![]() If you enjoyed watching the London Marathon yesterday and feel inspired to complete the challenge yourself, then we may have an opportunity that’s just right for you. As you probably saw, a marathon runner can be any size, shape or age! With a year to go until the next race in London, there is plenty of time for even the most inexperienced runner to train up and complete it in 2014. London Marathon is known for it’s carnival atmosphere and incredible public support but is notoriously difficult to get places for. We have one place for a runner for the 2014 marathon and are looking for someone to run and raise funds for Children on the Edge. As a charity, we only get one place every five years so are keen to find someone that can make the very best of it! Children on the Edge will provide you with support, encouragement and fundraising tools from the start as well as a training t shirt and running vest. On the day, you’ll benefit from your very own Children on the Edge cheering squad and after-race support. Get in touch with [email protected] if you’re interested in this taking up the place. ![]() Congratulations are in order for Greg and Izabela from Wiley in Chichester who have just completed the Paris Marathon raising over £824 for our work. This heroic pair ran Brighton Marathon for us in 2012 and this year decided to give it a whirl across the channel! Isabella described how the race had an amazing yet very challenging route and how they were fortunate to enjoy some fantastic weather on the day. To add to the challenge, Greg was still recovering from a chest infection and Izabela was also fighting off a virus. Izabela said ‘We struggled quite a bit, but dug deep and helped each other through it, even though we were running on empty at times.’ We’d like to say a huge thank you to these two for putting in such a huge effort to support our work and wish them every success for their future adventures! If you’d like to have a go at raising money for our work, please do get in touch. It’s only a few days to go until the Brighton Marathon 2013 and we have four heroic runners slogging it out on Sunday to raise money for our work. We’d like to say a huge thank you to them all, wish them luck and introduce them to our supporters! Ben Ritchie ![]() Ben is an Engineer from Lockheed Martin. He ran the Chichester Half Marathon in 2012 and decided to take on the challenge of the full 26.2 km at Brighton, his estimated finishing time is 04:00:01-04:15:00. When asked why he has chosen to run for Children on the Edge Ben said “ It's a variety of reasons - first and foremost I think it's a very important cause and the work the charity does is brilliant, so it is a pleasure to be able to do a little bit to help. There's also a family connection, Emily Dadson who works at the charity is my cousin so we've known about the charity for a long time now. Finally on a personal level it's a small thank you. I've wanted to do a marathon for a very long time, but always thought it was beyond me. Last year the Chichester half marathon convinced me otherwise - I loved every minute of that and it gave me the conviction to try the full distance, so I decided to raise some money for the charity in the process!” You can sponsor Ben at http://www.justgiving.com/Ben-at-Brighton Becky Ryall![]() Becky is in her fourth year as a medical student at Cardiff University, she’s a keen runner but although she’s done plenty of shorter races, this is her first full marathon. Becky has recently spent a semester in China and managed to do some running there. Her estimated finishing time is 04:00:01-04:15:00. Becky’s also been organising extra events in Cardiff to support her fundraising including a ‘Bop til you drop’ all day aerobics event and a ‘Take Me Out’ event which is well supported by Cardiff students and local businesses. Becky says “I chose to run for Children on the Edge because as a student I used to feel that the tiny amount of money I can give to charity makes no difference, until I read one of the fact sheets from Children on the Edge. Just 50p can make such a difference, which even me and my friends can afford. So we're saving up our 50p’s and training like mad in the hope that in some small way we can make life better for some kids who have been unlucky where they were born.” You can sponsor Becky at http://www.justgiving.com/Becky-Ryall Chloe Alder![]() Chloe is a Primary school teacher from London. She heard about Children on the Edge via the Brighton Marathon website and felt she would like to support the work we do so agreed to run in aid of our projects. Her photo shows her out for a run in Central Park, New York, whilst on holiday over there! Her estimated finishing time is 04:15:00 - 04:30:00. Chloe says “The reason I chose to run for Children on the Edge is that being a primary school teacher and working with children everyday means I really wanted to support a charity that helps children. I want to support a charity that helps to give children a childhood, providing children with access to education, play, food and shelter. I think the work Children on the Edge do and the projects you are running are definitely worth running a marathon for!” You can sponsor Chloe at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ChloeAlder Robert Tugwell![]() Rob is a Second Lieutenant in the British Army who responded to our request for willing volunteers. He clearly doesn’t think that having recently finished Sandhurst Army Officer Training was enough physical exercise! His estimated finishing time is 04:00:01-04:15:00 Rob likes a challenge and on his Virgin Money Giving page he writes “Running the Brighton Marathon 2013; I hope to help a little with the efforts made by Children on the Edge to improve young, vulnerable lives overseas. Just £5 will make a difference to young communities in lots of countries around the world: Thailand, Moldova, Burma, to name a few. Plus, that's one hundredth of a contribution to my suffering. That's got to be worth doing?” Rob’s parents also raised nearly £500 by hosting a curry evening at their local village hall which was very well attended. You can sponsor Rob at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobTugwell Best of luck to Ben, Becky, Chloe and Rob and watch this space to see how they do on Sunday!
![]() Registration for this year’s Chichester Half Marathon opens this Friday (12th April) and after the success of last year’s event, we’re expecting a great response from both local runners and those further afield. The 'Chi Half' is a challenging and beautiful ‘multi-terrain’ half marathon, revived and revamped last October after a 25 year absence. Organised by Children on the Edge, in conjunction with Chichester District Council, the 2012 event hosted 500 runners, raised vital funds for our work and is back by popular demand on Sunday 13th October 2013. Ben Wilkes, our Head of UK says “In an era where people are increasingly disconnected, it’s been a privilege to be part of bringing the community together at this fantastic event. The race is great way for the people of Chichester to raise money for vulnerable children across the globe. We have high hopes for this year!” The route includes a mixture of road, cross country and cycle path terrain; it starts at Chichester College and takes in the historic sites of Chichester. Runners then work their way up to the pinnacle of the South Downs to be rewarded with spectacular views from the Trundle, before winding their way back down Centurion Way. Last year, runners of all abilities said that the views and multi terrain variety in the route made the race truly exhilarating. Runner Mark Ponsford said “This will become an iconic South Coast race, a must for any serious runner”. We are confident that the ‘Chi half’ is set to become a firm fixture on the Sussex athletics calendar and expect to double the numbers of runners this year. Councillor Eileen Lintill, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Wellbeing and Community Services at Chichester District Council, says “The event is suitable for all ages and abilities, from the beginner to the more experienced runner, and this year we hope even more people will take up the challenge.” The event will take place on Sunday 13 of October and registration is open as of Friday 12th April. You are advised to sign up early and discounts apply until 30th June 2013. ‘Early bird’ pries are £21 for EA affiliated club members and £24 for unattached and other runners. Sign from this Friday at www.chichesterhalfmarathon.co.uk. ![]() It was a chilly day at this year’s ‘Children on the Edge Easter Chocolate Trail’, but over 300 children braved the cold to bake up the ‘ingredients of a full childhood’. Down at Priory Park on Easter Saturday local children wrapped up warm to enjoy an Easter Trail with a difference. Sponsored by Montezuma’s Chocolates, this year was our 9th annual Easter event and raised over £1800 for our work. Each year children come along to the park and join in the trail, learning about our projects and collecting delicious Montezuma’s chocolates along the way! This time each stand on the trail, bedecked with brightly coloured balloons, helped the children to explore not only what ‘ingredients’ are needed for a full childhood, but also how we provide these for overlooked children around the world. To continue the theme, children put together the ingredients of peppermint and orange creams to make their own box of sweets, and created their own ‘Lush’ bath bombs! Alongside the usual array of face paints, activities and treats, there was an exciting ‘Children on the Egg eggsperiment’ competition. Children designed ingenious contraptions to keep an egg from cracking when dropped from the top of a stepladder. With a great team of assistants dressed in lab coats and booming countdowns from the onlookers as each egg was dropped, this attraction kept the crowds well distracted from the cold! Chichester's Mayor Anne Scicluna visited the event and took a tour around the country stands. She said “It was a lovely event and I really enjoyed the morning. It was wonderful to see so many people attending, and see children learning about those in other countries, and how we can help”. Congratulations go to Elijah Horne and Lucinda Turner whose designs were selected to be made into real Montezuma’s Chocolate Easter Eggs as part of a special competition held throughout local schools. The two delighted winners were presented with their eggs at the trail. All money raised from the event has gone to our work and we’re incredibly grateful for all those volunteers who gave up their time to help as well as the wonderful local businesses who sponsored the event and donated prizes. ![]() Spring is springing and it's nearly time for our annual Easter Chocolate Trail! We have lots of treats in store this year and we'll be looking at how to bake up the ‘ingredients of a full childhood’. If you come down to Priory Park, Chichester on Easter Saturday (30th March) you’ll find that this is an Easter Trail with a difference. This fun-filled family event is held annually by Children on the Edge and sponsored by Montezuma's Chocolates. It's a great activity to kick off the Easter holidays and has become a firm favourite on the local calendar. Each year children come along to the park and join in the trail, learning about our work and collecting delicious Montezuma’s chocolates along the way! This year the trail will be exploring what ‘ingredients’ are needed for a full childhood, and how our projects provide these for vulnerable children around the world. Alongside the trail there will be the usual array of treats and refreshments including O’Hagan’s sausages, face painting, crafts and activities, bouncy castle, raffle and much more, both indoors and outdoors, so come along rain or shine! The Mayor will be joining us at the start around 10.00 am, and the trail will be running until 2 pm. Children in schools around the area have also been designing their own Easter Eggs for Montezuma’s Chocolates, in order to win an egg with their design on it. The two winning entries will be presented with their eggs at the Easter Trail. Entry fee for the trail is £3.50 for one or £6.00 for two. Do call the Children on the Edge office with any queries on 01243 538530 or e-mail [email protected]. ![]() We last reported about how children from the slums of Soweto, a community of displaced people on the outskirts of Jinja, Uganda now have their own safe place to go to, where they can play, learn and eat. Since then our Grants Officer, Ashley Kuchanny and our director, Rachel Bentley have both been out to the project to monitor the progress that the Centre is making possible for these children. Even though it’s still early days they have both witnessed striking changes and encouraging evidence that the community is starting to turn around. “As you walk around Soweto there is still black, toxic sludge from the breweries every 15-20 metres” says Ashley. “The smoke is acrid, the sludge pits have no fences and many children still scour the rubbish dump for slivers of charcoal, but the blackness of the area is starting to lift. There is less rubbish, it’s cleaner and the Centre is now a safe hub for the children of the community”. It was found that as many as 40 children at the Centre (a third of those who attend), didn’t even know their own names. This is a result of many parents dying of AIDS in the area, leaving children in the care of elderly grandparents, some of whom are looking after up to 10 children at a time. Within the chaos of such a big family, without adequate care, a child’s identity can be lost. One of the first things we did at the centre was to find out the children’s names, and help them to learn them. It’s a small task, with huge implications for each child’s self worth and identity. On her trip Ashley did a social mapping exercise with our local partners and beneficiaries, not using pens and paper but local materials like bottle tops, flowers and ash. Here they identified areas where they felt frightened and in danger, as well as areas they felt safe. Whilst our child centre was shown to be a place of safety, both the children and the parents identified the railway line as a prime site for abductions and abuse. The study went on to reveal a number of film halls throughout the area where children are lured in and abused. Disturbingly one of these places was found to be directly opposite the child centre itself. By the time Rachel visited 2 months later, staff from the project had successfully got this film hall closed down. Rachel’s visit last month also revealed some incredible progress for the children. “The children are looking well nourished and healthy, they are enjoying creative and colourful activities rather than learning by rote on benches” says Rachel. “Not only this, but the child protection committee have worked in safe principles for visitors and have fast become the ‘go-to’ group for child protection advice throughout Soweto”. Watch this space for further encouraging stories from Soweto, find out more about our work here and consider donating to the project. ![]() We reported a few weeks back on our research in Kachin State, Burma. The article highlighted the problems involved in getting aid to displaced communities along the China-Burma border, as conflict escalated between the Kachin people and the central government military. John Littleton, our Asia Regional Manager has recently returned from this area where he spoke with representatives from the camps. He concluded that despite the fact the political situation in Kachin State is highly complex, that the humanitarian issue is simple. Sufficient aid is not getting through to those civillians who are caught up in the conflict and who need it most. Since then we have received a list of essential supplies needed by the camps, acquired funding and found an aid route through. We will be providing warm clothes, strategic nutrition and toys for the displaced children in the camps. Although play equipment may seem like a luxury item in these circumstances, it is essential for the emotional wellbeing of children caught up in conflict. Children in Kachin State have their identity entwined very closely with the war around them. They are constantly playing guns and bombs, not because of the influence of a television set, but from what they are actually seeing around them on a daily basis. Simple play equipment is essential for creating childhood games and imaginary realities that promote a healthy psychological wellbeing for a child living through conflict. A second visit is planned later in the Spring to assess longer term needs. Find out more about our work with refugees and internally displaced people from Burma, and consider donating to our work. ![]() On Friday January 25th Michael Collins, the internationally acclaimed clarinettist, gave a towering performance of clarinet classics at Champs Hill, West Sussex on behalf of Children on the Edge. Mary and David Boweman, owners of Champs Hill, one of England’s most prestigious concert halls, said that it was the finest clarinet concert they had ever heard. The British clarinettist Michael Collins is one of the most sought-after and successful wind players of his generation. The musician has displayed a dazzling virtuosity and sensitive musicianship since his early triumph as a 16 year old, when he won the woodwind prize in the first BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. Since then he has been a soloist for many orchestras including the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France and the Philadelphia, NHK Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Leipzig Gewandhaus, City of Birmingham Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, BBC Symphony, and Philharmonia orchestras. In recent years he has won increasing regard as a conductor and in September 2010 assumed the post of Principal Conductor of the City of London Sinfonia. Accompanied by David Quigley, a remarkably talented pianist in his own right, Michael played pieces from Brahms (E Flat Sonata), Weber (Grand Duo Concertant), Saint-Saens, Poulenc, Messager (Solo de Concours) and Bizet /Milton (Fantasy). Page turner Josh Grubb, music scholar at Bedales, said he was in awe of their musicianship and donated his fee to Children on the Edge because he felt privileged to be part of such an amazing evening. Michael Collins generously donated his fee, and the Bowermans not only opened up their wonderful facilities but sponsored all the champagne and drinks for guests at the event too. 100 guests were privileged to attend such a magnificent occasion, held in such beautiful surroundings, with canapés of the highest quality provided by Stuarts. The concert raised over £5000 through the generosity of sponsors, guests and donors. These funds will make a tremendous difference in our work with forgotten children, living on the edges of society. We are incredibly grateful to all involved. If you’d like to find out more about fundraising for our work, don’t hesitate to get in touch. |
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