Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to the panto we go…
We all had the most AMAZING time at our Christmas Panto and Party. We, along with around 220 individuals, children and families we support, made our way to Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne to watch their pantomime production of Snow White.
After being greeting by a team of Reds our families made their way inside the beautiful venue to eagerly await the start of the show! The annual panto is always brilliant and the cast this year certainly didn’t disappoint. The children and families all had an incredible time with plenty of boos, cheers and laughter.
Once the show was finished, our families all made their way into the Winter Garden which had been transformed into a magnificent party venue. Our team of staff and volunteers had been busily setting up treats and activities around almost every corner. The cast of the pantomime also came to the party for a short while and spent time chatting with the families, dancing and having photos taken. Thank you so much to them for taking the time to meet our families. It was much appreciated.
The families then had plenty of time to explore all that was on offer and they were spoilt for choice! Bright N Balloons joined us again and wowed all the children with incredible balloon modelling creations, making them smile and giggle along the way. Ever popular, we had Photo booth It Now set up a photo booth with a variety of silly and Christmassy props for our families to capture these precious memories. In a fantastic new addition to the party this year, Jaws N Claws came along with a selection of animals for our families to get up close with. These included snakes, frogs, millipedes and giant snails and all the children absolutely relished the chance to touch and hold these amazing creatures. We also had facepainting, crafts, pick and mix and an Adele tribute act. Alongside all this, we were served a delicious buffet dinner by the team at Eastbourne Theatres.
The main event, which the children had all been waiting for, was the chance to meet Santa and to visit Santa’s Grotto which was crammed full of presents, following several very successful toy appeals and donations. It was a truly magical moment to see the children walking into the grotto with excitement and awe on their faces. Heartfelt thanks go to Oriflame, Edwards Vacuum, More Radio, Tesco Hampden Park and Quality Care Group for their very generous donations towards our Grotto this year. Thanks also to all the other amazing individuals who made toy donations.
As an extra surprise, a team from the East Sussex Fire Service visited us with one of their fire engines and stayed just long enough for some of our children and families to sit inside the vehicle and ask questions. Thank you to them for coming along, it made the day for a lot of the children.
Thank you to Stears Photography for the brilliant photographs and a HUGE thank you to our remarkable sponsor for this event, Gaby Hardwicke Foundation.
In all, it was a magical day for the children, providing much needed respite from the realities of childhood cancer. For many of the families supported by Children with Cancer Fund, events such as these are valuable opportunities for the children to feel normal and forget about the challenges they face. We are not able to continue putting on these events without your help so please consider making a donation or volunteering with us today. Together we can make a difference 😊
