues and customers support this charity and we wanted to play our small part.”
Anne-Marie, Chairman of “Dreamdrops” said: “This is such a wonderful gesture from the staff at Sainsbury’s Argos. The amazing generosity of everyone will give the children that we support a wonderful Christmas Day, and we cannot thank them enough for their kind donation.”
Mayor of Huntingdon Cllr Karl Webb said: “Dreamdrops are my charity during my term of office, and we have collected some sensory toys to go with the donations collected over the past few months. I was pleased to present Anne-Marie with these toys for the Christmas appeal.”
Photo 1 L-R: Annie Halliday (Trading Manager, Sainsbury’s Argos), Anne-Marie Hamilton (Chairman of Dreamdrops), Christine Luckham (Dreamdrops Committee member), Kirsty Luckham (Manager at Sainsbury’s Argos), Ian Jones (Trading Manager, Sainsbury’s Argos) and Cllr Karl Webb (Mayor of Huntingdon)
Wonderful generosity helping to support disadvantaged children in the community
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity, Dreamdrops, has recently donated nine iPads and a laptop to the Huntingdonshire Community Group’s Covid-19 Response team to help disadvantaged children and young people in the community.
The group`s founder Cllr Patrick Kadewere said “We are very grateful to the Dreamdrops charity for their generous donation, we have been working with many vulnerable families throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and a problem we found during school closures was a lack of access to technology. This donation will assist local children to improve in their education and access their homework easier. We have liaised with Mr Bennet, Headteacher of St Peter’s School in Huntingdon, who have identified students in need, for these iPads to be donated to.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “This donation will help benefit local children and give them the lifeline they need to stay in touch and interact with their school, particularly if we have another local lockdown. We cannot thank everyone enough for their kind generosity during such a difficult time.
“A special thank you to Mick Marks and his team, I-Dash, Eaton Socon and Daniel Shortle, Lion’s Den Computers, St Neots for cleaning and refurbishing the iPads and laptop ready for children to use.”
Mayor of Huntingdon Karl Webb joined representatives for Dreamdrops and Huntingdonshire Community Group for the handover of theses devices and said “Dreamdrops is my chosen charity for my Mayoral term. It is a real pleasure to work alongside Dreamdrops and Huntingdonshire Community Group`s Covid-19 Response team in supporting local families during these unprecedented times. My thanks go to the generous members of the public for donating these devices, you are truly amazing in your actions, a real example of community spirit.”
Photo L-R: Cllr Patrick Kadewere, Mike Andrews (vice-chairman of Dreamdrops), Christine Luckham (Dreamdrops Committee member), Karl Webb (Mayor of Huntingdon) and Mayoress of Huntingdon, Hilary Meers-Webb.
Coronavirus Rotary Grant helping to support autistic children in the local community
Dreamdrops has received a kind donation of £300 from the Rotary District 1070’s Coronavirus Grant Scheme. The application was made for us by the Rotary Club of Huntingdon, working with five other local Rotary Clubs – Huntingdon Cromwell, Kimbolton Castle, Ramsey, St Neots and St Neots St Marys.
This has enabled the charity to buy age-appropriate activity packs for local children and their families being supported by dreamdrops.
The packs include colouring books, colour felt tips pens for the older children, dot to dot books for younger children, sticker packs, arts and crafts, doddle magic books, story books with puzzles, bubble wands and fun pads. The parents have also benefitted by receiving adult colouring packs for de-stressing, calming and relaxation, hand repair cream and face moisturiser and relaxing aromatherapy candles.
Part of the grant will go towards providing one of the family’s with a SensaHut – a perfect sensory haven indoor tent, where a child can explore ‘glow in the dark’ resources, and retreat from the stresses of daily life for a while.
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops said: “A huge thank you to everyone at Rotary District 1070, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and generosity in enabling us to provide these care packages for our families who are struggling to cope with all the additional stresses during the current lock down. The gifts that you have enabled us to purchase will make a huge difference to not only the children, but will also be a tremendous help to their families during this time.
“My sincere thanks to David Cozens, President of the Rotary Club of Huntingdon, Assistant Governor, Gloria Haywood from Rotary District 1070 and Mike Andrews, Vice Chairman of dreamdrops for their involvement in making this all possible.”
Assistant Governor, Gloria Haywood from Rotary District 1070 said: “The Rotary Clubs in Huntingdonshire have always had a supportive, close and very caring interest in dreamdrops and the fine work that is achieved.
“It is wonderful that the gifts recently provided can be enjoyed by families impacted by the Corona virus.”
Wonderful fundraising efforts by sisters Lily, Daisy and Rose
Sisters Lily, Daisy and Rose Bell are now 15 days into their tremendous fundraising walks in aid of dreamdrops.
Sianade, the girls mum said: “The girls are now 15 days into their walk and they have really enjoyed being out in the sunshine and the rain! On Rose’s best day she did 5.5 miles and the girls did 11! But most days Lily and Daisy do 5 miles and Rose does between 3 and 4. So far they have raised £459 and would love to reach £500, I am so proud of them.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops said: “A huge thank you to Lily, Daisy and little Rose, we cannot thank them enough for the amazing effort they have put in to raising money for dreamdrops.
“The money will be put towards helping sick children who are being cared for at home or in the community, making their lives a little easier during stressful times and what better time to be helping local families.”
If you would like to donate to this worthy cause visit Lily, Daisy and Rose’s Just Giving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lilydaisyrose.
Walking 5 miles a day for a month for our charity dreamdrops!
Sisters Lily and Daisy are walking 5 miles every day for a month and their little sister Rose, who is only 2, will be walking 2.5 miles. What a fantastic effort from the whole family!
Mum Sianade said: “We are raising money for dreamdrops as they have helped us so much; they have taken the girls and their brother Shay (who has special needs) on day trips, to Christmas parties and provided us with treats to keep us entertained during the Coronavirus lock down, as well as their ongoing support.
“Daisy had lots of time on Holly Ward from being a new born and now has community support through dreamdrops, so we wanted to help them to help more families like us.”
If you would like to donate to this worthy cause visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lilydaisyrose
Photos: Lily, Daisy and Rose
Wonderful fundraising news for our national and local NHS Staff
Singer / songwriter Matt Hoy is kindly donating 100% of his royalties from his song “Happy” to the NHS. You can download the song from here: https://twitter.com/MattHoyOfficial/status/1244984494832201729 #NHSThankYou #NHS @MattHoyOfficial 🙏❤️
Dreamdrops, Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust charity have also been contacted by several members of the public wishing to show their gratitude to staff who are going above and beyond both in the community and our local hospitals to ensure their patients and service users continue to receive high-quality care during this unprecedented time.
Please be aware that the Huntingdonshire Philharmonic concert due to be held on Saturday March 28 has now been cancelled.
March 2020
Olmo Lounge raises funds for local children’s charity
The wonderful staff from the Olmo Lounge in Huntingdon has raised nearly £1,000 for Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity, ‘dreamdrops.’
The Olmo Lounge is a new neighbourhood café bar on Huntingdon High Street. The lounge is committed to engaging with the local community and as part of this they wanted to connect with a local charity, which strikes a chord with their team and customers, to support their efforts and raise funds.
Kylie Knipp, General Manager said: “We wanted to raise money for a local charity and were keen to support dreamdrops, who are such a worthy children’s charity.
“We raised the money by donating 50p from every burger and 10p from every coffee sold in the first month of trading. We had a great first month selling 2,576 coffees and 1,367 burgers! We hope the money raised will benefit the charity and look forward to working with the charity in the future.”
Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops said: “We are so grateful to everyone at the Olmo Lounge, in particular Kylie, for raising such a large amount of money for our charity. We are thrilled that they chose dreamdrops and the money will be used to help support children and their families in the local community.”
For further information on how you can help raise funds for the charity please visit
www.dreamdropschildrenscharity.org or email dreamdrops
Photo: Kylie Knipp, General Manager of the Olmo Lounge and Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops.
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