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<h4 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> <h4 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">             </h4> <h4 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">              Beach Buggy Big Weekend</h4> <h4 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">                    </h4> <h4 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">                     “Driving miles to raise some cash and lots of smiles!”</h4> <h5 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </h5> <h5 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">                                                          6th & 7th August</h5> <h6>                   In aid of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity</h6> <h6> </h6> <h6>                Or you can even  Text CHKN64 £x to 70070 to sponsor the event </h6> <h6>                          where x = the amount you want to sponsor in pounds</h6>   Supported by: Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity <a href="http://www.rmchcharity.org.uk/">http://www.rmchcharity.org.uk/</a> VW Northwest <a href="http://www.vwnw.co.uk/">http://www.vwnw.co.uk/</a> Beach Buggy Club UK <a href="http://www.beachbuggy.org.uk/">http://www.beachbuggy.org.uk</a> Beach Buggy Club.com <a href="http://www.beachbuggyclub.com/">http://www.beachbuggyclub.com</a>   So what is the Beachbuggy Big Weekend and how can you get involved?   Hi, my name is Tony Price. I first met the great people at Manchester Children’s Hospital in August 2009 when I got the call that every parent dreads. My 12 year old daughter had fallen and broken her neck with the very real possibility that she would be permanently paralysed. Through their dedication and skill she’s made superb progress and is now back at school like any normal 14 year old girl.  As a result I will be eternally grateful to all the staff on Ward 78 where Amy was treated. I’ve learned that the hospital treats some 135,000 children like my daughter every year but that NHS funding in itself is not enough. It can’t buy all of the specialist equipment that’s required or all of the decorations and toys to make the stay in hospital less frightening and more bearable for the children.   When my daughter, Amy, was in hospital, though she needed the specialist equipment to save her life, for her it was the simple things like the work performed by the play specialist that kept her going and onto her recovery. Children get bored in hospital.  If they are bored they can lose their spirit and determination.  If they are entertained and spirits are uplifted, then they can make amazing recoveries.  The dedication of the staff on Ward 78 (John the play specialist immediately springs to mind along with all the fantastic Doctors and Nurses) inspired me!   That’s why I’ve got together with a whole load of my Beach Buggy owning friends to raise some much needed cash for the charity, to give the children at the hospital a day to enjoy……….and hopefully to raise more than a few smiles as well! Ward 78 covers Spinal, Orthopaedic & Neurosciences. During Amy’s time in hospital I witnessed children that had been through horrific accidents, major surgeries and all sorts of treatments.  Amy was definitely one of the lucky ones as she has made an amazing recovery over two years.   However circumstances are often different and one young boy will always be in the back of my mind - he was 6 and the accident he had been in broke his back and damaged his spinal cord to such a degree that he may never walk again. I know from experience just how much time is taken to treat children in this situation.  I know how dedicated the staff are and the amazing jobs they do day in day out.  I would like to say thank you to them all and so can you by giving a donation to the charity!   So what’s the Beach Buggy Fun Weekend about and how can I get involved? The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is a National Hospital offering facilities to children from all around the UK.  This is why we have chosen to get beach buggies from all over the UK to attend.  Many of you will not be local to Manchester and unlikely that you will be able to attend on the day however you can support us and more importantly the Charity.   By donating on the just giving web site you can support your friend on their mammoth drive, support the event as a whole or simply donate some money to the hospital that saved my daughter life!   If you can come along as show your support you will be very welcome (though please remember that this is a busy working hospital and that the children who are being treated in the hospital will be given priority on the day).   The event will be split across two days  On Saturday 6th August we expect 20 or more colourful beach buggies to be on site at the Hospital itself on Oxford Road, Manchester. These Beach Buggies will be driving from all over the country (Kent, Essex, Lincoln, Birmingham, Manchester and many other places around the UK).   Many of these vehicles are around 40 years old.  So simply driving that far is quite an achievement. We have three objectives:   1.      Bring some enjoyment to the children in hospital 2.      Raise awareness that the Royal Manchester Children’s hospital is now the largest children’s hospital in the UK 3.      Raise some cash for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity   On the day you’ll be able to see the beach buggies right up close and have your photo taken by a professional photographer with your favourite buggy. If you are staying in the hospital you will be able to get your picture instantly printed free of charge courtesy of Hewlett Packard UK who have kindly offered to support the event and will be covering the costs of all the printing and some prizes for competitions that will be run prior to the event - for anyone who is not actually in the hospital you can still get photographs taken but we will be asking for a donation to the charity.   We’re also expecting appearances by guest celebrities who we’ll announce nearer the time and you can meet Humphrey, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital mascot. It should be a great day with smiles all round. On Sunday7th August the fun moves on to the VW Northwest show at Tatton Park near Knutsford. Visit <a href="http://www.vwnw.co.uk/">www.vwnw.co.uk</a> for more details. A big thanks to the organisers for adopting us and our charity and allowing us to fund raise at the event. It’s one of the biggest VW shows in the country and a great family day out. There’ll be 100’s of Volkswagens old and new alike but taking pride of place amongst the Beetles, Campervans and Golfs will be a display of over 30 buggies where once again you’ll have the chance to get your photo taken with your favourite buggy and get up close. Finally if you aren’t sure what a beach buggy looks like then there’s no better place to look than <a href="http://www.manxmaniac.co.uk/">www.manxmaniac.co.uk</a> to find out more. Take a look around the site and whether you’re young in years or young at heart I guarantee you’ll have a smile on your face after just a few minutes.   Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and thank you for your donation that will go to such a fantastic cause!    Thank You! </h4>

Big Beach Buggy Weekend

Big Beach Buggy Weekend

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