Chester Zoo AGM
Our 2013 AGM is booked for the 1st June at Chester Zoo. We’d love to see you there for our short meeting and then into the zoo to see some real monkeys! See our events page for more information.
Manchester Meeting
The Manchester support group will be meeting on Wednesday 9th January at the Children’s Hospital. We’ll be there from 7pm in the Costa Coffee – then go upstairs to ward 85 and say hello to any families who might be on the ward. We’d love to see you there.
Liverpool Branch Meeting
Our first branch meeting for 2013 will take place this Thursday at 7.30pm in Ronald McDonald House. Look forward to seeing you there.
Children’s Heart Association at Disney
For ten families their Christmas started early with a magical trip to Disneyland Paris, thanks to the Children’s Heart Association. On a cold and wet Friday morning the families met at Liverpool’s John Lennon airport to be treated like royalty thanks to Val and the staff at the airport who had arranged a private lounge and priority boarding. The short flight to Paris was met with lots of excitement by the younger members of the party with one little boy shouting “Mickey Mouse come out come out wherever you are” as soon as the plane touched down on the tarmac.
Whisked away to the Sequoia Lodge Hotel with no time for unpacking, most families spent the remainder of the day exploring the Magic Kingdom, having tears on the way back to the hotel from children worried that it was the only time they would be getting in the park.
Day 2 got off to a terrific start with families meeting for a character breakfast at Café Mickey where a non-stop parade of characters came to the table for a meet and greet, much to the excitement of all the children. The highlight for many was the Saturday evening finale in the Magic Kingdom. Hundreds of people lined the parade route to watch the magic procession of coloured floats filled with favourite Disney characters, fulfilling all children’s dreams of being waved at personally by their favourite character.
As ever all good things have to come to an end. Day 3 saw tired and weary children and adults alike pile onto a coach back to the airport. Amidst the chatter about who saw what and searching though bags of toys to show each other what souvenirs they were taking home, one lucky boy got to go home with the memory that he saw Mickey Mouse on his birthday, a memory Tony Walsh will treasure forever.
Lagan’s Foundation
Providing support and at home care to families with babies and children under the age of 5 diagnosed with Congenital Heart Defects and / or feeding difficulties. Supported by Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust – Cardiac and Gastroenterology Departments.