What a jam-packed and fun club meeting we had yesterday, not only did we hear from Zoe Ovens about the amazing work that Berkshire-based charity Daisy's Dream does but we also had visitors from Maidenhead Bridge Rotary and Howdens Rotary Club; as well as investing our new Vice President Adrian Benge!

About Daisy's Dream
 
Established in 1996, Daisy’s Dream is a professional support service which responds to the needs of children and families affected by life threatening illness or bereavement. They work predominantly in Berkshire and the surrounding areas, with a pilot project running in East Cheshire.  Originally set up to meet the needs of children who had been bereaved, over recent years they have expanded our service to encompass families where there has been a serious illness diagnosis.
 
Zoe explained that they offer a flexible service which is tailored to meet the individual needs of each child and their family. This may include:

• Telephone support and advice for parents/carers/professionals
• Group events
• Home and school visits for the child or young person
• Training for associated professionals
• One-to-one counselling

 
The death or serious illness of someone close can have a devastating effect on a child or young person. With the right support and information however, children and young people can be helped to understand what has happened and learn to move forward in a positive way.  Research shows that, without the opportunity to express and explore their grief, bereaved children and young people may be at risk of future health, social and educational difficulties and disadvantages. This is in addition to the impact of the bereavement on their emotional health and well-being.
 
Zoe explained that every 22 minutes a child looses a parent in the UK and that services are so stretched children affected aren’t getting the support they need, hence why Daisy’s Dream is filling that gap.  The charity supported a total of 702 children last year, with 90% of those cases being referred to the charity via schools.  It costs £400,000 to run the charity each year and this money is all raised through groups, corporate sponsorship and grant applications, they do not receive any government funding.
 
Therefore they are looking for help in the following ways

• Ideas for new fundraising events
• New volunteers to help run fundraising events and talk to potential funders
• Help to raise their profile to reach more children and families affected by grief

 
Finally Zoe explained why the charity is called Daisy’s Dream… everyone believes this is the name of the Founders daughter, when in fact the daughter was asked what to call the charity and she decided to name it after the family pet.. Daisy the Labrador!  Now when you see their mascot out and about you’ll know why its Daisy the Dog!
 
Find out more about the charity here: www.daisysdream.org.uk

​Last night saw over 100 Windsor & Eton Rotarians, their partners and friends enjoy a festive-themed Christmas Party at The Castle Hotel in Windsor and much fun was had by all... as the photos show!  We were also joined by our District Governor Frank Quinn, who seemed to enjoy pulling his cracker!

Guests arrived to a fabulously decorated grand staircase which led up to a drinks reception where glasses of bubbles were enjoyed by all! A sumptuous 3-course dinner was served in the grand ballroom whilst festive tunes played in the background and guests enjoyed each others company, exchanging the usual aghast faces as the traditionally cheesy cracker jokes!

After dinner entertainment ensued with a music quiz, guessing the year the number one hit was in the chart, with grand applause to anyone who manged to get them right! Of course no Christmas party would be complete without some dance-floor fillers, and guests were not disappointed, quickly leaping up to join in such classics as YMCA and All I want for Christmas...

A superb evening catching up with friends, enjoying festive cheer and simply having fun!  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!