Manorview team fund Lapland flight for terminally ill children
Our amazing team fundraised £95k for When You Wish Upon a Star, who took children facing life-threatening or terminal illnesses to enjoy a magical experience in Lapland.
The journey to Lapland was fully funded by the money the team raised, and the trip took place on Monday December 4th, with 70 families enjoying the magical Christmas trip.
The trip, which departed from Prestwick Airport, was organised by When You Wish Upon a Star, a charity whose mission is to grant the wishes of children living with a life threatening illness. We have supported this charity for a number of years, and in 2020 set an ambitious fundraising target to fund the plane trip from Scotland.
"We wanted to set a really ambitious goal that we knew would fund something incredible for Wish children and their families. Funding the trip to Lapland was something we all got excited by, and we knew that the thought of happy kids meeting Santa and making memories would fuel us through the many fundraising challenges." said Katrine, from Boclair House.
Fundraising efforts began in early 2020 - but in March, things inevitable got harder for us, when Covid meant our venues had to close, and people couldn't get together to fundraise. But this didn't stop us from pursuing fundraising opportunities.
The team organised a number of virtual fundraisers. Together, we walked the distance of Route 66 (2,448 miles) by taking walks and hikes in our local areas and tracking the distance via phones and fitness devices. In 2021, we also raised funds to walk or run a total distance of 10,000km - imagining we were walking through various places in Europe to get to Lapland! The team also later took part in a number of fundraising events, like 10k runs, half marathons and Tough Mudder. Brave members of our team also took to the air to take part in a sky-dive, taking sponsorship from family and friends to inspire them to take the leap!
When You Wish Upon a Star also host a challenging 70km Artic trek, in temperatures as low as -40 degrees. Some of our team members took part in this to help fundraise, raising huge amounts of money towards the total.
The business also supported the fundraising efforts, with £1 for every sale of a special charity cocktail going towards the funds. Team members also get a paid day to support charity each year, meaning we can help a good cause without losing hours or pay, and many of us used this to take part in fundraising activities too.
Katrine, from Boclair House, said "Raising nearly £100,000 is no easy task! But the team really kept each other going throughout it all. We just kept thinking of how amazing it would be to see the kids get to Lapland."
Our fundraising efforts went to good use, with 70 Wish kids and their families finally taking the trip to Lapland of December 4th. The charity organised a special welcome at Prestwick Airport, before the plane took to the sky and the exciting journey began. During the trip, families enjoyed a true Lapland experience - with husky and sleigh rides, a firepit with toasted marshmallows and fireworks display. After a delicious dinner, the treat children met Santa and were presented with a gift. To ensure it's special for everyone, treat children can bring parents/guardians and siblings to enjoy everything with them. It's a truly magical experience that provides families with unforgettable memories.
Four of our team - Juliet, Katrine, Steve and Scott, all attended the Lapland trip. Steve, who is part of the property team said "Seeing the fundraising efforts pay off was just amazing. These families deserve every joy and happiness, and it was incredible witnessing this special and magical time. The team at the charity do an incredible job of organising this, and we are so happy that we were able to fund the trip to ensure it could happen!"
Emma-Kate Wryley Birch from When You Wish Upon a Star said "The donation made by The Manorview Group was extremely generous, we are very grateful to all their team members who took part in so many initiatives to raise the funds. As a non-government funded charity, we rely on donations and fundraising to ensure we can continue to grant the wishes of children who truly deserve joy."