On Sunday, 8th September, Hadlow Manor in Kent opened up their beautiful grounds to 250 children and their parents under the care of The Royal Marsden for various teenage and childhood cancers. September is officially Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and the families invited have all been affected by cancer in different ways; some currently on treatment, some on watch for relapse as well as families of children that have sadly lost their lives to cancer.
Vicki and James Woodall whose son George was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma in January 2017 having gone through months of gruelling treatment were behind the Marsden family fun day as part of their Giant Pledge campaign (www.giantpledge.com). They know only too well how much these children need a day of fun and excitement as a break from the childhood cancer hardship and monotony.
The Giant Pledge duo enlisted the help of their charity partner Google UK as well as L’Oréal, Nintendo, Paramount Pictures, Disney and McVites, by way of goodie bags and additional treats to help make the day even more special.
The grounds at Hadlow Manor were ideal to host the event with go karts, dream car rides, a bouncy castle with giant games, live music and performers as well as a hog roast and indoor craft and gaming activities.
Giles Thomas, Operations Director of the Manor Collection of which Hadlow Manor is part of said; “We have worked with Vicki and James many times over the years to help with fundraising for The Giant Pledge and we really enjoy it. We’ve hosted numerous quiz nights at our sister hotel Reigate Manor as well as family fun days at our other Surrey based hotel Hartsfield Manor. When Vicki approached us to host this special fun day we didn’t hesitate to get involved with such a worthy event. Our staff worked so hard in the lead up and on the day and all really enjoyed it. We loved being part of something so special. Seeing the children having such a great time makes it all worthwhile”.
Vicki Woodall commented “Over the past two years we’ve met so many amazing companies looking to support our Giant Pledge fundraising. This September Childhood Cancer Awareness month we took the opportunity to bring some of these to the families of the Marsden as we know all too well how much they all need spoiling”.
With the weather onside, the bbq fired up and the entertainment in full swing it really made for a fantastic day. Allowing the families a chance to put aside day to day life of cancer treatment their and just enjoy themselves in a relaxed and informal environment away from the hospital.
For further information on The Manor Collection and if we can get involved with your next event please visit https://manorcollection.co.uk/
