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| Star Jon Lee from S Club 7 sings and is on hand as a volunteer on a previous year for Dream flight to Lap Land |
I am asking all my readers and friend's to send even a fiver to help a kids dreams come true and go and see Santa in Lap-land. It could be some of the children's last Christmas below is my experiences with the an amazing charity as they travel to Lap Land. Please note that this is something that i wrote a few years ago but gives you a flavour as to why it's worth donating .
`Wish upon a star
ITS
is three thirty on an icy bitterly cold morning actress presenter Denise Welch her son Louis, ‘Dancing on Ice “
hunk Matt Evers, are all wrapping in their winter clothes, and joining five other celebrities
on the route from Humberside airport to
the magical winter wonderland land of Lap- land .
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| Me Denise Welch , Carol McGiffin in Lap Land |
For
once however the soap stars and celebrities were not the main attraction on
this journey. It is the children and parents who’s dreams are about to come
true thanks to the “When you wish upon a star” charity and the hard work of
local ladies Joanne Heywood and Pat Wright, who help the dreams of ninety sick and
terminally Ill children come true.
But
mother nature has not been kind this year to our travellers and our plane can
not take off from Humberside due to ice on the run way, so they have to start
their journey by coach travel two hours away East Midlands.
This
does nothing to dampen the spirits of Denise Welch who leads them all in a sing
along. This is the Loose Woman’s fourth
year volunteering with the Charity and she would not miss it for the world
.This is the first year she had brought her youngest son Louis aged nine, Louis
like may of the children on their way to
lap land was born poorly , he suffered from Hirschspurg disease. This is when
the nerve ending in part of the bowel
don’t form, after two operations by the age of two , he is no well .” I know
what it is to have sickly child, my heart goes out to all the parents and
children here today, I move hell and high water to make sure I can be here each
year for the kids”
Also
joining her this year is all American ice-skating star Matt Evers, Denise’s
partner in Dancing On Ice
For Emmerdale actress Sophie Powles who plays
Holly Barton the trip is a welcome contras from playing the drug addicted character . Not only has the actress had to
dye her normally spectacular blonde hair dark to fit in with the rest of the
family, but in real life people are
starting to think she is the character
she was recently chase down the road by
an angry man who thought she was getting money from a cash machine to buy
drugs. The 22 year old is spending New Year in South Africa, but when she lands in lap Land she can not believe it will top her
experience .
Its
is her first time here with the charity “It is as if I have stepped into Narnia
I feel like I am in a dream” Sophie gasps
She is over whelmed by the joy on the
children’s faces “ if she can make any difference in these kids day there will
be no keeping me away.”
Many of the children can be isolated for
months at a time, in hospitals or at home television can be one of their only
outlets, and Soap and other stars become like friends so they get so excited about meeting them and it adds to the excitement
of the day.
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| Celebrities turn out to support Wish Upon A Star with main man Santa |
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Waterloo Road teenage heart throb Will Rush second time here in lap land
“ I
am really excited to be here again” he tells me travelling this year with
fellow Waterloo road actress Darcy Isa,
The
charity fulfils the wishes of children with life threatening and terminal
illness. The charity started by Barbara White in 1990 herself an M. E,
sufferer. Each year its charters four planes to take 400 kids to Lapland to
meet Santa in person
“
Its always a huge up lifting experience meeting the kids and their parents. Its
sad but sometimes at the last minute, a child can be too ill to travel, or even
worse they pass on before they get to fulfil their dream, you have to take a
big breath and keep going for the kids who are there” says Denise Welch
Once
at the airport even the weakest of child confined who is confined to a
wheelchairs face is a picture and when the announcement that the plane to
Lap-land is ready, the cheers of excitement could fill a football pitch.
On
hand is a team of medics, doctors, and volunteers to make-sure the whole day
runs like a military procedure. And just to make double sure, there are team
leaders from the army and fire fighters to help any child who needs a lift up
or helping hand. There is even a Christmas fairy with magic dust to make sure
the journey goes with out a hitch.
Despite having a three-hour flight, there is
such an air of excitement when we touch down in Lap Land none of the kids are
tired. Despite loads of fresh snow ha it is minus four and the whole place look
like a white blanket. Our first stop was the ‘Enchanted Forest’ the kids can
hardly wait to play.
Greeted by rabbits Trolls and other creatures
from the forest, into an magical clearance full of snow and magic. Husky dogs
and reindeers wait to take everyone on a ride through the forest. There are
sledges, ski’s, tobogganing and snowball fights.
‘A
good friend of mine asked me to get involved with the
charity, and it’s a must each year for me “ Denise tells me while pulling a reindeer
ride along.
“
You might think something like this would be upsetting. it’s up lifting and humbling , all the kids
are so happy, and unbelievably well behaved. They aren’t upset, so I can’t be.
I would urge anyone to join in something like this, it’s a real reality check,
you’ll come away feeling lucky, I think about my nephew back home and thank my
lucky stars he I well “ Matt tells me who is heading back to Jersey
for the holidays to produce a show and then one to the Vaile Colorado for another, before heading back to lead Denise
on the ice.
Then it is off to
Santa’s village for some shopping. Santa
Claus lives in the Artic Circle for many reasons, but primarily reindeers need
snow. Though Lapland is in darkness for almost most of the winter, daylight
flickers at around ten and goes by two o’clock.
Once in Santa’s
village, Kerry buys some reindeer slippers for ha
friend and then they all go and meet
Santa and pose for a group picture. Julia leads us all in a charge down the ice
slide. James goes backwards. .
Organiser Pat tells
everyone its time to head home. Once at Rovaniemi airport the plane is on time.
Any delay can mean bad news last
year the plane froze and it looked like they may have to stay
the night. That’s worrying, as many of
the kids would have to be hospitalised.
Amazingly almost three hours later they managed to get the
plane going and they headed for home.
This year everyone
is in high spirit as its on time. Once on board the flight the kids get
presents from the Christmas fairy and we all sing carols.
Everyone agrees they can’t wait to come back next years.
Once we arrive at Humberside airport there is just one more job for the
celebrities they hand out one last present as carol singers greet us.
“ Some of these
kids today will not be with us next year. If we have helped make what little
time they have left a little happier, we would walk from London through the
night to get here. You cannot believe the joy these kids have brought us too” Kerry tells me and Elaine tell me emotionally.
There is even a tear in
Lisa’s eyes
“ I promise not to cry it’s just been so moving and life
changing experience, I so want to be here every year. It’s a joy to have helped
today. Pat and Joe who organise this each year should be
on
the honour list, they and the children are the stars, not us. I hope I get to
come next year again.”
Cheques payable to: When You Wish Upon A Star, 53
Pretymen Crescent, New Waltham, Grimsby, NE Lincs DN36 4NU
Charity number is : 1060963
Telephone/Fax1472 821186/ 01472 827100
When You Wish Upon A Star53 Pretymen Crescent
New Waltham
Grimsby
NE Lincs
DN36 4NU
Website: www.whenyouwish.org.uk
Email: joanne@whenyouwish.org.uk
Telephone: 01472 827100
www.justgiving.com/mylapland
Copyright Steven R Smith
