News round-up – April

It’s been another amazing month for our volunteers and staff, who are continuing to work hard to support children and families throughout the East of England.

Let’s take a quick look at what everyone has been up to and what we’ve got coming up.

Our Voices Easter Drop In session

A core part of our work is ensuring that our services are open and accessible to the children and young people that we support.

Over Easter, we held a drop-in session for Our Voices, which is the young person’s advisory group for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s mental health and wellbeing service, YOUnited. During the session, all of the attendees had the chance to play games, enjoy pizza and build new relationships with one another.

To add to the session, our wellbeing practitioners, Jo Kelly and Courtney Parker provided a workshop on anxiety.

We know that the YOUnited service experiences a significant number of referrals for young people affected by anxiety, we so wanted to share some examples of how to recognise it, and to provide them with coping mechanisms. The focus wasn’t just on providing support for the young advisors personally, it was also to help them provide support to other people who may be experiencing anxiety.

London Marathon

Tackling the London Marathon is an unbelievable feat for anyone, and we absolutely in awe of anyone who can manage the 26.2mile trek around the capital.

This year, we had nine runners who were all running in aid of Ormiston Families. Although the weather was a bit wet, each of them crossed the finishing line – which is such an amazing achievement.

Thanks to Alex Armes, Joseph Moore, Ami Russell, Lloyd Jewell, Tracey Campbell, Lloyd Spridgeon, Karen Tew, Joshua Clayton and Katie Thompson for their support.

Collectively, this amazing group drummed up more than £11,000. This is a HUGE amount of money, and we can use this to deliver work will make a big difference to children and young people.

Get involved and show your support for us this summer!

Topping off our month was the launch of our summer fundraising calendar.

We’ve got some great fundraisers coming up including:

‘Miss Dior’ – a lecture with author Justine Picardie

30 June 2023

This will be a must-attend for fans of gardening and fashion. Author and editor Justine Picardie will be joining us to talk about her book, Miss Dior, which is a fascinating look at Catherine Dior, the younger sister of iconic fashion designer, Christian Dior. The book explores the sibling’s relationship and gives a detailed look into Catherine’s life.

There will also be a chance to tour Helmingham Hall’s stunning gardens in the company of Xa Tollemache – a real treat!

Tickets to the event are from £55 and its sure to be a sell-out, so early booking is advised.

Sea-to-Summit Challenge 2023

07 July 2023

There’s still time to book your place for our sea-to-summit challenge. If you’re looking for an adrenaline kick this summer, why not join us as we cycle, hike and kayak through the heart of Snowdonia to raise money for Ormiston Families.

Walk with a Fork

03 September 2023

Finally, our annual Walk with A Fork event will take place at Helmingham Hall this September. It’s gearing up to be an amazing family fun day, with live music, craft stalls, games and even more brilliant Suffolk food suppliers.

If you want to experience the tastes of Suffolk, there truly is no better way.

Early bird tickets are now available, priced at just £15pp.

Could you help us?

For the latest updates on our work, why not follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter?

Even just a “like”, a “follow” or a “share” can be enough to help spread awareness of the work that we are doing in the local area.

Alternatively, perhaps this is inspiring you to get involved?

We’re always looking for volunteers and supporters to join our team. Whether you have a few hours to spare for a one-off event, or you want to look for a regular volunteering position, we’d love to talk to you!

If you would like to get involved, either by fundraising or volunteering, please get in touch.