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Haywards Heath Golf Club tees Kangaroos off to an incredible start in 2020

Posted on by Julia Trevett-Smith

New Year’s Day marked a very special day in the calendar for Kangaroos. At the annual Captain’s Drive event held at Haywards Heath Golf Club on New Year’s Day, our Fundraising Coordinator, Samantha Norgate, was absolutely delighted to be presented with a cheque for a phenomenal £29,600. 

It really has been such a great start to 2020 for our charity, which relies significantly on fundraising by local businesses, community organisations and individuals.

Having supported Kangaroos throughout 2019, Haywards Heath Golf Club raised this incredible amount from a variety of fundraising events and generous contributions from the members during the year. The club, which opened in 1922 and has been run by its members since 1974, is a pillar in the community, as is illustrated by their commitment to helping charities in the local area.

Outgoing captains, Les Anderson and Janice Brooks presented Samantha with the cheque at the New Year’s Day event. We are so grateful to Haywards Heath Golf Club for their support and generosity. This will make such a difference to the young people with learning disabilities and their families that we continue to support.

Despite New Year’s Day being a bit of a dull day weather-wise, it was certainly cheerful and bright in spirit. Samantha said, “It  was a pleasure to see such a great turn out for the popular Captain’s Drive. I especially loved the Leprechauns!

“We are so grateful to Haywards Heath Golf Club. It has been a real pleasure to work with such a friendly and committed bunch of people. I would like to give special thanks to Janice for all of her hard work and support.

Here are some of the ways in which Haywards Heath Golf Club supported us in 2019:

  • A hot and sweltering Captains Charity Golf Day last summer, which included an auction,
  • Regular raffles
  • Coffee mornings
  • Challenge events
  • Going sober for January

If you or your business are inspired and would like to get involved and support a local charity in 2020, please get in touch with Samantha Norgate. There are lots of ways you can fundraise or help us and we would love to work with you.

Kangaroos Silver Charity Ball a Huge Success

Posted on by Julia Trevett-Smith

We are absolutely delighted to announce the huge success of our first ever independent Charity Ball at the beautiful Buxted Park Hotel in East Sussex. The spectacular event which raised £14,000, claimed top spot as our biggest fundraiser to date. Organised in its entirety by our fabulous Fundraising Coordinator, Samantha Norgate, we hope all who attended will agree what an amazing event it turned out to be.

The Silver Charity Ball celebrating Kangaroos’ special 25th anniversary year was packed full of surprises and the generosity of all in attendance was absolutely overwhelming. There are so many people to thank, none more so than our headline sponsor, Barratt Homes and the other businesses who also sponsored this event – a big shout out goes to Mortgage Heroes, RGC, Summit Environmental, and Sakala, and also to Buxted Park Hotel for their support.

We are hugely grateful for everyone’s input from the generous donations by our guests and sponsors, to the programme and auction card graphic design by Refresh Designs and printing services by the Lemonade Print Group, as well as prize donations from Flint and Co. Estate Agents, Buxted Park Hotel, Jackie Flynn, Mark Elwell, Freeman Brothers, Heritage, The Chequers Slaugham, The Foot Lady East Grinstead, The Blacksmiths Arms Billingshurst, The Ravenswood Hotel Sharpthorne and Barratt Homes. 

So, a bit about the event. Following a red carpet arrival and a glass of bubbly, our photographer, Louise Sullivan from Be Me Photography kindly donated her photography services and took some fabulous photos of our very glamorous guests. Our guests were then treated to a wonderful live singing performance by Elliot Goldie and Dervla Ramsay, who’s child attends Kangaroos. Guests were also blessed with a special and graceful dance performance by dancers from Lianne Carter’s Turning Pointe School of Dance.

A 3-course dinner followed in the dining room, which was decorated to perfection. Thank you so much to Fraser Leggate for the stunning floral table decorations and to Sara Ellis, To Have and To Hire for the beautiful silver bows. Between courses the brilliant MC, Kevin Durham, kept guests entertained with a fun dinner table game and announced our best-dressed guest – John Holmes (we loved the shoes and that sparkly bow tie). Kevin then did a fantastic job as our auctioneer. Thank you Kevin – you were awesome!

Prior to the auction we got a real sense of the amazing work Kangaroos does in a short video of Maria Barnes and her child, who attends Kangaroos. Maria told a heartwarming story of how much the clubs, activities and outings mean to the family, and particularly to her son who enjoys every minute he attends, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room after that! A big thank you to Clare Jones of Brightlight Film who captured that wonderful story on film. 

Our guest speaker Amie Wiggins, mother of Sidney-Mae, who attends Kangaroos, and team member  at Harlands Group in Haywards Heath, who have been generous in their support of Kangaroos, told of the joy Kangaroos has brought to her daughters life and to the family as a whole.

We ran a silent auction which involved guests submitting auction cards for lots, which included 12 weeks gym membership at Potential Personal Training, 4 life coaching sessions with ‘Coaching with Nisanka’, a weekend photography course courtesy of Nigel Wilson, a garden design consultation with Heather Martin Garden Design, 3 signed children’s books by Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo, and a signed Liverpool Football shirt.

The live auction followed, which had everyone on the edge of their seats as the bidding wars kicked off. Lots included Handmade Bespoke ear-rings by award winning jeweller, Richard Talman of RTFJ, a 3-course meal to be cooked in the comfort of the lucky recipient’s home by culinary expert Richard Herret, a stylish Kangaroo drawing by artist Bryony Hill (wife of late husband, Jimmy Hill OBE), a family photoshoot by Be Me Photography, 2 week’s use of a family holiday home in Tobago, and 2 tickets to a preview and backstage tour of Madama Butterfly at the Royal Opera House, donated by Elliot Goldie and Dervla Ramsay, who made an impromptu operatic performance, which received a standing ovation.

Thank you so much to those who donated prizes and to the lucky bidders who raised the roof with their astounding generosity. We really were blown away.

With spirits high (and glasses topped up) the evening was rounded off in style with dancing to live music by the ‘Funk Around Band’.

Finally, a big thank you to Lauren Stoney, Julia Trevett-Smith and Imogen Trevett for their help on the night selling raffle tickets, helping with the auction and generally making sure everyone had a great time, and also to all of those who generously purchased raffle tickets. Our raffle alone made a staggering £2,000 – this has to be our best ever!

A truly great evening to end a truly brilliant year.

Center Parcs – Memory of a Lifetime Trip Nov 2019

Posted on by Julia Trevett-Smith

Our final Memory of a Lifetime trip was to the fantastic Center Parcs in Woburn for a 2-night stay. Our members had a fabulous time taking part in a range of activities from rock climbing, archery and boating to swimming, bowling and pottery painting.

We all went out for dinner, had a lovely cooked breakfast together, watched the rugby and fed the ducks!

This was an amazing opportunity for our members. For some it was their very first overnight stay without their families. A big thank you to all of our wonderful staff who supported them throughout the 2-day experience.

Here are some of the highlights:

Paralympian John Stubbs says: ‘Archery is a mental sport. Whilst it takes strength to pull back the bow, really the sport is 90 per cent concentration, 10 per cent strength.’ Our members loved the archery and did some super concentrating!

Chilling out at the Lodge!

Good days at Center Parcs! Getting ready for the climb!

This trip is so much fun!

Where did all those ducks come from?

A trip on the boating lake.

Climbing high!

Back at the Lodge – what a great day!

 

Kangaroos delighted to be chosen as Charity of the Month by TSI

Posted on by Julia Trevett-Smith

Kangaroos was chosen by TSI (Total Security Installations) to be their Charity of the Month for October 2019 following a nomination by Kate Scott from the Sales Team. TSI blends expertise in both physical and electronic security solutions with customers ranging from major retail, commercial, education and hospitality companies to architects, builders, insurance industry and high net worth clients both in the UK and Worldwide.

TSI integrates technology with a bespoke approach to design, build and fit out as well as helping individuals to protect their properties. As a family-run business for over 40 years they take pride in high service standards and round-the-clock support.

Kate Scott also ran the Munich marathon in October to raise additional funds for us, which amounted to a whopping £570, plus £136 in gift aid. We are delighted that Kate decided to support us and would like to say a huge congratulations for completing the run. Well done Kate!

And thank you so much to TSI for choosing to champion Kangaroos and recognise the great support that we continue to offer to young people with learning disabilities in Sussex. The grand total raised by Kate’s magnificent run and TSI’s sponsorship totalled a fantastic £1206. Awesome!

We are always looking for local businesses to support us as we rely on donations to continue to offer the clubs, day trips and overnight residential stays to our members. Our members get so much from Kangaroos, such as an opportunity to build friendships, grow confidence and enjoy activities that many take for granted. Our clubs and activities also give families much needed respite from their caring role.

It’s great that businesses further afield are engaging with our cause too. While we are based in Sussex, we welcome support from businesses locally and across the UK.

If you are inspired by TSI and Kate Scott, and would like to help raise money for Kangaroos, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

A big thank you to Harlands Group for their support

Posted on by Julia Trevett-Smith

We were absolutely delighted to find out earlier this year that local Haywards Heath business, Harlands Group, had chosen Kangaroos as their charity of the year for 2019/20.

We are so grateful for the support we have received from Harlands this year. They have been fantastic and are a great example of the impact a locally-based corporate organisation can have on a small charity like Kangaroos.

This blog celebrates our successful partnership. Read on to find out more about the great ways Harland have supported us so far.

Background

Harlands is a growing company in Haywards Heath and for the last 2 years they have asked staff to nominate a local charity, which they then support for the whole year. Staff can opt to pay a percentage from their wages, and the business supports a range of events throughout the year for their chosen charity. Staff are also encouraged to take up volunteering opportunities to help the charity.

In April 2019, Aimee Wiggins – Parent from Kangaroos and employee at Harlands – put forward Kangaroos for selection as Harland’s nominated charity of the year. Some members of Harland’s team visited our complex 6-12 Kangaroos group, STARS to get a better understanding of what we do. They were amazed at our work and were subsequently delighted to be able to partner with us.

Who are Harlands?

Harlands Group work with over 1,800 leisure sites in the UK providing Direct Debit (DD) collection services and credit control. Harlands work with more leisure operators than any other DD company in the UK or Europe and are part of TSG, a leading global revenue management solutions company that provides business management software and integrated payments services to clients around the globe.

Harlands collaborate with Kangaroos

In May this year, Samantha Norgate, Fundraising Coordinator at Kangaroos, visited The Harlands Forum Team to discuss ways in which they could support us.

The Forum team at Harland run by Operations Director, Paul Lane, and Business Support Manager, Sue Coughlan aim to improve employee experience through the Harlands’ benefits package, the four pillars of which include:

  • Wellbeing
  • Rewards and recognition
  • Personal development
  • Sports, social & Charity

Each year at a showcase meeting, they unveil to the whole company who their chosen charity of 2019 is and set out some of the ways they will support the charity over the coming year.

Businesses

Here’s how Harland’s have supported Kangaroos in 2019:

May 2019 – Harlands were headline sponsor at our annual Golf Day contributing £1,000, as well as entering a team. Two of Harlands’ staff also volunteered their time at the event as an auctioneer and helper.

July 2019 – A significant number of Harland employees signed up to Payroll Giving.

Sept 2019 – Some of the Harlands team joined our table at The More Radio Awards where we were the charity of the evening.

Nov 2019 – Harlands bring a table of 10 staff to the Kangaroos Silver Charity Ball, as well as selling raffle tickets for us.

The company has also organised a lot of their own in-house fundraising, including a scavenger hunt around Haywards Heath and a Halloween event, and there are more fundraising activities in the pipeline. Wow. Thank you Harlands, your support has been absolutely amazing!

If you are a business looking for a local charity to support in 2020, please get in touch with our Fundraising and Business Partnership Coordinator, Samantha Norgate.

Adelphi get muddy and raise £883.75 for Kangaroos

Posted on by Julia Trevett-Smith

We were delighted that a team from the Adelphi Group of Companies completed a 5K mud run, to raise money for Kangaroos. Adelphi’s fantastic team included representatives from Accounts, Marketing, Sales, Design and Manufacturing, as well as from the Board of Directors.

The Mud Monster Run

The Mud Monster Run held in East Grinstead on Sunday 20th October included muddy fields, steep hills, washing off in river crossings, navigating through mud pits, fighting through deep bogs, clambering over obstacles and more.

The event, now in its fifth year, offers a great opportunity for individuals and business teams to challenge themselves, get muddy and raise much-needed funds for charity. In 2015 and 2016 the Mud Monster Run won the highly acclaimed Mudstacle Award for the muddiest event, so we appreciate just how muddy the Adelphi team all got for Kangaroos!

Thank you Adelphi

Kangaroos would like to thank each and everyone who competed and helped raise money for us. Contributions like these make such a difference to the young people with learning disabilities that we support. We are really grateful that Adelphi chose to support a local charity like ours. Working with local businesses means a lot to us and to our Members.

About Adelphi

Based in Haywards Heath, Adelphi is a specialist supplier of premium primary packaging for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Adelphi are one of a growing number of businesses with charity and community very much at the heart of their values.

Challenging events are great for fundraising

Events such as the Mud Run work so well as fundraisers, largely because people are more likely to donate money if the event you are taking part in is a challenging one. According to research, if you’ve suffered a bit, friends, family and colleagues are more likely to sponsor you!

If you or your business would like to take part in the next Mud Run and raise money for Kangaroos, get in touch with our Fundraising Coordinator, Samantha Norgate. If getting muddy is a bit too much, there are lots of other ways you can help us. See our Support Us page for more information.