15th July, 2008

"Team LiliBea" goes COSMIC!!

Last Sunday, over 50 members of "Team LiliBea" joined about five hundred COSMIC supporters for a 5k walk through Hyde Park. After a picnic lunch, our intrepid walkers made their way through the crowds of tourists and Londoners enjoying the blissful sunshine. It was quite an amazing sight to behold, a sea of white COSMIC t-shirts seemingly carried by a cloud of pink and white balloons. We went at quite a pace (admit it, some of you had been in training!!), and whilst a few of the younger walkers did flag at one point, the sight of the ice-cream van soon perked them up again!

It was very poignant seeing all the different groups of walkers, some with children who had been saved by the St Mary's Team, and some, like us, wearing pictures of little boys and girls who they carry in their hearts.

The walk finished in the restaurant of St Mary's Hospital, where we were treated to face painting, a raffle and a tea party (yes, food played a large part in this event, but that's to be expected with us!). Once the children's faces had been adorned with beautiful flowers, sweet little mice and, in one case, the most fantastic dragon, it was sadly time to call it a day.

We would like to say a huge "Thank You" to all those who joined us on the day, some of whom went to great effort to be there, and to those who have sponsored us and encouraged us in our efforts to help the St Mary's Team save lives.

LiliBea would be sticking out her tongue and flapping her arms in joy at it all, as always.

Lots of love,

Lydia & Willem
(and always LiliBea)

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10th July, 2008

Calling all COSMIC Walkers!

If you've been following the weather reports as closely as we have, you will have seen that we might just get lucky on Sunday! We'd just like to say thank you for the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response so far, both from walkers and sponsors, with over 50 of you saying you are coming to the walk.  We're really looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday! We will be providing a simple, Spanish-style picnic and refreshments to give you some energy before the big event!

Final arrangements:

COSMIC Walk, Sunday 13th July

12:00:   Picnic provided by Lydia and Willem for all Team LiliBea walkers. Where? Near the Bandstand in Hyde Park (there are toilets nearby!). See map at
Royal Parks Map of Hyde Park
13:30:   Registration for COSMIC Walk opens at the Bandstand
14:30:   We start walking! It will take 1-2 hrs to walk the 5k (or 25 mins if you wish to jog it!)

Refreshments and further family entertainment will be provided afterwards courtesy of St Mary's and COSMIC volunteers.

See you there!

Lydia & Willem

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5th July, 2008

- LADIES WHO LUNCH FOR LILIBEA RAISE £800 FOR COSMIC! -

Many thanks to all those lovely ladies who made themselves 'Pretty in Pink' yesterday and joined us for an afternoon of champagne and canapés generously subsidised by De Wintons and organized by the original lovely ladies, Kelly Nahama and Lydia Cherry. We raised a whopping £800 for COSMIC, and probably gained a few pounds ourselves in the process!

Lots of love,

Lydia

p.s. don't worry about those extra pounds, girls, we can burn them off at next week's COSMIC walk!

===============================================================   3rd June, 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

It is hard to believe it has been a year since our precious LiliBea lost her battle against meningitis. We have been thinking of ways in which we can commemorate her life whilst helping others.  With this in mind we would like to invite you to join us for a fun-filled, family afternoon in Hyde Park on Sunday, July 13th, where we will take part in a gentle (!) 5k sponsored walk to raise money for the Children of St Mary’s Intensive Care (COSMIC).  This fantastic charity supports the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at St Mary’s Hospital, where LiliBea received amazing care in the last few days of her life.

Those unable to attend are welcome to sponsor us! Simply click below to make an online donation.

In Brief:
When:          Sunday, 13th July, picnic at midday (please let us know if you would like to join us for that), registration for the walk starts at 1.30pm. Refreshments will be provided for everyone after the walk.

Where:        The Bandstand, Hyde Park (south-east corner), London. Closest Tube: Hyde Park Corner

How:            Simply let us know if you would like to attend, or alternatively register directly at www.cosmiccharity.com

Who:            All welcome!