If you are a keen walker or even a gentle ambler, you may be interested in joining one of our Ambassadors, Dr Chris Taylor, on a series of walks through stunning Dorset scenery,  to be held between the 4th and 6th of April, in loving memory of Georgina Maxse.  

They are a wonderful way to experience new walks with old friends and to make new friends on the way, choosing exactly how far you want to walk.  All money raised will be supporting both Children on the Edge and Cancer Research UK. 

Day one will be taking in the sites around Berwick St John, Alvesdiston, Win Green Hill, Swallowcliffe Down and the Ox Drove. The second day is a glorious downland circuit via Zig Zag Hill, Charlton Down, Win Green Hill to lunch at Tollard Royal, returning via the very pretty village of Ashmore and Compton Down. The last day consists of country lanes, trails, farm tracks and Roman roads around  Gussage Hill, Cranborne and Pentridge Hill. 

If this sounds appealing, why not sign up for a half day walk, a full day walk, pubbing and picnicking or doing all three days! There’s even an option to take your dog along for the journey. Just have a look through the full information and, if you’d like to partake, download a form and send it to [email protected].

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Chris, Sally Marien and Barbara Roberts (with the help and encouragement of Tony Maxse) for organising such a fantastic event, and we hope the sun shines on you all!

We often cross paths with some pretty lovely people here at Children on the Edge and recently we were delighted to meet the Hodgson family who have been extremely hard at work fundraising for our projects.

Naturally  we'd like you to have the opportunity to meet them too. In the photo on the left we have (L-R) Ed, Jamie, Jane, Poppy the dog (and Michael’s training partner), Michael, Tom and Chloe. 

Michael Hodgson, who lives in South Harting and is Chairman of Douglas and Gordon Estate Agents in London, has raised over £4,500 in sponsorship (including an amazing £500 from one client in Yorkshire) when he ran the Chichester Half Marathon in October. Running alongside him was his second son, Jamie, who had also been busy raising over £850.

Their family efforts didn’t stop at running 13.1 miles however!  A few weeks prior to the half marathon, the eldest Hodgson son, Tom, swam an epic 10km down the River Dart in Devon. Known as being a gruelling yet beautiful outdoor swimming challenge, Tom was pleased to complete the race and raised over £1400 in sponsorship money. He describes his day:

“We were lucky with the conditions with the sun shining and the wind and current in our favour. 700 swimmers left Totnes in Devon in 4 waves from about 1pm and we weaved our way 10km to the finish at Dittisham.

It was pretty tough, especially during the last couple of kilometres but apart from the odd stray foot in the face (!) there weren't any mishaps and it was a great event to be a part of. I'm now looking forward to spending a little less of my life counting the tiles on the bottom of swimming pools!"

Overall, the family have raised just over £7,400 which will have an incredible impact on our projects. We'd like to say a huge thank you to the Hodgson's and encourage any readers who are inspired by their achievements  to get in touch. 

Maybe you would like to get your family involved with fundraising for Children on the Edge with an activity you can all do together, perhaps not as training-intensive as a half marathon but maybe a sponsored bike ride or a family bake-off? Just e-mail Beckie with your plans and ideas. 

On a happy sunny June evening, the mighty Dorset House Parents Association team took on their valiant Westbourne House counterparts in a titanic 20 over cricket match in Shopwhyke, Chichester.

White (or nearly white) trousers, yellowing bats and barely recognisable sweaters had been ransacked from hidden cupboards and Deep Heat set aside carefully for the post match celebrations.

In what was described by the Westbourne Captain as a 'closely contested affair', and the Dorset House Captain as a 'Walkover...almost a thrashing', a wonderfully joyous evening was celebrated by all concerned.

The Children on the Edge Ambassadors provided a welcoming BBQ and appropriate refreshments to dull the pains of over exertion.

Thanks to the generosity of individuals, and a completely inappropriate fining system for minor technical infringements, over £1500 was raised for our projects. Our grateful thanks to Mr Barker, Westbourne House Head teacher,  for kindly allowing us to hold the event and to all those who cooked, played and celebrated a splendid evening. 

If you’re part of an organisation that would be interested in putting something equally valiant together, then please do get in touch!  

Following on from their lunch party success in August, and building on a Summer of tennis triumphs for the nation, Children on the Edge Ambassadors held a tennis tournament in September 2013 at four separate venues in the Pulborough countryside.

A wonderful catered lunch was provided, enjoyed by all competitors except the finalists, who had to eschew the delicious wine and food.

Children on the Edge Ambassador, Euan Clarke, presented the trophy and flowers to the winners.  He said “I am so pleased I was able to witness that the competitive edge is alive and well in West Sussex and I am so grateful to everyone for their magnificent contribution, especially organisers Charlotte, Alex, Tracy and Anna”.

The event has raised over £800 for the work of Children on the Edge around the world. This will pay for 11 street children in Uganda to have a year of vocational training, breaking a cycle of poverty and resourcing them for the future.

It is hoped that the tournament will be an annual event and we are very grateful to all those who took part. If you have ideas for fundraising then don’t hesitate to get in touch!

On a beautiful summer's day in May (one of the few we’ve been granted in this poor excuse for a summer so far) an elegant lunch party in Pulborough, splendidly organised by Children on the Edge Ambassadors Tracy, Anna, Alex and Charlotte, raised over £1000 for our projects.   

“It was a wonderful cause to support and we all had fun celebrating a beautiful day” said Tracy.  “Our guest speaker, Euan Clarke, told us all about Children on the Edge and its current projects.  One member of the party decided to hold a collection at her Jubilee Street Party collection as a result. We plan to hold a series of events through the year to help raise funds for children who are literally living on the margins of existence.” 

We are extremely grateful to these ladies for raising such an impressive amount for our work. The amount they raised will pay for 300 internally displaced children in Burma to attend our refugee camp nurseries for 6 weeks. The nurseries are for children under five who are at severe risk of chronic malnutrition. At the nurseries they receive vital early years education, as well as rice,egg and curried vegetables daily, and milk once a week.

Would you be interested in being an Ambassador in your area of the country to raise funds for Children on the Edge and have fun with your friends?  If you would like to find out more, or need any advice about how to organise events, please contact Euan Clarke.