Sensory Toy Donation to local school
A presentation was made to Samuel Pepys Special Needs School by Dreamdrops of sensory toys to encourage play that engages and stimulates the senses, sight, smell, touch, hearing and balance.
These toys help children develop their senses in a safe and natural environment using play, including bright, contrasting colours, sounds or different textures.
It was a delight to see the smiling faces of the children!
Dreamdrops Volunteers attend Royal Garden Party at
Buckingham Palace!
Dreamdrops Committee Member, Wendy Baker and former Chairman, Anne-Marie Hamilton attended the Coronation Royal Garden Party held at Buckingham Palace on the 9th of May 2023. Over 8,000 guests were welcomed to the garden in recognition of their public service and charity or community work.
The event was hosted, on behalf of The King, by The Prince of Wales. His Royal Highness was joined by The Princess of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Christine Luckham, Dreamdrops Chairman said: “Wendy won the “Volunteer of the Year” award at last year’s Hunts Forum Volunteer awards evening. The awards recognise the amazing achievements and contributions that volunteers make across Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire.
“Mrs Julie Spence OBE QPM, HM Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, presented Wendy with the lovely surprise invite to the Royal Garden Party.
“We are so enormously proud of Wendy and all the wonderful work she does to promote the charity, and her amazing work with children from the local Collins Club. We would be lost without her.
“Huge congratulations go to Anne-Marie Hamilton, former Dreamdrops Chairman, who was recognised for her 18 years on the charity and her commitment to taking the charity forward.
“Two wonderful ladies, who thoroughly deserved such a special surprise.”
Wendy said: “To attend the Coronation Royal Garden Party, invited by the Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence, was a wonderful experience.
“I was so proud and privileged to have represented our charity ‘dreamdrops,’ who do amazing work in raising funds for the children of Huntingdonshire requiring additional support over and above what the NHS can provide, whether in hospital or in the local community.
“With our help we can make an enormous difference to local children and their families, mentally and physically, to support their wellbeing during the most challenging times in their lives.
“To have met and spoken about ‘dreamdrops’ with The Princess of Wales, who was very interested in the charity and our work, was such a privilege and to have shared the day with Anne-Marie Hamilton and our husbands, was the icing on the cake!”
Knitted with love!
Our friends and supporters of Dreamdrops have been busy again with knitting lovely baby cardigans, hats and blankets.
Thank you to Susan Mulcahy once again, we love your work!
Hunts Philharmonic Concert donation
Thank you, as always, to the Huntingdonshire Philharmonic Society for the bucket collection at their latest concert.
We raised £46! Thank you to all involved.
Fishing Duo receive the Kings Coronation Champion Award
Huge congratulations to Fly Fishing Duo Richard and Phillipa Winser from Perry, Cambridgeshire who have recently been awarded the nationally prestigious, Coronation Champions Award in recognition of their voluntary work over the last fourteen years; introducing fly fishing and angling to those who would not otherwise have had the opportunity to experience it.
Christine Luckham, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “We are thrilled to hear the wonderful news that Richard and Phillipa have been recognised for all their hard work. They regularly run fishing events for Dreamdrops, and the children from our Collins Club love the time they spend with them, learning how to fish. They provide fantastic support and the children have thrived in this environment. This award is well deserved!
Phillipa said “It was an honour to be told we were one of the five hundred Coronation Champions, nominated due to our commitment to volunteering. The entry standard was incredibly high, and they received nearly 5,000 nominations nationally.”
Richard added “I fully agree, we are incredibly grateful to those that have supported everything we do and indeed nominated us for this award. We were also nominated last year for the Queens Platinum Champions Award; to be considered as a contender for that was a massive compliment, to now be awarded as a King’s Coronation Champion is overwhelming!”
Photo: Richard and Phillipa Winser
“In search of Cyprinus Carpio”
Tuesday 11th April 2023 marked the inaugural fishing event this year for the Dreamdrops Children’s Charity, and understandably, with the event in its fourth year, some of the participants are now becoming seasoned fishing veterans!
So, to prevent regular instructors from getting too complacent, four new participants from Ukraine were invited along for the day, at a new venue reputed for its sizeable Carp, just over the Bedfordshire boarder.
As normal, Richard and Phillipa Winser were ably assisted by John Clark and Richard Frood, as they set off to the infamous Greensands Fishery near Sandy, Bedfordshire – with that skill set, what could possibly be left to chance?
Greensands Fishery is owned, operated, and managed by Chris Rose and we are very grateful for his support. The fishery has a well-deserved reputation amongst coarse anglers, and it hosts many matches each week throughout the fishing season. Tuesdays tends to be the day when matches stand aside and allow group events, such as ours. We managed to reserve a couple of dates early with them, which allowed the Dreamdrops contingent to embark on a Carp fishing challenge.
Richard said: “The Latin name for Carp is Cyprinus Carpio and they grow to a significant size; the UK record fish weighed 68.1 lb and the World record over 100lb, even for Jack that could be a challenge! Our tactics from the outset was to adopt two approaches; the first using float rods as we have done before and the second to target Carp specifically, using more specialist techniques.”
Dreamdrops were successful in being awarded grant funding, from the Get Fishing Fund (in conjunction with the Angling Trust and The Environment Agency), where money generated from the sale of Environment Agency Rod Licences is awarded to good causes.
Consequently, we now have our own ‘Armoury’ of fishing equipment and tackle that can be loaned out for use between the formal fishing events.
Phillipa remarked: “The Get Fishing Fund has also enabled some of the group to undertake an angling qualification, one of which is Jack, and we fish together. It will not be long before he is teaching me!”
It also meant, that some of the new Dreamdrops tackle could be used on the day.
Leonie, fishing for the second time with Richard Frood, a regular at Greensands, cemented their team in history, taking a superb 28 fish, including the first fish of the day.
Dreamdrops were able to invite four Ukraine guests from Huntingdon and St. Neots to join the fishing day to give them another experience they could share with their families. They had a wonderful day learning the skills of fishing as well as meeting new friends.
Refreshments were enjoyed by all the participants with Easter eggs to take home with them!
A thank you to Dreamdrops committee members Mike Andrews and Dr Martin Becker for their support.
A phenomenal array of fish was caught between six anglers, which included seven different species! Even Doctor Becker, from the Dreamdrops Committee landed a beautiful, fin perfect Mirror Carp with a scale pattern as unique as a human fingerprint!
However, the biggest fish of the day went to… none other than Jack… or was it, Leonie?!
Our next event will again take place at Greensands Fishery on Tuesday 22nd August 2023.
Dreamdrops is named as Webtec UK’S Chosen Charity of the Year
Each year Webtec UK choose a local charity who they can work with and raise much-needed funds for through various activities such as raffles, competitions, and fun activities. This year they have chosen Dreamdrops as their charity!
They have already started fundraising with £120 in the pot, and more will be raised during the coming months. This is fantastic news for Dreamdrops, and we can’t wait to see what events they do over the year.
Thank you from all the committee members, and all the families you will be helping to support this year, we cannot do this without you!
£500 donation from the St Ives, Rotary Club
Thank you to St Ives, Rotary Club for their very kind donation of £500.
This amazing donation will help more disadvantaged children in the local community.
Huntingdonshire Philharmonic
A massive thank you to the Huntingdonshire Philharmonic for their wonderful performance of Brahms first Piano Concerto with Luis Parés as the soloist.
We were lucky enough to be able to do a bucket collection in the interval and raised £60.77, once again we were delighted to be able to attend and are always grateful to everyone who contributed.
Pidley Christmas Fair donation
A belated thank you to the organisers of the Pidley Fair, which was a huge success, raising £300 for Dreamdrops.
This is a great achievement, and we cannot thank you enough. Our charity days out, support groups for children and parents and new projects for this year would not be possible without your support – thank you!
Spring Charity Concert raises a fantastic £1,250 for Dreamdrops!
The Spring Charity Concert has raised an amazing £1,250 for Dreamdrops.
The concert was held at The Priory Centre, St Neots, on Friday 10th March, featuring local talent including The Collaboration Choir, The St Neots Community Choir, Molly Gregorious and Emily Wainwright-Meekins and the event was hosted by Ste Greenall from Black Cat Radio.
Ingrid Fawcett a member of Collaboration Choir wanted to organise a fundraising event which was a little bit out of the norm and singing was going to be at the centre of it!
Ingrid said: “Putting together a concert with a bit of a gala feel felt like the right thing to do and the Spring Charity concert was born!
“One of the charities benefiting from the concert was Dreamdrops as this charity has always had a little place in our hearts. In 2008 our son Billy broke his leg on Christmas Day morning, he was in traction on Holly Ward at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, for a week and three weeks at home. Our daughter was only 3 weeks old, so it was a tough time for us all!
“The additional toys and DVDs made all the difference to that week in hospital. I still clearly remember the multi-coloured beanbag my daughter slept on next to her brother’s bed.
“Billy is now 16 and a young leader at 1st St Neots Scouts. This summer he is heading off to the world scout jamboree in South Korea, with Adam Wright, Catherine Gregorious and Felix Henderson, where they will be representing St Neots, so it felt like the right time to say thank you.
“The concert was supported by so many local people and seeing over 100 people enjoying the singing and music was such a joy.”
Christine Luckham, Chairman of Dreamdrops said: “What an amazing fun evening! Thank you to the wonderful choirs and solo singers who put on a brilliant performance.
“On behalf of the Dreamdrops charity I would like to thank you for considering us as your charity especially Ingrid for her hard work in organising the concert.
“It is through the generosity of people and communities like yourselves that we are able to do what we can to support children and young people in hospital and in the community.”
Photos (courtesy of Ted Ridgway Watt)
Fun Day Fishing!
Richard Winser, from the Fly-Fishing Academy, has used his skills as a coach with Dreamdrops for the last four years.
He recently ran a 1:1 fishing event, and despite the weather, the anglers prevailed; all three caught several fish on a rod and reel they had assembled. Richard said, “New kits were handed out, floats plummeted, and the correct depth was perfected.
Shay and Ronnie, fishing for ‘Team Bell’, were first off the mark within minutes of starting, followed shortly by Jack. Both Jack and Shay had an excellent size, Roach and Rudd.
Fishing for ‘Team Bradshaw’, Aimee and Steve brought some lovely Mirror Carp to the bank, the best we have had with any group on Jackdaw Lake at Rookery Waters.” Everyone had a fantastic time, and we cannot wait to see more families at our next event!
A huge thank you to Richard and the team for their continued support. 👏
Susan and Marilyn’s continued support is helping to keep little ones warm this winter
Our lovely friends of the Dreamdrops charity have been busy knitting some more beautiful hats, cardigans, and small blankets .
Thank you so much Susan Mulcahy, and Marilyn Simpson for supporting us, we love your work!
Brilliant night at the Pantomime – Oh yes it was!
A massive thank you to the Melodramatics Pantomime who performed Beauty and Beast and helped us to raise £95 for Dreamdrops!
Another fun performance by the hard-working cast and our thanks to the team for having us and supporting Dreamdrops.
Lovely donation from the Ladybird Day Nursery in Fenstanton
Thank you to the Ladybird Day Nursery in Fenstanton for raising £286 at your open day for Dreamdrops!
Michaela Hayward, Nursery Manager said: “The open day was a huge success and we have made an incredible £286 for Dreamdrops, which we hope will help to support local families in their times of need.”
Christine Luckham, Dreamdrops Chairman said: “This donation will be put towards the families day out in July. The day will be split into two halves with a boat trip in the morning and one in the afternoon with a picnic.
“Thank you to the everyone at the Ladybird Day Nursery and everyone who attended the open day, we cannot wait to see the children’s faces on their day out later this year.”
A big thank you to Mary and Ivan for their donation of toys and £50.
This lovely donation will go towards the Bill Boles Adventure Day later this year which is specially designed for siblings of children with additional needs, that the whole family can enjoy.
The toys will go to local children being cared for by the Community Nursing Team.
Marvelous £100 donation from Helen Findlay at Tropic!
A big thank you to Helen Findlay who has kindly donated £100.
Anne-Marie Hamilton held a Tropic Skin event in aid of Dreamdrops and Helen kindly donated her Tropics Agent fee to the charity.
Amazing, thank you!
Thank you to Ann Clark for her very kind donation of £100 and baby clothes
The donation will go towards supporting children with life limiting illnesses on their day out later this year; a fun day followed by a picnic which all of the families enjoy.
The baby clothes will form part of a new project which Dreamdrops are launching to help mums to be, who are vulnerable and need some extra help.
Stunning creations supporting the Special Care Baby Unit in Huntingdon and children in the community
Check out this fantastic donation of knitted cardigans for premature babies, pram blankets, jumpers, hats and mittens.
We are extremely grateful to Susan Mulcahy for her beautiful creations which will not only support babies at the Special Care Baby Unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital but also children in the community.
Beautiful quilts and pillows for local children
Thank you goes to Sue Nesbitt for her continued support to our charity.
Sue has made some beautiful quilts and book pillows which were given to new members of the Collins club for Christmas and the families were very grateful.
Such a special gift to receive – thank you Sue!
Wonderful donation put towards Christmas Party
On behalf of Dreamdrops we would like to thank Frank Coppola and his family for their wonderful donation of £150.
Dreamdrops used the donation to go towards the children’s Christmas Party held at the St Neots Ruby Club.
The children had a great time and were amazed and grateful for the gifts they received from Santa.
Thank you to Dovista!
Thank you to Dovista, based in Huntingdon and their colleagues for the lovely donation of toy’s for our 2022 Christmas appeal.
We are extremely grateful for your support.
We were able to support more children last Christmas and your continued generosity and that of the public means we were able to help so many children.
Toy donation supporting local children
A big thank you to Caroline Gibbs for donating children’s gifts for our Christmas Giving Tree appeal in December last year.Amazing donation from Dunelm, Huntingdon
Thank you to Dunelm, Huntingdon and their loyal customers for their wonderful donation of children’s toys for Christmas 2022.
Over 200 gifts were distributed via the Community Nursing team in Huntingdonshire.
The parents were extremely grateful, and we cannot thank you enough for your wonderful generosity.
A huge thank you to Tesco Extra in Huntingdon
A huge thank you to Tesco Extra in Huntingdon, their colleagues and loyal customers for the amazing toys that were donated via their Christmas Giving Tree in December 2022.
It was a wonderful response especially during tough times.
We were able to support so many additional children this year and the children were over the moon with their presents.
We cannot thank you enough, for your continued support, the assistance of your staff and the generosity of your customers makes everything we do possible!
Ladybird Day Nursery, Fenstanton Open Day – 21st January 2023!
A big thank you to the Ladybird Day Nursery in Fenstanton, who are holding a charity open day on Saturday, 21st January 2023, in aid of Dreamdrops. Why not pop along? There will be plenty of fun activities for the whole family!
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