News 2017
Christmas Delivery 2017
Our 5th Annual Christmas delivery to Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust took place on Friday 22nd December.
We visited the Children's Wards, Children's A&E, and the Neonatal Unit, where we handed out presents to the children and babies, together with chocolates and sweets for brothers, sisters, mums, dads and staff ⭐️🎅🏽⭐️
We visited the Children's Wards, Children's A&E, and the Neonatal Unit, where we handed out presents to the children and babies, together with chocolates and sweets for brothers, sisters, mums, dads and staff ⭐️🎅🏽⭐️
Frosts support Emily's Star
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We were delighted to be invited to collect a cheque from Frosts Garden Centres, who chose Emily's Star as their charity for 2017, for the money raised from their plastic bag charge. We received an amazing £1438.20 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ We cannot thank Frosts enough for choosing to support Emily’s Star ⭐️🎅🏽⭐️ |
Our Families Magical Christmas Experience
An amazing visit to Frosts Garden Centre was arrange for our registered families, where they were able enjoy a totally inclusive Family Christmas Experience.
We visited Santa's Grotto, where the Elves helped us make reindeer food, before seeing the big man himself and receiving a wonderful present.
Then there was just time for cookies and hot chocolate at the Ice Cafe, before joining Elsa and Anna on the ice.
A goody bag from Emily's Star, which included a framed photo for each family, was the perfect end to the perfect evening ❤️⭐️❤️ ⭐️❤️
We visited Santa's Grotto, where the Elves helped us make reindeer food, before seeing the big man himself and receiving a wonderful present.
Then there was just time for cookies and hot chocolate at the Ice Cafe, before joining Elsa and Anna on the ice.
A goody bag from Emily's Star, which included a framed photo for each family, was the perfect end to the perfect evening ❤️⭐️❤️ ⭐️❤️
Tesco Weekend Christmas 2017
16th and 17th December saw Emily's Star once again at Tesco Kingston for a fun weekend. We were totally blown away by the support from staff and shoppers, raising an incredible £838.62 over the two days,
A big thank you to Karen and Tesco who gave us a wonderful donation of toys, clothes and other items for us to use at future events.
It was an awesome weekend ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A big thank you to Karen and Tesco who gave us a wonderful donation of toys, clothes and other items for us to use at future events.
It was an awesome weekend ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kenzie's Wish
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Thank you so much for Kenzie's wish. He's been recovering at home after being very poorly in hospital a few weeks ago. |
Greggs Corporate Day with Emily's Star
During December we had a corporate day with the area managers from Greggs, who have been long time supporters of Emily’s star.
They joined us for the day, first stop was a morning of box making. The gang made 150 boxes to be delivered across the uk.
After lunch we headed up to the car raffle where the gang beat their target set last year.
We can’t wait to have them back next year. Thank you Greggs.
They joined us for the day, first stop was a morning of box making. The gang made 150 boxes to be delivered across the uk.
After lunch we headed up to the car raffle where the gang beat their target set last year.
We can’t wait to have them back next year. Thank you Greggs.
Whittlebury Hall Christmas Event
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An awesome £225 was raised for Emily's Star at the Whittlebury Hall Christmas Event. Thank you so much to Rebecca for organising this event. The money raised will fund 7 neonatal boxes. ❤️⭐️❤️ ⭐️❤️ |
Parkside Christmas Concert
A huge thank you to all the staff and supporters of the Parkside Medical Centre for the Christmas concert that they arranged, raising an amazing £337.60 for Emily's Star.
Sainsbury's Weekend
The 2nd and 3rd December saw Emily's Star have our second weekend of the year at Sainsbury's, Shenley Church End. We were totally blow away by the support we received, raising an amazing £1482.10 over the two days. A huge thank you to the Emily’s Star Singers, Sainsbury’s staff and customers and our volunteers for making this all possible ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Emily's Star Christmas Bingo
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Thank you to everyone who came and supported us for our Christmas Bingo. Over £300 was raised, which will fund over 9 Emily's Gift neonatal boxes. Also a big thank you to Stantonbury Sports and Social Club for allowing us to use their premises. |
December's Twit Twoo Nearly New Sale
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Another successful event for Emily's Star, selling donated items at the Twit Twoo Kids' Nearly New Sale in Bletchley. An amazing £191.70 was raised, which included an awesome £43 from the sale of vitamins by Emily, who owns the business. A big thank you to Emily for her continued support. |
Asda Customers supporting Emily's Star
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Thank you to everyone who put their green tokens into the box at Asda Bletchley for Emily's Star.
We are pleased to announce that we came first and Asda have kindly donated a HUGE £500 to us ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Wiki Places for Kids
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Thank you so much to everyone who helped arrange and support the Wiki Winter Meet. The money raised will be used to fund 4 Emily's Gift Neonatal Boxes for babies who are born prematurely or underweight! We are so thankful that you chose us to support ⭐️ |
I’m literally buzzing from our Wiki Winter Meet yesterday at Frosts Garden Centres - it was the first event I’ve ever hosted and with Mygingerandme and Life with my Little Duck and we really did pull it off - I was so so glad to see so many fab friends and new faces. There was so much love and support in the room and some really incredible mamas and small businesses. Can’t wait to hold another one - the next one will have fizz I promise. After all we need to celebrate ourselves and our achievements much more than we all do ❤️ A huge thank you also to all the wonderful brands that supported us in our event that has raised just under £150 for Emily's Star. Thank you for making it all possible 😘
Darcy wins at the first MK People Awards
We are absolutely thrilled that our beautiful Darcy has WON the charity award at the first MK People Awards being run by Milton Keynes Council.
She was nominated by our registered families, friends and fellow volunteers because she truly does make a HUGE difference day in day out to so many local families in Milton Keynes.
We are so incredibly lucky to have Darcy ⭐️💖⭐️
Follow this link for further coverage.
She was nominated by our registered families, friends and fellow volunteers because she truly does make a HUGE difference day in day out to so many local families in Milton Keynes.
We are so incredibly lucky to have Darcy ⭐️💖⭐️
Follow this link for further coverage.
2017 Emily's Star Christmas Craft Fair
What a fabulous event!!
Thank you so much to all our wonderful supporters, stall holders and the two amazing choirs (Milton Keynes Youth Choir and the Emily's Star Singers) who sang so beautifully for us!!
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that in total we made an incredible £1688.42!!
Just amazing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much to all our wonderful supporters, stall holders and the two amazing choirs (Milton Keynes Youth Choir and the Emily's Star Singers) who sang so beautifully for us!!
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that in total we made an incredible £1688.42!!
Just amazing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ipad Carts for Milton Keynes University Hospital Neonatal Unit
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World Prematurity Day - 17th November and what could be more fitting than for Emily's Star to deliver the very first iPad carts to Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for their neonatal unit. These iPad carts are designed to be used by mums who are unable to visit their babies on the neonatal unit. Using the Facetime function one cart will be positioned with baby and one with mum. When Emily was first born she was taken to the neonatal unit to be cared for. Katie was given a photo and that’s all she had. Now mums will be able to see their babies rather than just have a photo to look at Today is a very proud day for Emily's Star!! 💖💖💖💖 |
Special deliveries to Milton Keynes University Hospital
During November we delivered lots of wonderfully donated items to Tracy Rae and the Butterfly Suite for babies born sleeping in #MiltonKeynes
We donated -
Duvet sets
Sheets
Toiletries
Clothing
Blankets
Teddy bears
Early baby wraps
Bereavement information of charities that offer support.
We were also able to donate two wagons full of toiletries to the childrens wards.
These are designed to be given to ANY parent or carer who finds themselves having a stay in hospital unexpectedly or forgets an item.
We provide everything from toothbrushes, shower gel, nappies, sanitary items to deodorant and shampoo...
We’ve been donating a regular supply to the unit at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for over 3 years now.... ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
We donated -
Duvet sets
Sheets
Toiletries
Clothing
Blankets
Teddy bears
Early baby wraps
Bereavement information of charities that offer support.
We were also able to donate two wagons full of toiletries to the childrens wards.
These are designed to be given to ANY parent or carer who finds themselves having a stay in hospital unexpectedly or forgets an item.
We provide everything from toothbrushes, shower gel, nappies, sanitary items to deodorant and shampoo...
We’ve been donating a regular supply to the unit at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for over 3 years now.... ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
November Box Making
November's Box Making saw our team of volunteers create 150 neonatal boxes which will be sent to the following units:
Bedford Hospital
Burnley Hospital
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust
Gloucester NNU
Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Portsmouth NH
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital
Scunthorpe
Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Hull Royal Infirmary
100 of these boxes were sponsored in memory of Samuel,. #PrematureRockStar
Bedford Hospital
Burnley Hospital
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust
Gloucester NNU
Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Portsmouth NH
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital
Scunthorpe
Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Hull Royal Infirmary
100 of these boxes were sponsored in memory of Samuel,. #PrematureRockStar
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We cannot thank Matt Wilkinson, Sally Wilkinson, their family and friends enough...
In memory of their beautiful boy Samuel they have raised an incredible amount of money and have funded over 100 neonatal boxes... 100 boxes from the November box making will be sent out in memory of Samuel and more will be sent out next month too, thanks to their amazing efforts in raising awareness and money for Emily's Star. https://www.prematurerockstar.co.uk/ supporting Emily's Star.. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ |
Edward's Wish
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Emily's Star have given Edward a wish for his bigger size special vests, this is one of the most important things for him in his day to day care, feeding and changing and lets him maintain his dignity- we are very grateful to them. |
Family Fun at Safari MK
For November's Stay and Play, we were able to take our registered families to Safari MK soft play and party venue. The families were able to bring all their children along for the fun too.
This is invaluable time together for our families.
This is invaluable time together for our families.
Halloween Stay and Play
School half-term was the perfect opportunity for a Halloween Party with our registered families.
We dressed up, listened to spooky music, made Halloween decorations and painted rocks. Some of us ate lots too, especially the cakes (thank you Rachel). 😍
We currently have 68 registered families and every month we do something different that can involve the whole family. It is a perfect time for everyone to get together and experience “everyday activities.
We dressed up, listened to spooky music, made Halloween decorations and painted rocks. Some of us ate lots too, especially the cakes (thank you Rachel). 😍
We currently have 68 registered families and every month we do something different that can involve the whole family. It is a perfect time for everyone to get together and experience “everyday activities.
Riley's Wish
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Riley's mummy sent in a Wish request for a tricycle for Riley and we were thrilled to be able to grant this wish.
Riley's mummy writes - " He absolutely loves it 😍. How I will keep up with him once he learns to ride, I do not know!!! " Emily's Star Giving Every Family Their Moment To Shine ⭐️ |
MIlton Keynes Scout Gang Show 2017
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We were thrilled to have been chosen as the charity for this year's Scout Gang Show.
Our team attended all 4 showings of this amazing event with our awareness and merchandise stall. £68.99 was raised in total, which will fund 2 Emily's Gift neonatal boxes. A big thank you to the Management team of MK Gang Show for choosing us as their charity of the year. |
PrematureRockStars support Emily's Star
Matt and his awesome friends are literally amazing, managing to run 2 marathons in 2 weeks, as they continue to raise money for PrematureRockStars which is helping to fund neonatal boxes for Emily's Star.
Matt and Sally's son Samuel sadly passed away 2 years ago. His amazing parents, sister Isabelle and twin Harry have all worked so hard to raise awareness, money and offer support to other parents in Samuel's name through PrematureRockStars.
Emily's Star is incredibly lucky to have received their support through endless events, family fun days and TWO marathons during October!! They have raised over £5,000 and are helping to fund over 100 neonatal boxes in Samuel's memory. 💙⭐️💙⭐️💙⭐️💙
Matt and Sally's son Samuel sadly passed away 2 years ago. His amazing parents, sister Isabelle and twin Harry have all worked so hard to raise awareness, money and offer support to other parents in Samuel's name through PrematureRockStars.
Emily's Star is incredibly lucky to have received their support through endless events, family fun days and TWO marathons during October!! They have raised over £5,000 and are helping to fund over 100 neonatal boxes in Samuel's memory. 💙⭐️💙⭐️💙⭐️💙
Tiger MK
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Once again Tiger MK has donated lots of fantastic items to us, They have continually supported Emily's Star for over a year now. Here’s just a sample of what we received recently. Thank you so much ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Twit Twoo Nearly New Sale
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Emily's Star have been busy selling donated items at the Twit Twoo Kids' Nearly New Sale in Newport Pagnell. An amazing £141.87 was raised, which included an awesome £20 donation from Emily, who owns the business. A big thank you to Emily for her continued support. |
Sizzling Sausages at Bunnings
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Emily's Star was busy once again at Bunnings on Sunday 08 October, cooking up sausages and onions for an amazing Sausage Sizzle.
We had a really successful day and are looking forward to returning in the near future. A big thank you to Bunnings, Milton Keynes for allowing us to be involved. |
Box Making with Network Rail
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October's Box Making was a bit different, with Katie, Taylor, Jenna and Liza joining us from Network Rail, Milton Keynes for a day's volunteering.
150 Emily's Gift Boxes were created - 18 to Birmingham Women's 12 to George Elliott hospital 12 to Diana Princess of Wales Hospital 18 to Evelina London Children's Hospital 12 to James Cook University Hospital 12 to The John Radcliffe Hospital 12 to Lister Hospital 12 to Macclesfield 12 to Southend Hospital 12 to St Richard's Hospital 12 to Warrington Hospital 6 to a trial at Hull Hospital |
Rock Stars By Emily's Star
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Saturday 1st October saw the first rock painting event hosted by Emily's Star.
Some amazing rocks were painted and later hidden, for others to find. An amazing £25 was raised on the day. More information about Rock Stars By Emily's Star can be found here. |
The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge
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This awesome team have raise over £1000 for Emily's Star⭐️ Sophie, Yian, Chris, Wendy and Maher completed the The Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, which is a circular route of roughly 25 miles and 1500m of ascent that summits three iconic peaks – Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-Ghent. It had to completed within 12 hours! |
Rachel conquers Tower Bridge for Emily's Star
September 20th saw our very own amazing volunteer, Rachel face her fears and raise an incredible £260 for Emily's Star. Her plan was to raise enough money to fund 2 Emily's Gift Boxes, but she smashed that target and raised enough to fund 8 boxes!!
Hi, I'm Rachel and I'm that person who goes a bit wonky on the second step of a ladder. I'm planning to walk across the top of Tower Bridge to fund raise for Emily's Star. I'll do this on my 33rd birthday.
I want to raise enough to fund at least two Emily's Gift neonatal boxes - these are provided free of charge and contain items for both the baby and parents - I was a 3lb baby and my great grandmother had to knit clothes small enough to fit me,
Rachel - September 2017
Asda Bag Packing and Awareness Day
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Emily's Star was given the opportunity to have an Awareness Stand at Asda, Bletchley on Saturday 16th September. Bag packing, generous donations from customers and the sale of knitted items, all added to an amazing £523.60 raised on the day! |
Running towards the Alter
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Well done and congratulations to the lovely Zoe Hearne who completed the New Forrest half marathon last weekend for Emily's Star.
She has raised over £100 and at the end of the race her boyfriend got down on one knee and proposed... She said yes!! How awesome is this!! Huge congratulations to Zoe and Jake 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖 |
Cinema Trip for our Registered families
Sunday 10th September Emily's Star took 28 of our registered families, including 15 wheelchair users to the cinema, to watch Cars 3.
We all had a truly magnificent time and we can't thank Cineworld MK for working so hard to help make our dreams reality.
We all had a truly magnificent time and we can't thank Cineworld MK for working so hard to help make our dreams reality.
I don't how to thank you enough! Today you took inclusiveness to a whole new level. You gave some families an opportunity they never would have got otherwise. It was noisy...it was manic...easily my best trip to the cinema 😍We love any opportunity to do something as a whole family and you gave us that...thank you ❤️❤️❤️ |
I have never been brave enough b4 but today I knew no matter what it was ok...makes a big difference...and my boy enjoyed his first cinema trip too so happy Mummy...big thanks all xx |
A big thank you to all the team for an amazing, all inclusive family trip to the cinema. You really do take the 'dis' out of disabled, and in your eyes, anything and everything is possible, and for that we are truly grateful. The belief and awesomeness of the team is out of this world!!!! Xxx |
Disney Karaoke Evening
Emily's Star held our first Family Disney Karaoke Evening on Friday 8th September. Everyone agreed it was a great success, with both adults and children on top form with their singing and dancing. A big than you to Unit 9 for all their help and support.
September Box Making
Saturday 2nd September saw another 150 Emily's Gift neonatal boxes created, which will be distributed to the following hospitals -
10 boxes to Bedford Hospital
110 to Stoke Mandeville Hospital
18 to Scunthorpe
12 to Burnley
18 to Coventry and Warwickshire
18 to Gloucester
18 to Luton and Dunstable
18 to Portsmouth
12 to QEQM Margate
And the rest to Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
We had 8 boxes sponsored at this event:-
1 box sponsored by Oliver, aged 1
6 box sponsored by Keepmoat Homes, Southern
2 boxes sponsored by Emily’s Knitting Army
10 boxes to Bedford Hospital
110 to Stoke Mandeville Hospital
18 to Scunthorpe
12 to Burnley
18 to Coventry and Warwickshire
18 to Gloucester
18 to Luton and Dunstable
18 to Portsmouth
12 to QEQM Margate
And the rest to Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
We had 8 boxes sponsored at this event:-
1 box sponsored by Oliver, aged 1
6 box sponsored by Keepmoat Homes, Southern
2 boxes sponsored by Emily’s Knitting Army
Leanne conquers the mud for Emily's Star!
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A huge thank you to Leanne who raised £295 for us by taking part in Tough Mudder. The money she has raised will fund 9 neonatal boxes for Milton Keynes University Hospital. |
Bells are ringing for Aidan
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Aidan's mummy sent in a Wish request for these awesome Chimeabout Bells, after he enjoyed playing with similar ones at appointments he attended! We were thrilled to be able to grant this wish and even happier to see his beautiful smile! Emily's Star Giving Every Family Their Moment To Shine ⭐️ |
Sky Dive 2017
14 awesome people took to the skies on Saturday 26th August, jumping out of the plane at over 10,000 feet in the air, to raise money for Emily's Star.
The profit that they made for the charity is £5,166.45!!
This money will help over 200 local families through our Emily's Gift neonatal boxes and our super Christmas event being planned, which is currently top secret for our registered families!!
A huge thank you to Corina, Joanne, Leanne, James, Emily, Sammie, Paul, Laura, Jollie, Kieran, Westley, Lincoln, Paula and Jasmine for choosing to support Emily's Star.
The profit that they made for the charity is £5,166.45!!
This money will help over 200 local families through our Emily's Gift neonatal boxes and our super Christmas event being planned, which is currently top secret for our registered families!!
A huge thank you to Corina, Joanne, Leanne, James, Emily, Sammie, Paul, Laura, Jollie, Kieran, Westley, Lincoln, Paula and Jasmine for choosing to support Emily's Star.
Ruby's Wish
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Ruby's Aunty Tessa, sent in a Wish request for a mirror paddle spinner and we were thrilled to be able to grant this wish. In the video Ruby, signing 'thank you' to Darcy for arranging this treat is just amazing. Thank you to everyone who continues to support us and allows us to continue providing special treats like this for the children and families who we support. Emily's Star Giving Every Family Their Moment To Shine ⭐️ | ||
Teddy Bears Picnic
If you went down to the Secret Garden today, you would have been in for a big surprise........
24th August saw Teddy Bears gather with their owners for lots of fun, including games, tombola, face painting and craft area.
This joint event with The Harry's Rainbow Charitable Trust raised an amazing £112.78 for each charity.
24th August saw Teddy Bears gather with their owners for lots of fun, including games, tombola, face painting and craft area.
This joint event with The Harry's Rainbow Charitable Trust raised an amazing £112.78 for each charity.
Awesome, Roarsome Dinosaur Hunt returns to the Secret Garden
Saturday 19th August saw our Dinosaur Hunt return for its second year.
The idea originally came from our founder as her son Jake is obsessed with dinosaurs.
Mini explorers searched the Secret Garden for evidence of dinosaurs hiding in the undergrowth, solving clues along the way, before finally being rewarded with their prize.
An amazing £639.44 was raised, which is just incredible!!
The idea originally came from our founder as her son Jake is obsessed with dinosaurs.
Mini explorers searched the Secret Garden for evidence of dinosaurs hiding in the undergrowth, solving clues along the way, before finally being rewarded with their prize.
An amazing £639.44 was raised, which is just incredible!!
5K / 10K Run
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Runners from far and wide joined us on 13th August at Milton Keynes Rugby Club, to take part in Emily's Star first 5K /10K Run. The event was a huge success, raising over £2500. For further information on the run please click here. |
Birthday Wish for Lucas
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A 5th Birthday party had been arranged for Lucas at Keech Hospice and Emily's Star was able to help by arranging for a bouncy castle and face painter and sending along Elsa and Moana (Corinas mk mascot & costume hire) to entertain everybody. The Birthday Boy and all the guests had a wonderful time and lots of special memories were made. |
August Box Making
The 7th August saw the first box making at our new offices. An amazing 200 Emily's Gift neonatal boxes were created, which will be distributed to the following hospitals -
12 boxes to Bedford Hospital
16 to Birmingham Women's Hospital and Charity
12 to George Elliott
12 to Diana Princess of Wales Hospital
18 to Guys St Thomas
12 to Stoke Mandeville Hospital
12 to James Cook University Hospital
18 to John Radcliffe
12 to Lister Hospital
12 to Macclesfield
12 to Southend Hospital
12 to Warrington
12 to St Richards
And the rest to Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
We had 8 boxes sponsored at this event:
1 box sponsored by Kyle Robertson
1 box sponsored by Isobel, aged 6, who sold her teddies to raise the money to sponsor a box
4 boxes sponsored by Emily’s Knitting Army
12 boxes to Bedford Hospital
16 to Birmingham Women's Hospital and Charity
12 to George Elliott
12 to Diana Princess of Wales Hospital
18 to Guys St Thomas
12 to Stoke Mandeville Hospital
12 to James Cook University Hospital
18 to John Radcliffe
12 to Lister Hospital
12 to Macclesfield
12 to Southend Hospital
12 to Warrington
12 to St Richards
And the rest to Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
We had 8 boxes sponsored at this event:
1 box sponsored by Kyle Robertson
1 box sponsored by Isobel, aged 6, who sold her teddies to raise the money to sponsor a box
4 boxes sponsored by Emily’s Knitting Army
Sainsbury's Shenley Church End Weekend, Charity Launch
The 4th, 5th and 6th August saw Emily's Star have its first weekend in Sainsbury's, Shenley Church End, after being voted their Charity of the Year by staff and shoppers.
We were totally blow away by the support from staff and shoppers, raising an amazing £1267.19 over the 3 days, together with donations for our Emily's Gift Neonatal Boxes and toiletries for the Children's ward at Milton Keynes University Hospital.
A big 'thank you' to the NCS students for their help and Corinas mk mascot & costume hire for donating the 'Poppy' mascot.
It was a truly awesome weekend :-)
We were totally blow away by the support from staff and shoppers, raising an amazing £1267.19 over the 3 days, together with donations for our Emily's Gift Neonatal Boxes and toiletries for the Children's ward at Milton Keynes University Hospital.
A big 'thank you' to the NCS students for their help and Corinas mk mascot & costume hire for donating the 'Poppy' mascot.
It was a truly awesome weekend :-)
Saxon Bridge 10th Birthday Fun Day
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We were excited to be invited to join in with the 10th birthday celebrations of Saxon Bridge, Wolverton on August 5th. An Awareness stall and 'Pick a Lolly' game proved popular and helped to raise a fantasic £40. |
Family Fun Day for our Registered Families
Lots of fun was had by everyone who attended our Family Fun Day on 29th July.
A visit from Great Holm Firefighters with 2 of their appliances, Fireman Sam and Pepper Pig (thank you Corina), Tony's Reptiles and Awesome Themed Pirates and Princesses Parties from Luton, all added to the excitement of the day.
A big thank you to everyone who made this day so special for all the families who attended :)
A visit from Great Holm Firefighters with 2 of their appliances, Fireman Sam and Pepper Pig (thank you Corina), Tony's Reptiles and Awesome Themed Pirates and Princesses Parties from Luton, all added to the excitement of the day.
A big thank you to everyone who made this day so special for all the families who attended :)
Emily's Star mentioned in Simply Knitting Magazine
When Kath Garner learned about the use of knitted Bonding Squares in Special Care Baby Units, she decided to spread the word by writing an article explaining how and why they are used with premature babies.
During Kath's research for the article, she was made aware of Emily's Star and Emily's Gift Neonatal Boxes. Emily's Star always include a matching pair of 5" bonding squares in these boxes.
The article is published this week in Simply Knitting Magazine, Issue 162.
During Kath's research for the article, she was made aware of Emily's Star and Emily's Gift Neonatal Boxes. Emily's Star always include a matching pair of 5" bonding squares in these boxes.
The article is published this week in Simply Knitting Magazine, Issue 162.
| simply_knitting_article_jul_17.pdf |
Gullivers Land Fun Run
Some of our junior volunteers took part in the Gullivers Land Fun Run on 23rd July. A big well done to Jake, Adian, Louie and Mia for completing the 1 mile run, raising a whopping £190 for Emily's Star.
Chase from Paw Patrol was also there to help the team on our Awareness stall.
Chase from Paw Patrol was also there to help the team on our Awareness stall.
Our New Office Opening at Westcroft, Milton Keynes
Big celebrations on Saturday 22nd July, when the Mayor of Milton Keynes and Owen Lever officially opened our new office. Owen was one of the first babies to receive an Emily's Gift Neonatal Box.
A visit from Elsa and Chase from Paw Patrol, together with face painting, cakes, a tombola and an Emily's Star Awareness Stand all added to the wonderful atmosphere.
A huge thank you to everyone who came and helped make the occasion so special.
A visit from Elsa and Chase from Paw Patrol, together with face painting, cakes, a tombola and an Emily's Star Awareness Stand all added to the wonderful atmosphere.
A huge thank you to everyone who came and helped make the occasion so special.
Bunnings sausage Sizzle
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Emily's Star was busy cooking up sausages at Bunnings on 16th July, in partnership with Harry's Rainbow.
We had a really successful day and can't wait to get back. A big thank you to Bunnings, Milton Keynes for allowing us to be involved. |
Avantika raises an amazing £372 in just 3 days!
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A huge thank you to Avantika, who set herself a challenge to cycle 15 miles, to raise money for Emily's Star.
On 8th July, Avantika exceeded her target, managing to cycle over 17 miles in extremely hot weather, to raise an incredible £490.70. We cannot thank Avantika enough for wanting to support us. The money raised will help fund an amazing 15 neonatal boxes! |
1st July - Wolverton Food and Fun Festival
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Our Awareness Stall and tombola were a great success at this year's Wolverton Food and Fun festival, raising an amazing £189,00!
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Visit to Great Holm Fire Station
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Lots of excitement for the children (and adults) at our family 'Stay and Play' session in June.
We were very lucky to be invited to visit Great Holm Fire Station, where we were shown the fire engines and all the equipment on them. The children were able to hold the hoses and squirt water and ride up and down on the ladder platform. A big thank you to all the Firefighters who looked after us. The visit was amazing. |
Wow what an amazing afternoon! I knew it would be good, but this was off the scale! Fantastic to get an insight into the life of firefighters, but the guys were brilliant.
As you can see, Ashlyn enjoyed herself as did the rest of us. Such a hands on and informative tour. All of the watch went out of their way to ensure everyone had the best time possible, two even lifted Ashlyn into the off road truck!
Thank you to all of you involved in arranging this event, one that we won't forget in a hurry!!
Sam (Ashlyn's mum) - June 2017
Starbucks Silbury Stars
Thanks to the lovely team at Starbucks Silbury for a beautiful evening of music, drinks & food in aid of Emily's Star on Thursday 8th June.
5th June - New Sensory Garden for MKUH Children's Ward
Emily's Star & M&S Kingston "Sparked something good" by re-vamping the garden in the children's ward in Milton Keynes Hospital.
The garden was in a sorry state but with the help of 15 ladies armed with brushes, spades & plants it is once again a beautiful place to enjoy.
The garden was in a sorry state but with the help of 15 ladies armed with brushes, spades & plants it is once again a beautiful place to enjoy.
Box Making with the Mayor
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3rd June was our monthly box making session but this month it had a twist, the Mayor & Mayoress came along to join in the fun.
We created 150 boxes which were split between 10 different neonatal units. |
Lets Play MK - Disco Party
Thank you to Sam at Lets Play MK for choosing Emily's Star as her chosen charity at her recent fancy dress disco.
We held a tombola & ran the refreshment stall raising a cool £108!
We held a tombola & ran the refreshment stall raising a cool £108!
Lisa cycles 81 miles over Scottish Highlands
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HUGE big thank you to the awesome Lisa!
Lisa braved the Scottish highlands to cycle 81 miles, she was pelted by ice & more rain than she thought was possible but she did it & raised an amazing £525 for us. Lisa is part of the awesome nursing team we support here in Milton Keynes & the money she has raised will be used to help create our awesome summer party next month with our registered families :-) Thank you Lisa Lisa Said - "I loved it - you are very welcome, I think how you have channelled the loss of your beautiful Emily is very humbling. Lisa x" |
David & Vicki run for their Emily
David Wright & Vikki took part in the Edinburgh Marathon on the 28th May in memory of David & Chloe's daughter Emily.
Their beautiful Emily was born with Trisomy 18 & they found comfort & support in Emily's Star.
Vikki, Chloe's best friend & Emily's Daddy David raised an amazing £1810 between them for us which is totally mind blowing there target was £500!!
We cannot thank them both enough xx
Their beautiful Emily was born with Trisomy 18 & they found comfort & support in Emily's Star.
Vikki, Chloe's best friend & Emily's Daddy David raised an amazing £1810 between them for us which is totally mind blowing there target was £500!!
We cannot thank them both enough xx
Woodfines MK Skydiving Team
A team of thrill seekers from Woodfines MK took to the sky to complete a 10,000 feet skydive in aid of Emily's Star on the 28th May.
The team raised an amazing £1400 & what's even better they all absolutely loved it!
The team raised an amazing £1400 & what's even better they all absolutely loved it!
May's Stay & Play session for Registered Families
At May's monthly Stay & Play session, Monday 8th, we had the awesome Molly from Sing and Sign Milton Keynes come to visit.
We all loved learning new signs & singing our favourite songs
We all loved learning new signs & singing our favourite songs
MK Scouts Sponsoring Emily's Star
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We are extremely pleased to announce that MK Scout Group have chosen to support Emily's Star this year.
The scouting group are holding their annual " Gang Show" on the 20th - 22nd October - more information on tickets coming soon. |
M&S - Kingston, Winchester Circle
We are thrilled to be announced as the local charity partner for M&S in Kingston, Milton Keynes for 2017.
Watch this space for some amazing things coming up...
Watch this space for some amazing things coming up...
Little Sunflowers Day Care
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Little Sunflowers Day Care held a quiz night in April & raised a cool £450, the owners of Little Sunflowers then donated a further £190 to sponsor 20 Emily's Gift Neonatal Boxes.
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Mega weekend of running
1st May saw Milton Keynes turn running mad, with 5K Rockets, Superhero Runs, 1/2 & full Marathons, there was something for everyone.
We are so proud of both Super James, who ran the Superhero Run raising £205 & the Gareth, Emily's Uncle Gareth who completed 13.1 miles in 2 hours 9 minutes & raised £400!!
Well done to you both :-)
We are so proud of both Super James, who ran the Superhero Run raising £205 & the Gareth, Emily's Uncle Gareth who completed 13.1 miles in 2 hours 9 minutes & raised £400!!
Well done to you both :-)
Clubbercise with Caroline
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Thank you so much to Caroline for choosing Emily's Star for her first Charity Clubbercise night.
Raising a HUGE £170! This money will fund 5 neonatal boxes. |
Huge success with Coop Local Charity Partnership
Thank you to everyone who had chosen Emily's Star as their Co-op charity for the last 6 months :-)
We are thrilled to announce a donation of £2278.05 has been received!!
How incredible!
We are thrilled to announce a donation of £2278.05 has been received!!
How incredible!
Bec's comes to MK - Mediumship Night
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We welcomed the amazing Bec's on 22nd April for a night of Mediumship at The Jurys Inn.
Everyone who attended enjoyed the evening which raised a HUGE £644.55 |
Saints V Saracens
We were proud to be the only Milton Keynes based charity chosen by Northampton Saints to attend there annual Charities Day.
Sunday 16th April saw the big match take place at Stadium MK & we were pleased to attend the game & have number 11, Ben Foden wearing our logo on his shirt during the match.
Through ticket sales & bucket shaking we raised a cool £150 plus came away with the signed Match day shirt.
Sunday 16th April saw the big match take place at Stadium MK & we were pleased to attend the game & have number 11, Ben Foden wearing our logo on his shirt during the match.
Through ticket sales & bucket shaking we raised a cool £150 plus came away with the signed Match day shirt.
Egg-cellent Egg Hunt
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Our annual Easter Egg Hunt took place on Good Friday, with hundreds of children attending The Secret Garden & finding clues.
We raised an amazing £1676.92!! Outstanding!! |
Virgin Money go the Egg-xtra mile...
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a HUGE thank you to the staff & customers at Virgin Money MK & the other retailers within The Centre MK for donating 82 Easter Eggs which we used to give to our registered families & towards our Easter Egg Hunt...
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Butterfly Release - 8th April
50 Butterflies were released in memory of loved ones to celebrate our 5th Birthday. The annual event once again took place in The secret Garden & saw lots of families attend & watch the beautiful butterflies fly away.
West Herts Trefoil Meeting
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We were delighted to attend the monthly meeting of West Herts Trefoil group in Hemel Hempstead. We spoke about Emily's Star & about our wonderful knitting that goes into our neonatal boxes.
The group made a donation of £50 to sponsor a box & also many donations on the evening totalling £53.50 for which we are extremely grateful . It was a great evening & a lovely opportunity to speak directly to some of our knitters. |
Easter Themed Stay & Play session
Wednesday 5th April we held our Easter Themed Stay & Play session.
Our registered families were invited to ur monthly meet up to enjoy some Easter Fun.
We created Easter Chocolate Cornflake Cakes, Easter Baskets & had Easter colouring in. Our sensory & soft play corner was also set up for our families to enjoy.
Our registered families were invited to ur monthly meet up to enjoy some Easter Fun.
We created Easter Chocolate Cornflake Cakes, Easter Baskets & had Easter colouring in. Our sensory & soft play corner was also set up for our families to enjoy.
Appointment of new Trustees
Earlier this year we opened up applications to become a new trustee of Emily's Star.
We received some amazing applications from some extremely valued volunteers & supporters.
After an extremely hard decision process, from 1st June 2017 we welcome Kathy & Janet on board as our two new trustees.
We received some amazing applications from some extremely valued volunteers & supporters.
After an extremely hard decision process, from 1st June 2017 we welcome Kathy & Janet on board as our two new trustees.
Corina's Mascots Easter Party - 3rd April
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Thank you so much to Corinas mk mascot & costume hire.... what an awesome Easter party!!
Not only did Corina invite our registered families to attend but we also raised £218 on our Tombola & Easter chicks & a £10 donations from Lucy's Facepainting.... amazing!! |
Princess Poppy, Dino, Elsa & Moana with our Edward.
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Box Making - 1st April
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150 boxes were made on 1st April
30 were delivered to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital 18 were delivered to Bedford Hospital 18 were delivered to Lister Hospital... 18 were delivered to Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 30 were delivered to Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 18 were delivered to Stoke Mandeville Hospital 18 were delivered to Milton Keynes University Hospital We had 7 boxes sponsored at this event: 4 boxes sponsored by Emily’s Knitting Army 2 boxes sponsored by Christie Group Ltd 1 box sponsored by Barry, Katie & Bella Wicking in memory of their little boy Bobby |
The Choccy Pot & Angel Wishes
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The amazing team at The Choccy Pot supported us in 2016 with giving a 5% donation of every sale of Angel Wishes.
A donation of £60 was made in March 2017 for those sold in 2016 & we are thrilled that they have chosen to continue supporting us. |
The Blue Ball 2017
The Blue Ball was a HUGE success raising £5,345.90 - for all the information on The Blue Ball please click here
Aahil's Wish - March 2017
Emily's Star was delighted to provide Aahil with a Wish this month.
This parents asked for an "Upsee" which is specially designed to enable children to walk whilst being supported by a adult.
The upsee has enabled Aahil to join in with the family fun in the garden & even kick a ball.
This parents asked for an "Upsee" which is specially designed to enable children to walk whilst being supported by a adult.
The upsee has enabled Aahil to join in with the family fun in the garden & even kick a ball.
The Redway School Wish - March 2017
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As a charity we offer support to every child who attends The Redway School in Milton Keynes, the school due to demand needed to create a new room, this new room needed some new sensory toys to The Redway School applied for a wish for items to benefit all of the students who will be in the new class. We were thrilled to approve a wish & provide a number of different sensory items.
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Mother's Day Stay & Play session - 8th March
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Our monthly stay & play session for our registered families took place on Wednesday 8th March. The session was Mother's Day themed where we created finger print tree cards, flowers & more....
Our monthly sessions are free to attend for all our registered families & every month we offer something different to do which involves in the whole family. |
Valentines Stay & Play Session
13th February 2017 our Stay & Play session turned "love" themed....
To celebrate Valentines day we invited our children & their families to come along & create their own valentines cards & sweet cones.
The session was a huge success with lots of happy children :-)
To celebrate Valentines day we invited our children & their families to come along & create their own valentines cards & sweet cones.
The session was a huge success with lots of happy children :-)
A MARVELous Wish - February 2017
2016 proved to be a tough year for one of our families, with one of their sons spending more than half of the year in hospital.
He has been an extremely poorly young boy but with the help of the nursing teams in Milton Keynes & the JR he is close to coming home (should be week commencing 20th February 2017)
The family have had to move home to enable their son to come home too as he will need 24/7 care. The adapted house they had been provided needed complete renovations to make it their new home. Emily's Star was proud to be involved in turning our young lads room into a MARVELous room to bring him home too.....
Here are some before & after photos of the work we have done.
A big thank you to Tesco Kingston for some decorating vouchers, Ian Ward Flooring for fitting the carpet for free & the family of our young lad who helped with wallpapering & DIY to complete it.
He has been an extremely poorly young boy but with the help of the nursing teams in Milton Keynes & the JR he is close to coming home (should be week commencing 20th February 2017)
The family have had to move home to enable their son to come home too as he will need 24/7 care. The adapted house they had been provided needed complete renovations to make it their new home. Emily's Star was proud to be involved in turning our young lads room into a MARVELous room to bring him home too.....
Here are some before & after photos of the work we have done.
A big thank you to Tesco Kingston for some decorating vouchers, Ian Ward Flooring for fitting the carpet for free & the family of our young lad who helped with wallpapering & DIY to complete it.
Toddler Party Tombola |
SEND IAS Information Day |
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We were lucky to be chosen to attend the first Toddler Party in 2017. We held a HUGE children's tombola and raised £44 in just two hours!
Thank you so much for inviting us. |
We were extremely lucky to attend the MK Special Educational Needs & disability information day 2017
The day was a huge success for Emily's Star as we were able to meet new families & also network with other local organisations in Milton Keynes. |
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2000th Neonatal Box created LIVE
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Our 2000th Neonatal Box was created LIVE on Facebook for everyone to see, it has since been viewed over 13,000 times!! WOW!!
The box was sponsored by Emily's Knitting Army. The only item that is currently donated in our boxes is our knitting & along with this the fantastic ladies also send in donations to help fund the other items in the boxes!! |
Preemie Milestone Cards have landed........
After trailing some beautiful cards for our Neonatal Boxes we fell head over heels in love them, only problem was that we simply couldn't afford them for our boxes. We decided to look into creating our own version.....
We are now pleased to announce that we will now be able to provide a packet of Preemie Milestone Cards into EVERY Emily's Gift Neonatal Box that we donate to the units we support. These are also on sale for the general public to purchase if their baby is admitted to a neonatal unit.
We are now pleased to announce that we will now be able to provide a packet of Preemie Milestone Cards into EVERY Emily's Gift Neonatal Box that we donate to the units we support. These are also on sale for the general public to purchase if their baby is admitted to a neonatal unit.
Next delivery flies out the door |
Bingo nights look set to stay.... |
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Today we've sent out 50 boxes, split between the following hospitals, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, James Cook University Hospital & QEQM Hospital Margate!!
In our first month of 2017 we have provided 144 neonatal boxes to 7 different neonatal units |
Our second ever bingo night went down even better than our first that is now a regular monthly event....
Our bingo night on 28th January was a CASH only evening which will be continuing on all our main page bingo sessions going forward - we raised a huge £522.40 |
Xpression Studio
A big thank you to Xpression Studio in Newport Pagnell and Debbie and John Mchale for photos taken of Emily in 2012 and for allowing the use of them to promote the charity and raise awareness.
Pots, pots & more pots
Thank you so much to all the amazing companies who continue to support us with displaying one of our collection pots in their place of work.
Without the ongoing support of such places it would directly impact on the services we offer....
If you would like a collection pot or two, please get in touch today, contact@emilysstar.co.uk
Without the ongoing support of such places it would directly impact on the services we offer....
If you would like a collection pot or two, please get in touch today, contact@emilysstar.co.uk
Support from K M Plumbing |
Toiletry delivery to Children's Ward |
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The fantastic team at K M Plumbing will be donating 10% of their labour charge if the customer quotes "Emily's Star" how amazing is that....
Here's their first donation of £30!! Wow! |
On 25th January we delivered our first set of toiletries for the Children's Wards in Milton Keynes hospital. Every few months we deliver a variety of items for parents, children & babies who find themselves admitted to the ward without warning.
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Emily's mummy sets 2017 Challenge.... 10K run |
First Stay & Play of 2017 |
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After her 2016 Skydive this year Emily's Mummy has decided to take on a new challenge, one that will test her both mentally & physically.... She has signed up to our very own 10K run in August....
Her training started in January & you can watch her progress on our event page or support her by way of a donation through her fundraising page.. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ForEmily220212 |
We had our first Stay & Play session of 2017 at Safari MK, a soft play centre for all.
The centre was closed to the public & only open to our registered children & their families. Over 100 people came through the doors & enjoyed over 2 hours of uninterrupted fun. |
Knight Family Christmas Lights Shining Brightly |
Box Making 07.01.2017 |
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A huge thank you to the amazing Knight Family & their friends, for the past 3 years we have been pleased to have been chosen as their charity for their annual Christmas Lights, this year once again they were magical.
We were blown away to be told donations of £865.00 have been left by members of the public when viewing the lights this December, we cannot thank everyone enough for their support. Watch out for their amazing lights in 2017 |
Our first box making of 2017 created 122 boxes.
24 of these were delivered on Stoke Mandeville Hospital & 42 were sent to Luton & Dunstable. The others will be distributed in the coming weeks to our other units. |
Search for new Trustees......
Are you passionate about making a difference?
Do you want to help others?
Would you like be more involved with Emily's Star?
Our trustee review is taking place in June & we are searching for two more trustees who are willing to bring passion, fun, energy & ideas to our amazing team.
If you are interested or would like some more information please email katie@emilysstar.co.uk...
Do you want to help others?
Would you like be more involved with Emily's Star?
Our trustee review is taking place in June & we are searching for two more trustees who are willing to bring passion, fun, energy & ideas to our amazing team.
If you are interested or would like some more information please email katie@emilysstar.co.uk...
Check out what happened in 2016 by clicking here...