2020 News
Darcy's Diploma
A little over a year ago, shortly after this beautiful boy became a shining star, Darcy spoke to me about learning more how to support our families during the hardest times of their lives.
We have always tried to support our families through losing one of their children but there was something missing.
Darcy was extremely involved in supporting Jenson & his family through their final days together & the first few weeks of life without him. Her support I know meant the world to them.
So when Darcy spoke to me about training, it was a no brainer.
We were so lucky to receive funding from MKCF for Darcy to start a Grief & bereavement counselling course.
We are over the moon & so proud to announce that Darcy passed her course with top marks.
This will mean so much to the families we help during this dreadful time & means that we can support them from the start.
Well Done Darcy 💖💖
#ForJenson #ForOurChildren 💙💖
We have always tried to support our families through losing one of their children but there was something missing.
Darcy was extremely involved in supporting Jenson & his family through their final days together & the first few weeks of life without him. Her support I know meant the world to them.
So when Darcy spoke to me about training, it was a no brainer.
We were so lucky to receive funding from MKCF for Darcy to start a Grief & bereavement counselling course.
We are over the moon & so proud to announce that Darcy passed her course with top marks.
This will mean so much to the families we help during this dreadful time & means that we can support them from the start.
Well Done Darcy 💖💖
#ForJenson #ForOurChildren 💙💖
Redway Runners
We were thrilled to be the chosen charity of Redway Runners 2019/2020 & over the year they have raised us a total of £9352.48 - Thank you so much to the whole club.
Reach for the Stars
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Thank you everyone who took part in our “Reach for the stars” June challenge...
Here’s a small selection of those that sent me in photos!! All together you raised us an incredible... £785.38 Thank you so so much xxxx |
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Amazon Smile
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us by having Emilys star as their choice charity when shopping with amazon.
We have just received £75.45 from amazon smile for this quarter meaning we have received a total of £446.12!
If you shop with amazon and you would like to support us, here is a link on how to add Emily’s star as your chosen charity
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202029360
Thank you once again 😘
We have just received £75.45 from amazon smile for this quarter meaning we have received a total of £446.12!
If you shop with amazon and you would like to support us, here is a link on how to add Emily’s star as your chosen charity
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202029360
Thank you once again 😘
When you wish upon a star
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“Benjamin and myself would like to say a big THANK YOU to Emily's Star for his amazing wish.
During this crazy time i have beaten myself up and felt i had failed due to not being able to lift my ever growing hero into his garden pool, onto his swing, onto his big chair etc... With your help purchasing these amazing soft play steps he can now crawl up (and slide down!) Giving him some independence and saving my back and tears. Forever grateful for helping us smile! 😀😀” Melanie Carroll |
2019/20 Accounts update...
Our 2019/20 accounts have arrived back...
I’m thrilled to announce we raised an incredible £92,408 in the last 12 months.
Since starting the charity in 2012 we have raised an amazing £610,928!!
I cannot thank you all enough for your incredible support 😍😍😍
I’m thrilled to announce we raised an incredible £92,408 in the last 12 months.
Since starting the charity in 2012 we have raised an amazing £610,928!!
I cannot thank you all enough for your incredible support 😍😍😍
MK Community Foundation Grant
We have been extremely lucky to receive not just one but two grants so far in 2020.
The first grant was for £2,000 worth of Asda Vouchers for our families at the very start of lockdown.
As the lockdown started to be relaxed we were aware that face coverings will be needed to things such as hospital visit, public transport & now more recently shopping. We were thrilled to be award £990 to cover the cost of 500 reusable branded masks for our registered families & our volunteer families.
We have had great feedback from everyone & below are some of our families & volunteers showing them off....
The first grant was for £2,000 worth of Asda Vouchers for our families at the very start of lockdown.
As the lockdown started to be relaxed we were aware that face coverings will be needed to things such as hospital visit, public transport & now more recently shopping. We were thrilled to be award £990 to cover the cost of 500 reusable branded masks for our registered families & our volunteer families.
We have had great feedback from everyone & below are some of our families & volunteers showing them off....
We are still supporting our local community...
Trustees & volunteers are still working hard to ensure our registered families are safe, happy & have all the essential items they need.
We are making visits to our families whenever they need us with items from our very own "shop" where we stock everything from toothbrushes to wet wipes, sensory items & washing powder.
We have provided well over 2,000 items to our families all completely free of charge since lockdown started.
With help from Milton Keynes Community Foundation we have been able to provide our families with vouchers for Asda after we received a grant for £2,000!
We have also been able to continue to supply Wards 4 & 5 with toiletries' for people having emergency admissions.
Here are some photos sent in from our families & of the work we are still able to do...
We are making visits to our families whenever they need us with items from our very own "shop" where we stock everything from toothbrushes to wet wipes, sensory items & washing powder.
We have provided well over 2,000 items to our families all completely free of charge since lockdown started.
With help from Milton Keynes Community Foundation we have been able to provide our families with vouchers for Asda after we received a grant for £2,000!
We have also been able to continue to supply Wards 4 & 5 with toiletries' for people having emergency admissions.
Here are some photos sent in from our families & of the work we are still able to do...
In memory of Julie...
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We were honoured to receive donations in memory of Julie who sadly passed away.
Julie loved the work we do and loved babies & children. The lovely donation received in her memory has already been put to use by us. We will donate 7 Emily's gift neonatal boxes to MKUH in her name & we have also provided 13 mirrors for use when doing kangaroo care with a baby on the neonatal unit in MK. |
Lets get quizzing...
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Thank you so much to Jon & Lucy for hosting a quiz night for us on the 22nd May
We absolutely loved it! Raising over £380 for us which is incredible!! And me, Ben & Jake came 10th... we were very shocked! 🤣🤣 |
When your families make you cry...
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We are so very lucky to support the most amazing children & their families.
We LOVE our job! Receiving this video from a handful of our families truly made our day! They wanted to show their thanks for the support we have given them over lockdown, how amazing is this... Thank you all, we love you all & miss you so much xxx |
Mini Packs...
We are STILL creating & sending out mini packs during lockdown.
We have a handful of amazing volunteers who are combining their daily exercise with popping to the post box to drop off the mini packs.
And our trustees are popping into the office to make up more packs when they are needed!
We have a handful of amazing volunteers who are combining their daily exercise with popping to the post box to drop off the mini packs.
And our trustees are popping into the office to make up more packs when they are needed!
Dawsonsgroup Dress Down Day Fundraiser
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We were thrilled to be chosen by Dawsongroup for their 2019/2020 Dress Down Day Charity. Throughout the year the Milton Keynes based business has held dress down days across its sites & raised an incredible £586.26.
This donation will be used to fund a trip to the Cotswold Widlife Park in August for our registered families. Thank you to all the staff at Dawsongroup for your support. |
Volunteers of the Month - February
This month are volunteers of the month are our super awesome Monday team!
Judy, Sue & Karen who every Monday come in to huge piles of knitting, donations & more!
This month there has been loads & loads!
On top of this Judy & Sue sell on eBay & are constantly posting out items, already this year raising well over £150!
Karen & her partner Dan held a virtual run in February too raising over £600!!
What a trio of superstars!! Xx
Judy, Sue & Karen who every Monday come in to huge piles of knitting, donations & more!
This month there has been loads & loads!
On top of this Judy & Sue sell on eBay & are constantly posting out items, already this year raising well over £150!
Karen & her partner Dan held a virtual run in February too raising over £600!!
What a trio of superstars!! Xx
Indoor Carboot - Big Success
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Thank you so so much to everyone who came to our extremely busy indoor carboot!!
It was a huge success for everyone!! The charity made today a huge £548.07!! An overall profit after costs of £573.76!! |
Heslops Removals support
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Thank you so much to Heslop's Removals for the loan of this van... makes ours look tiny!
Not only did you let us use it for free you also gave us fuel money... you superstar! The work you guys do for so many local charities is inspiring, we are proud to be one of them 💖⭐️ |
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Karen & Dan's Virtual Run Fundraiser
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A HUGE big thank you to Dan & Karen who held a virtual run from the 22nd February for one week.
They are both running in the GNR this year for us & this was part of their joint fundraising. Many of us took to MK Parkrun on Emily’s Birthday to complete the 5K & get a beautiful medal at the end! Karen said; “Thank you everyone who came out to support our run for Emily, we raised a whopping £630 from medal sales & so pleased that the charity will benefit from this. You are all awesome 😎👏🏻🌟” What a pair of superstars they are! |
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12th February - Day in the life of a volunteer
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We decided to document a day in the life of a volunteer & what we get up to... This was 12th February 2020
All in all, it was a busy & productive day xx |
Night of Mediumship with Bec's
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Wow wow wow!!
Thank you to everyone who supported the Night of Mediumship with Bec’s on Saturday! Thank you to Bec’s who was awesome, to Windmill Hill Golf Centre, to Shannon on the bar & to our volunteers! We raised an incredible £935.40!! Even better news Bec’s is coming back to support us in 2021!! |
Sponsored Boxes - Quarter 1
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We are very honoured when boxes are sponsored.
This time we had a number of sponsored boxes: 20 by Jake, Natasha, Oaklie & Thea The Skilbeck Family In memory of Penelope Benson |
Box & Making Session
We were really happy to have volunteers from Network Rail, Coca Cola & Boost join us for our first box & bag making session of 2020.
We managed to create 60 5lb+ boxes for Milton Keynes Neonatal Unit & 180 Mini Gift Bags which will be sent out across the UK.
The session cost us around £3,300
We managed to create 60 5lb+ boxes for Milton Keynes Neonatal Unit & 180 Mini Gift Bags which will be sent out across the UK.
The session cost us around £3,300
February Thank You's
To everyone who attending our 1st Bingo night of 2020 & raised us a cool £425
To MK CCG for inviting us to take part in the End of Life Pathway Workshop.
To everyone who donated towards our "Knickers Fundraiser" for Labour Ward, we raised £95
To Safari MK for their collection pot - Raising £9.44
Hair station - Bedford for their collection pot - Raising £47
To everyone who has us their charity on Amazon Smile, we received a donation for £77.68 this quarter
Budgens Stratford Park for their collection pot - Raising £46.93
Starbucks Drive Thru for their collection pot - Raising £213.16
To MK CCG for inviting us to take part in the End of Life Pathway Workshop.
To everyone who donated towards our "Knickers Fundraiser" for Labour Ward, we raised £95
To Safari MK for their collection pot - Raising £9.44
Hair station - Bedford for their collection pot - Raising £47
To everyone who has us their charity on Amazon Smile, we received a donation for £77.68 this quarter
Budgens Stratford Park for their collection pot - Raising £46.93
Starbucks Drive Thru for their collection pot - Raising £213.16
Volunteer of the Month - January
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This month our superstar volunteer is our “Aunty Liz”
We were very kindly donated some toys along with a doc Mcstuffin donated by Corina’s MK, everything needed a little freshen up, Liz took in boxes & boxes of items, each item was repaired, washed & returned to us ready to use for our playgroups, events & as presents for our new families! Thank you so much Liz, you truly are a Star xx |
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Easter Eggs Galore...
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Thank you so much to Laney & Denise at Tesco Wolverton who helped us to purchase 300 Easter eggs today ready for our Egg Hunt in April...
Laney kindly donated a £40 Gift Card to go towards the cost. Nothing like being Eggstra prepared! 😂😂😂 |
Ice Hockey Stay & Play - 26th January
Our first Stay & Play session of 2020 kicked off, or should that be "faced off" at Planet Ice MK Watching the MK Lightening win.
We provided our families with tickets to the game along with a hot buffet all in the VIP area for a perfect view which was warm.
We had great feedback from our families who attending.
We provided our families with tickets to the game along with a hot buffet all in the VIP area for a perfect view which was warm.
We had great feedback from our families who attending.
Kaitlin's kind heart
Kaitlin, a superstar 11 year old put forward Emily’s Star to her school as their charity of the year!
She wrote a beautiful piece about why she wanted everyone to choose us, unfortunately this year we weren’t chosen but that hasn’t stopped Kaitlin...
Her mum has sent us these letters she’s written, I actually welled up reading them! Look at her lovely drawing too
For an 11 year old to be so thoughtful & want to help make a difference is incredible! I know her mum & dad are so proud of her, as are we!
We decided to set up a fundraiser on Facebook & we managed to raise £158! Kaitlin will be choosing the items that she wishes the money to be used for shortly.
She wrote a beautiful piece about why she wanted everyone to choose us, unfortunately this year we weren’t chosen but that hasn’t stopped Kaitlin...
Her mum has sent us these letters she’s written, I actually welled up reading them! Look at her lovely drawing too
For an 11 year old to be so thoughtful & want to help make a difference is incredible! I know her mum & dad are so proud of her, as are we!
We decided to set up a fundraiser on Facebook & we managed to raise £158! Kaitlin will be choosing the items that she wishes the money to be used for shortly.
Redway Runners Expo
As the Redway Runners charity of the year we attended their Expo on the 22nd January & raised a cool £107 on our raffle,
CJR Electrical Donation
Instead of selling his old van Chris decided to raffle it with the money coming to Emily's Star. Chris made an awesome £2020
Chris & his wife received one of our boxes when their son was born prematurely.
Chris & his wife received one of our boxes when their son was born prematurely.
Night Night NICU
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We are thrilled to be working with Peeps-HIE who have made these wonderful NICU books, we will now be including one of these books in every box we make for MKUH
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Mothercare Closure
We have been inundated with wonderful donations from supporters who have picked up premature clothing at discounted prices due to the closure of Mothercare.
We would like to extend our thanks to the wonderful staff at the Milton Keynes branch who purchased all the remaining premature clothing on the last day & donated it to us!
We would like to extend our thanks to the wonderful staff at the Milton Keynes branch who purchased all the remaining premature clothing on the last day & donated it to us!
January Thank you's
Star Platforms - Raising us £183.14 during December 2019
B.Brill Plumbing & Heating for servicing & repairing the boiler in our office.
To everyone who donated on our Facebook Fundraiser for new Mini Gift Bag storage
To everyone who has donated items to our Indoor Carboot sale in February
To everyone who has been purchasing Sensory Items from our Amazon Wish List
To everyone who donated towards our Sensory Dark Den
To Accenture for taking away our 2020 letters & stuffing them all into envelopes for us to use.
B.Brill Plumbing & Heating for servicing & repairing the boiler in our office.
To everyone who donated on our Facebook Fundraiser for new Mini Gift Bag storage
To everyone who has donated items to our Indoor Carboot sale in February
To everyone who has been purchasing Sensory Items from our Amazon Wish List
To everyone who donated towards our Sensory Dark Den
To Accenture for taking away our 2020 letters & stuffing them all into envelopes for us to use.
Changes for a brighter future...
Emily’s Star will be bringing things back home to help & support more families locally in Milton Keynes!
We are starting a fantastic complex needs play group for children with complex needs who are not yet attending school.
We plan to hold separate teenager events for our older children.
We are extending our support to follow inline with ECHP’s and support families with children from 0 to 25 years old
We would love to be able to offer our parents the opportunity to relax & unwind in some specially focused parent only events.
We will be providing our neonatal boxes to Milton Keynes hospital ONLY.
We will be offering Mini Gift Bags to every single unit in the UK, these will be available to order online for parents free of charge!
All of these changes will enable us to support more families locally & help us continue to create magical memories & beautiful smiles 💙🌟💖
Bring on 2020, we can’t wait 😍😍😍😍
We are starting a fantastic complex needs play group for children with complex needs who are not yet attending school.
We plan to hold separate teenager events for our older children.
We are extending our support to follow inline with ECHP’s and support families with children from 0 to 25 years old
We would love to be able to offer our parents the opportunity to relax & unwind in some specially focused parent only events.
We will be providing our neonatal boxes to Milton Keynes hospital ONLY.
We will be offering Mini Gift Bags to every single unit in the UK, these will be available to order online for parents free of charge!
All of these changes will enable us to support more families locally & help us continue to create magical memories & beautiful smiles 💙🌟💖
Bring on 2020, we can’t wait 😍😍😍😍