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Happy festivities Team Derian, here’s your “Mad Friday” festive weekly round-up….enjoy

 

1. I literally could have been out of a job earlier this week as 15yr old Junior who was staying for respite took the role of CEO for the afternoon.  He hosted the Bolton Wanderers visit and quizzed staff on their role and responsibilities across the hospice, it was wonderful to spend time with him.
2. The hospice has been filled with joy, laughter and music this week which has been wonderful to see and hear, there is a real positive vibe!
3. Catherine hosted a visit from the Ribble Valley Mayor this week, who was absolutely overcome with tears to see the work and has promised to come back.
4. Thursday evening was the annual Trees of Love event, it was touch and go if the event would go ahead, but despite starting the day with all of the trees fallen like dominoes after the storm, the whole team – including Gareth the gardener – pulled together to fix it, securing the trees, fixing the lights and baubles, to give hundreds of children and their families a magical experience. Everyone did an amazing job including our wonderful volunteers.
5. Bolton wanderers footballers visited the hospice on Tuesday to hand out gifts and toys and play a few (very competitive) games of FIFA with some of our youngsters. Keep your eyes out for some more sporting heroes when rugby players from Wigan Warriors visit this afternoon.
6. The fundraising team have been rushed off their feet – in the last week alone we’ve had more than 70 different donations of toys, chocolate and money dropped off by generous businesses and people in the community – this has been by far our busiest Christmas for donations.
7. We’ve had some amazing feedback from CQC – they contacted Catherine earlier this week to say that they were using Derian as an example of best practice with a children’s hospice they were currently inspecting, and making particular reference to our plans for sunflowers, and also our Say My Childs Name campaign, this was wonderful feedback.
8. Who knows what to do if our friends at CQC decided to make an unannounced visit ?  Fear not – we’re working up a new one page flow chart and SOP if and when the day should come – we’ll all know exactly what to do and be very confident.
9. Our children thoroughly enjoyed a live-streamed performance of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt from the Lowry on Wednesday.
10. I need a name change !!  It’s a good time to be called Joan. Our £5,000 Christmas raffle winner was drawn last Friday, 79-year-old Joan from Chorley… and a couple of hours later we received an email to say one of our players on the Derian House Lottery had won the £25,000 jackpot. Would you believe another Joan, 83, from Burnley!

 

And finally – festive birthdays coming up ahead of the New Year…. A HO HO HO Birthday shout goes to Clare Carter, Rhianne Hodgson, Jessica Fagan, Lindsay Bruton and Gill Rabbett….. (I always wondered if people with Xmas birthdays got more or less presents ????) 😉

 

Have a fabulous Christmas everyone

 

 

Best wishes   Karen   Karen Edwards OBE Chief Executive Officer   Please note, I am sending this email now as it suits my work pattern, which may not match yours.