WOW WOW WOW WOW we were absolutely bowled over by all the amputee families who joined us for Celebration Day 2019 on 21st July. WE ARE ALL STILL BUZZING ON CELEBRATION DAY VIBES
The day opened with the incredible Acro Iris Samba Band who kicked the day off in style with amazing drums and Samba music. Followed by Trevor Salmon singing songs from the Blues and Commitments and then DJ Jay took to the decks and provided a whole range of music for us to enjoy whilst we mingled, work-shopped with experts, played taster sports, enjoyed massages, ate BBQ and had a whole ball of fun really !
260 amputee family members joined the event in Cambridgeshire on a sunny Sunday afternoon in July. During the day we were treated to workshops with Alan McDougall from Proactive Prosthetics, Styling with Loraine Callow, Mindfulness with Michelle Donnelly and there was also a Business Clinic on hand with Lovewell Blake and Irwin Mitchell. We also had various expert stands there including:
Health Watch, Suffolk Carers Matter, LimbArt, OPUS, Northampton Support Group, Jo’S Odd Shoes, The Amputee Counsellor, Ashtons Legal, Reach, Mitts Prosthetics, Irwin Mitchell and Living Sport. We shall have to double up on space next year as this tent was heaving ! SO many brilliant conversations, connections and lots of advice given.
During the workshops we entertained the children with a Magic Show, lots of inflatables, ice cream, hair braiding, art with Jo German, Drone Racing, crafts and games.
We then took some time to honour a very special, brave young lady who attended Celebration day last year on her birthday with her family and they all won our hearts. Unfortunately, Sophie Taylor passed away in January. Everyone who met Sophie and her family was devastated and heartbroken for them all. So we very much wanted to pay a special tribute to the brave warrior and her family. It was a most special and honoured moment for us all. We worked with the family to create something they knew Sophie would love which was a Bubble parade. Sophie’s Father, Alex gave a very inspiring and moving speech about their warrior in which he asked us all not to be sad but to live life to the full and keep smiling, keep reaching for your goals. We presented the family with an orange plant for them to grow and everyone received Forget Me Not Seeds to grow back home so that Sophie’s Legacy and dreams live amongst us. It was such a precious moment and we know Sophie was smiling down on us all but especially her phenomenal family. It was a privilege to celebrate Sophie, her family and the impact they have had on us all.
Following this special time, we gathered everyone in the Hall for a Panel discussion and the much awaited Raffle Prize Draw. We were honoured to have the following VIP guests join us:
Linda, who is the Mother to Legendary Johnnie Peacock, Alex and Daisy Demetre (Father and Daughter team, Daisy is the fabulous 9 year old Double Amputee model), along with 2 of our amputee families; Nicole Hughes and Danny Campion plus the well known Prosthetist, Laurence from Norwich. Advice included: hang on to those who are there for you at the toughest of times, accept there will be bad and good days – just take it one day at a time, keep setting goals – as soon as you achieve it set another, keep going and keep your chin up!
These discussions were an invaluable uplift to everyone ! HUGE WELL DONE to you amazing people FOR SPEAKING OUT !
The day completed with a MASSIVE RAFFLE which our Trustee, Colin Phelps and his family had organised for us and in total with merchandise and cake sale we raised £1145 which is AMAZING !! This event is not designed as a fundraiser, it is purely for us all to come together and enjoy a special celebration however, these funds are much needed so THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE WHO DONATED ! Additionally, thanks to the very awesome Zara Ives, one of our Amputee’s Partners who connected us with the Barclays Match Funding Scheme which makes the staggering total of £2145 !! THANK YOU SO MUCH ZARA AND BARCLAYS ! These funds will be used towards next years Celebration Day.
Massive thank you to all our Steel Bones Volunteers, also Volunteers from Fordham Timebank, National Citizenship Scheme, Ashtons Legal and Tescos who were just outstanding in helping us pull the day together, would not have happened without you ! The day was only possible with a generous grant from the Tesco Bags of Help which gave this event a lifeline in happening, simply would not have been possible without this grant.
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