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Disney toys donated to KIDS families and centres
Toys used to construct Disney Junior’s incredible Christmas Tree at St Pancras Station over the festive season have now been delivered to KIDS’ centres and families’ homes!
Last month the 2,000 Disney toys used to construct the tree were taken down and cleaned by hand by enthusiastic Disney employees, before being sent out to KIDS’ centres for disabled children and young people across England.
The deliveries of boxes filled with children’s favourite Disney characters have brought lots of joy to KIDS’ beneficiaries, and children have been delighted to be able to take a toy home to enjoy for years to come!
Toys used to construct the Disney Junior Tree were donated by Disney Junior and Disney Store. KIDS is grateful to The Walt Disney Company for supporting our work with this brilliant project.
See pictures and read more here.
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Short Breaks partnership
On Monday 14th March, the Short Breaks partnership launched a unique compendium of guides, videos and e-learning tools to help parents, local authorities, service providers and commissioners work together to improve local Short Breaks (respite) services.
As part of the partnership with charities Contact a Family, Action for Children and the Council for Disabled Children, we've worked with young people to increase awareness of and access to Short Breaks. Check out one of the videos here.
We also have e-learning resources produced by other partners on our dedicated platform. Providers, Commissioners and Parent Carer Forums wishing to access these should visit http://elearning.kids.org.uk/, create a free account and access the modules under Free Modules/Short Breaks Partnership Modules.
Our Chief Executive, Caroline Stevens noted "KIDS is delighted to be part of the Short Breaks partnership. As a parent myself I know the valuable support that Short Breaks offer families. Short Breaks enable children and young people to make friends, help to build their confidence and to achieve their ambitions in life."
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Launch of our Friends of KIDS program
On February 29th, 2016 our Chairman and Board of Trustees hosted the launch of the Friends of KIDS at the Bernard Chauchet art gallery. During this drinks reception we celebrated our achievements from the past year, and we had the chance to hear from Oreke, one of the parents that we support through our Home Learning service.
The Friends of KIDS is a new initiative that brings together our closest supporters who share our dedication to giving disabled children a brighter future. The Friends of KIDS will have the chance to accompany us on our journey, by offering their advice, guidance and financial support. As a thank you, they will be invited to several events throughout the year, where they will meet our senior leadership and find out our latest news and plans for the future.
If you’d like to find out more about the Friends of KIDS, please contact Alex on 0207 288 7173, or send her an email.
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Don't miss a night to remember at Shaka Zulu!
A reminder about the dinner in aid of KIDS on Wednesday the 13th of April! Tickets are selling fast and are £75 per person. To book yours now, email reservations@shaka-zulu.com or call 0203 376 9911.
Hosted at Shaka Zulu in just over three weeks time, the ticket cost includes an amazing South-African inspired 3 course meal, wine and cocktail reception.
There will be an array of incredible entertainment on the night, including trapeze artists, aerial dancers and fire breathers. Singers from the Amy Winehouse Foundation will also perform.
For a sneak peak of what to expect on the evening, watch the video below! This event is being hosted by the Mayor of Camden on our behalf.
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BBC Radio 4 Appeal
Last weekend our Charity appeal played on BBC Radio 4, presented by author David Mitchell. After working closely with the BBC and David's team over the last few months, we were excited to hear it play live on the radio and to date, we have raised over £8000!
David spoke movingly about the challenges of having a child with autism. To hear more about why he supported us, and to donate, please go to our appeal page here.
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Get fit for a good cause
The days are about to get shorter, the perfect time to get outside and train for an event. Why not consider either the BUPA 10k on the 2nd of May or the RideLondon 100 on the 31st of July?
BUPA 10k:
This shorter run includes views of Nelson's Column, St Paul's Cathedral, The London Eye, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Do it for a good cause and run for KIDS! It's just £20 to register, with a minimum fundraising target of £150! Find out more information at this link.
RideLondon 100
Are you a keen cyclist? Sign up for the RideLondon 100 on the 31st of July!
The route is perfect for both club and recreational cyclists. Slower cyclists can enjoy a challenging ride while faster riders will relish the opportunity to pit themselves against the country’s top amateurs.
Our team need to be registered by the 27th of May and to get your place you will have to pay a £20 registration fee and raise £450. Find out more here.
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Send an eggcellent Easter e-card
Prefer not to send out cards? Then why not send an E-card instead! Don't send me a card allows you to send out E-cards, saving you the cost of a greeting card with a small donation supporting us instead.
Easter is this weekend! Welcome in the spring season by sending Easter e-cards with a donation of the cost of cards.
Get yours here.
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KIDS in the news
A KIDS story was included in the Hull Daily Mail last week! Hull Mum Laura Jones was inspired by the lack of awareness of charities like ours, and organised a marketplace of service providers in Hull.
Read more here.
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London Marathon evening
Last week we hosted some of our wonderful London Marathon runners for a nutrition talk and massages. A special thanks to Frederick's for hosting our event! Thanks to all who attended as well, including Lisa from Kerr Wellbeing and Gary from Mind the gap massage. The countdown has begun with just 4 weeks until the big day now.
We are still looking for volunteers to help us on the day! We will need people who can be part of our cheering squad or helping at the post-race reception. If you are interested, please email us.
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Thank you!
A big thank you to Mango Storage for providing us with storage space this year.
Thanks to Connaught Converged Solutions for fundraising for us in 2015. They raised £2,000, surpassing their £500 target. As well as donating headsets to different KIDS offices throughout the country, they organised a quiz, tuckshop and football tournament!
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Viral videos
A video about a young painter with autism has been shared by the The Huffington Post, receiving global media attention. She has earned acclaim from art experts all around the world.
In celebration of World Down Syndrome Day on the 21st of March, Saatchi and Saatchi created an awareness video featuring actress Olivia Wilde. View it here.
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Young people's engagement group attend Birmingham event
Some of young facilitators attended a event in Birmingham, promoting our Young people's engagement group.
Read more about Making it personal here - and view their latest project, a video about Personal budgets here. There are subtitled and Makaton versions of the video available on the same channel.
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Chief Executive collects cheque from ICAP
Our Chief Executive Caroline Stevens was delighted to attend an event at 10 Downing Street, where she collected our cheque from the ICAP Charity day that was held in December.
She also got to spread the word about KIDS to many celebrities, including Downton Abbey star Harry Hadden-Paton.
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Upcoming event in Fareham this Thursday
Check out our upcoming Young people's engagement group event, this Thursday the 24th of March in Fareham.
This event is for young people with disabilities between the ages of 14 and 25 who live in the Hampshire area. If you're interested in coming along, please email us.
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Support our work
Just £5 a month would pay for a sensory toy for KIDS' Home Learning Service, helping disabled babies reach their development milestones. Donate now.
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Gift in your Will
By leaving a gift to KIDS in your will, you can help transform the lives of disabled children and young people for years to come. Find out more.
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