When Harry met Santa

Many children lie in wait by the chimney at Christmas just to catch a glimpse of Santa. Not so for one Norfolk boy – he just got to meet him. Harry Jeckell, aged 14 from Horsford in Norfolk, has just returned from a special trip to Lapland, courtesy of Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK, the charity that grants magical wishes for children and young people fighting life-threatening illnesses. Harry, who is deaf and fighting an acute gut disorder called Short Bowel Syndrome, was flown out with his parents Katherine and Barry Carter, and his brother Alex, to Rovaniemi Airport in Finland on Thursday 17 December.

Save stamps and coins to help Children’s Charity Brainwave

Brainwave is appealing to everyone this Christmas to save their stamps (UK and foreign), spare coins, postcards and cigarette cards and bring or send them to one of three of its national Centres where the charity will turn them into “gold”! Gold that is for the hundreds of families across the country that benefit from the home based therapy programmes specially devised for children with cerebral palsy and other conditions such as development delay. Money raised from the collections will help to fund the work which Brainwave does with families and their children.

Brave Dillon heads Brammer’s charity calendar for Make-A-Wish

A leading manufacturing distributor has made a brave Somerset boy the face of its charity calendar. Instead of the usual naff workplace pin-ups, Brammer – the leading supplier of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) products and services across Europe – chose Dillon Chapman, from Frome in Somerset, to head the calendar in support of its charity, Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK.

Swimathon 2010

Swimathon 2010 – the world’s biggest fundraising swimming event – hits hundreds of pools across the UK between 16-18 April, when 15,000+ swimmers will raise around £1.5m for Marie Curie Cancer Care and The Swimathon Foundation. The majority of the funds will help Marie Curie Nurses provide free nursing care to cancer patients and those with other terminal illnesses in their own homes.

Young drink and drug driving shockingly high

More than 1 in 4 young people (28%) admit to drink or drug driving, or both, or being a passenger with a young drink or drug driver, finds a shocking new report released at the start of Road Safety Week by Brake, the road safety charity behind the Week, in partnership with companies 3M and Alcosense. Out of 2,621 young drivers aged 17-25 interviewed for the report in schools and colleges, one in six (18%) admit to driving after drinking alcohol and one in 15 (7%) admit to driving on illegal drugs. Out of those who admit to drug driving, most (84%) say they drive on a cocktail of drink and drugs.

Great family Christmas gifts with a difference from Send a Cow

If you’re looking for a present to add a bit of meaning to your child’s Christmas then a gift from Send a Cow certainly won’t get lost in the back of the toy cupboard and it’s guaranteed to keep on giving all year. From chickens, cows, bees and goats, to training in construction, planting and business skills, there’s a huge range of presents to suit all ages in this year’s catalogue. And with a fun animal window sticker with every gift, it’s sure to be a big hit as well as a thought provoking present. But the beauty of choosing a Send a Cow gift is that it simply goes much further than others, thanks to the unique circle of help it creates.

Adopt A Puppy This Christmas to help someone with disabilities for just £1 a week!

Canine Partners (Registered Charity No. 803680), who provide specially trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities, is encouraging those who like to give to charity to consider its Adopt a Puppy Campaign – as the ideal Christmas gift. Costing only £1 a week, the scheme helps towards the cost of training a puppy to become a Canine Partner and change the life of a person with disabilities. Ideal as a gift or for yourself, those signing up to Adopt a Puppy will be kept updated on how their adopted puppy is progressing through the training programme.

Jubilee Sailing Trust Needs Voyage Crew

Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) is giving people across the UK the chance to escape this Christmas and take part in a potentially life-changing tall ship sailing adventure. This winter, funding ...

BBC Children in Need is on 20th November!

It’s been nearly a year since you helped Pudsey raise a record breaking £37.8 million and now the Bear is back, bringing a special friend with him! Meet Blush, Pudsey’s ...

NSPCC urges young people to talk about their feelings

The NSPCC is highlighting the importance of children talking about their feelings as it announces major new developments to its ChildLine service. These developments come as an online poll* ...