TC Staff raise over £9,000

Published: 13 September 2018

Mayor Presents Cheques to the Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity as Haywards Heath Town Council Raises almost £9,000 for his charity

Cllr Jim Knight was thrilled to present two cheques to his chosen charity, the Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity at the Full Council Meeting on Monday evening.

Cllr Knight comments:

"I am delighted with the amount we have raised for this amazing charity. My heartfelt thanks must go the community of Haywards Heath, my fellow Councillors and Haywards Heath Town Council for their generosity and support in helping me raise this incredible amount.

Just over £8,000 was raised during the wonderful Twinning Anniversary Gala Night we held over the Summer, in excess of £650 was raised by Cllr Matt Jeffers and Town Clerk, Steve Trice, who completed the Haywards Heath leg of the Mid Sussex Marathon to raise funds for the charity and the remainder of the funds was raised throughout the year at our Town Day and Spring Festival.

I selected the Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity because of the amazing work and support they offer to families with young children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy locally. They receive no statutory funding and rely solely on charitable donations yet the work they do makes such a difference to the lives of these families. I am so grateful to the people of Haywards Heath for their generosity."

Pilar Cloud, Executive Manager of Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity, adds:

"We are so honoured to have been chosen by the Mayor's as his Charity, and appreciate all that the Mayor, his fellow Councillors and Town Council staff have done to raise awareness of the early intervention service that we provide in West Sussex to very young children with Cerebral Palsy and other motor impairments. The generosity of everyone who sponsored and attended the beautiful Twinning Anniversary Gala Night at the end of June, as well as the Town Day and Spring Festival has really been overwhelming. We would also like to thank everyone who sponsored Steve and Matt in their impressive 10 mile challenge! On behalf of the 50+ families that we are now supporting, as well as all of our staff, we would like to thank the Mayor and the Haywards Heath community for their fantastic support. It will help to ensure that we can continue to provide our vital service to help these children get the best possible start to their lives."

Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity (DVLCC) has been supporting families and children under five years old with cerebral palsy and other motor impairment since 2001.

The recently opened DVLCC Centre in Cuckfield provides an early intervention service along with a range of services for families, including Music Therapy, Swimming Sessions, Outreach support in their own homes, access to sensory technology and drop-in messy play sessions throughout the year. Children have access to assistive interactive technology to assist with their motor and fun development. No formal diagnosis or doctor's referral is necessary, and all services are free to families. The Charity receives no statutory funding and is entirely reliant upon support from individuals, community groups, businesses and trusts.

For more information on DVLCC. See www.dvlcc.org.uk