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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. On 3rd March 2012 I will be embarking upon what could be one of the shortest sponsored walks in history. But this is not just any walk....I will be walking on RED HOT BURNING COALS!!   Yep...that's right, my poor little toes will be 'firewalking' on embers burning at a temperature of over 700 degrees Celsius all in aid of the charity Storybook Dads.   The more I think about it, the more I realise I must be nuts......so why does Storybook Dads mean so much to me that I am willing to walk on fire for it?! Throughout my training and since qualifying as a social worker, the fact that over 150,000 children every year suffer the trauma of the imprisonment of a parent has stuck with me. Many of these innocent children feel isolated, ashamed and abandoned, often leading to anti-social behaviour and poor performance at school. There is very little support or help available to them. For many families, Storybook Dads is a lifeline.   Storybook Dads helps imprisoned parents to keep in touch with their kids by helping them to record bedtime stories onto CDs and DVDs for them. Not only does this bring comfort to the children and help with their literacy skills, but it also helps parents to maintain that vital bond with their families, making them less likely to reoffend upon release. Storybook Dads operates in over 100 UK prisons (including women's prisons where they are called Storybook Mums) and help thousands of prisoners and their kids every year.   Storybook Dads also trains and employs prisoners as story editors, enabling them to learn computer and literacy skills, gain qualifications and improve their employment and rehabilitation prospects.   I have seen first-hand how much comfort hearing the sound of an absent parents voice can bring to a child, in fact one little boy I worked with drove his Mum mad because the only way he could fall asleep at night was by playing his CD on repeat every night so that he could hear his Dad’s voice….! So I ask you to put aside any feelings you may have about why a parent may be in prison and instead think about how an innocent child left behind might be feeling. Please give as much or as little as you can and help Storybook Dads to reach as many children as possible. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Holly's Firewalk for Storybook Dad's

Holly's Firewalk for Storybook Dad's

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