Festive event atKirkstall will help family charity

The sponsored whole family event at Kirkstall Abbey Park next month will boost funds for Leeds Weekend Care Association (LWCA) and help to raise its profile.

The charity, which runs a series of short breaks, trips and activities for youngsters, is often seen as a lifeline for families.

The LWCA runs three projects which support around 140 families over 47 weeks a year. Its activities include the Weekenders Club for five to 18-year-old and the Teen Scene youth club for 14 to 18 year olds with additional needs at The Vine Education Centre in Leeds. It also runs the Out and About Project where teenagers do fun activities like bowling, meals out and day trips.

Now the charity is turning its attention to its festive fundraiser on Sunday, December 8.

Jenny Sellers, LWCA community fundraising manager, said: “The aim of the Reindeer Rally is to bring families of children with additional needs together for a fun start to the festive season. We wanted to put on an event that helps the families we support get outdoors for a good cause. As a small charity, the funds and awareness that will be raised from this event are hugely beneficial to us as well.”

The charity is supported by Leeds City Council but relies heavily on fundraising to deliver its service to the children and young people of Leeds, many of whom have complex needs.

In the past few months the LWCA has received help from a huge range of individuals, groups and organisations. These include hikers and runners who took on the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, the Leeds 10K and the Great North Run. Other fundraising feats included a danceathon, year-long support from a yoga studio and donations from individuals, trusts and foundations.

And as we enter the festive season the LWCA is running a series of Christmas-themed fundraisers to help its cause.

The Reindeer Rally, which costs just £1 to enter, is just one of them.

LWCA chair Caroline Bond said: “The Reindeer Rally is a great festive activity in early December that isn’t shopping. It’s an opportunity for everyone, whatever their levels of fitness, to run, jog, walk or wheel around beautiful Kirkstall Abbey, and there’s the added bonus of a hot chocolate and a medal at the end for every participant.”

Every entrant in the 10.30am to 12.30pm event will also be given a pair of antlers for the rally so they look the part. There will also be an indoor space where hot drinks and snacks will be served. Other attractions include a craft table for the children and a ‘stocking filler’ stall. The LWCA is also looking for volunteers to help them run the event.

Another Christmas initiative for the LWCA is a web service where people can send an e-cards to their friends and family by making a donation.

They can also send a Weekenders Wish Gift to their loved ones. People can make a donation from £5 to £500, which could buy anything from arts and craft supplies right up to an adapted bike. The charity will then send the person getting the present a certificate to show how the gift is helping the LWCA. People can do this via the LWCA website until December 15 so that the certificates can be sent out in time for Christmas.

For more on any of these festive events see www.lwca.co.uk/christmas.

FACT FILE:

Leeds Weekend Care Association (LWCA) has been helping city families for more than 20 years.

It began as a pilot scheme called the Weekenders Club in 1998 after financial backing from the National Lottery and Scope.

The idea for the club came out of a survey of parents’ opinions conducted in the late 1990s about what their greatest needs and challenges were.

Parents said that their children missed out on social interaction and were often isolated. Making friends was also said to be very difficult. Families spoke of weekends being especially challenging and that siblings frequently missed out on activities due to the level of care the parents needed to provide for their disabled child.

The LWCA became a charity in 1999 and has since expanded its services to help even more youngsters and their families.

Its projects offer children and young people with disabilities the opportunity to make friends and have fun. The activities also help by providing respite for their families who are able to relax knowing their children are in a safe, welcoming and well-staffed environment.

Earlier this year the LWCA celebrated its 20th anniversary as a charity. It staged a party back in May at the Vine Education Centre in Leeds and the celebrations included events like street dance and circus-style entertainment. For more see www.lwca.co.uk.