Image courtesy of Dani Winteringham
Dani Winteringham of Norwich, was due to marry her fiancé Anthony Williams on Saturday 23rd May but with plans having to be postponed she has decided to turn her attention to ensuring that Norfolk’s bereaved children and young people are able to access support when they need it.
Dani is no stranger to fundraising challenges, having previously conquered Kilimanjaro, run the London marathon and cycled the Coast to Coast path. She said “We now find ourselves in very strange and somewhat scary times. Everyone has been individually affected in so many different ways. For me, and my Fiancé, an impact has been the unfortunate need to postpone our wedding and honeymoon. Many peoples’ income and businesses have been affected but the worst consequence for everyone is the death of peoples’ loved ones, which is why I have chosen to raise money for Nelson’s Journey.”
Dani’s challenge is taking place until 7th May by which point she will have run the distance of the London Marathon, cycled 166 miles on an indoor bike representing the length of the Coast to Coast ride and climbed her stairs 2,106 times, equivalent to the height of Kilimanjaro
Nelson’s Journey has been supporting Norfolk’s bereaved children and young people since 1997, they support up to 600 individuals at any one time but are expecting to see record demand for their service by the end of 2020. Sophie Berry, Funding & Marketing Manager explains “Whilst we are responding to the immediate bereavement needs of children and young people via our Support Line, we know that as the months go on, the need for our service will only increase. Like many other local charities, our income has been significantly impacted and we need to make sure Nelson’s Journey has the support it needs to ensure we can respond to the demand we are expecting.”
To support Dani in her fundraising efforts visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DaniWinteringham
In light of the Coronavirus and the impact this is having on local charities, Hoveton based estate agents Stobart & Hurrell have generously decided to double their regular contribution to Nelson’s Journey for the remainder of 2020.
Stobart & Hurrell have been supporting Norfolk’s child bereavement support charity for 3 years and to date, have raised over £3,200 by donating a percentage of their profit following the completion of each house sale.
Peter Hurrell, Director at Stobart and Hurrell, said: “We are a proud supporter of Nelson’s Journey and well aware of the impact COVID-19 is having across areas of the community. As parents and as a socially conscious local business we want to ensure that bereaved children and young people are able to access support when they need it.”
Runstoppable, a Norfolk business supporting local runners, has raised over £800 for two children’s charities in Norfolk. £410 has been handed over to both Norfolk child bereavement charity Nelson’s Journey and Red Balloon Learner Centre.
Runstoppable, based in Norwich, offers ‘MOT’ assessments to runners. Each Runner’s MOT in 2019 led to a donation to the charities.
Running coach Kyle Brooks, owner of the business, said: “I know that these two charities are making a real difference to young people locally who’ve been through really difficult experiences, and I’m very pleased that my clients have been so enthusiastic in supporting their cause. Charities need the support of their communities to continue their work, and there are many ways in which businesses can help.“
On Friday 29th November, Nelson’s Journey held their annual Christmas Quiz at Open in Norwich. As part of the evening a group of the charity’s young volunteers spoke about their experience of bereavement and encouraged attendees to help raise funds during the popular festive event.
Danielle, Harvey and Josh spoke to an audience of over 310 people about who had died in their lives and shared projects that they have supported the development and delivery of which are benefitting Norfolk bereaved children and young people such as the Smiles and Tears Gift Box, a gift that can be purchased for a recently bereaved child containing helpful support, information, therapeutic activities and treats. The contents of the box were carefully chosen and created by the young volunteers to support recipients through the grieving process.
On Friday 31st May 2019 Nelson’s Journey hosted our first ever Gin Festival at The Great Hospital Norwich. We are proud to have raised and amazing £4845 towards our work with Norfolk's bereaved children but also to have raised the profile of our charity and the work we do in our community.
Three bars were running on the night, one offering British and Irish gins another featuring International gins and one offering cocktails designed by VanVino Norwich featuring edible flowers from Nurtured in Norfolk.
The evening was sponsored by some fantastic Norfolk business including main event sponsors Swallowtail Print , Cocktail Bar sponsors Heritage Will Writers, a huge donation of gin from Paragraph and gin expertise, bar hire and gin master class from Van Vino.
On Sunday 14th April, Nelson’s Journey hosted a huge Easter Egg Hunt to raise money for bereaved children and young people in Norfolk. The event, for families of children who have been supported by the charity, was also open to the public to enjoy. The hunt, which took place in the private grounds of Barningham Hall in Matlaske, Norfolk, welcomed over 1000 visitors.
Activities included a traditional Easter Egg Hunt in the woodland, a tree of memories, where guests could write an Easter message in memory of a special person who had died, a spring animal petting area, traditional fete games, themed arts and crafts and an Easter bonnet competition. Guests were also treated to delicious street food from Norfolk suppliers including Fat Teds Streat Food and Waffle Works. Over £3500 was raised from the event, which will go back into supporting more children and young people locally, struggling after the death of an important person in their lives.