30th January 2020
Nursery children “Walk to Lapland”
Children and staff attending Walmgate Day Nursery in York took part in a “Laps for Lapland” sponsored walk in aid of When You Wish Upon A Star, supporting the Charity’s mission to grant magical wishes for children living with life threatening illnesses.11 children from the nursery, along with staff walked through York City Centre on December 4th 2019, to help raise awareness of the cause whilst raising some funds along the way, to the grand tune of £370! Laps for Lapland is a simple initiative rolled out by the charity each November and December, encouraging children in schools and nurseries to get outdoors, be active and raise money at the same time.
All of the money raised goes towards sponsoring a local child’s seat aboard the When You Wish upon A Star Santa Express in December.
Helen Rook, Regional Fundraiser said ‘We have been flying children to Lapland each December for 29 years now and it is such a magical trip. Children can ride with huskies, visit Lapland’s only post box and then meet Santa and his reindeer before embarking on the return flight home. The trip gives children something to look forward to at a magical time of year, when the rest of the time they are faced with hospital visits and endless medical examinations. Each seat on the plane costs us £450, so the £370 donation from the children and families at Walmgate Day Nursery have gone a considerable way in funding the trip of a lifetime for a seriously ill child in Yorkshire, for which we cannot thank them enough.’
The donation has come as the charity begin their 30th Anniversary year, in which they plan to host a fundraising ball in the region and a special celebration for the Wish Children.
Helen added ‘This is a huge year for us as we intend to celebrate our wish granting work over the past 30 years. To date, we have granted almost 18,000 Wishes and Treats and to have begun with such an incredible contribution from a local organisation means we can grant even more.’
Lucy Furness, Deputy Nursery Manager said ‘We enjoyed a lovely walk through the museum gardens in December. Iit is always nice to get the children out and explore the beautiful city we live in. We would like to thank all the parents and everyone that has sponsored us and helped us raise such a great amount of money for a wonderful cause.’
The charity are welcoming support from schools and nurseries across York throughout the year. As well as the Laps for Lapland campaign, they have a number of ways to engage with children and students of all ages.