breath of sea air

Young Ruddi had extensive treatment for cancer, and his mum, Ali, wanted something positive to come from their ordeal. She started Ruddi’s Retreat to offer families much-needed respite by the seaside. To help support the families suffering from illness or bereavement, Wooden Spoon Yorkshire gave a £25,000 grant to the charity towards a caravan on the Fylde Coast, near Blackpool.

Primary carer, Sarah, took her grandson for a holiday at Ruddi’s Retreat. She explains: “Logan is 12 now. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was eight. It’s been a really horrible time for all of us. Ruddi’s has been absolutely fantastic.

“One of the staff at Ruddi’s said, ‘here’s a booking form, do you want to apply for a holiday?’ So, we went to a caravan in Primrose Valley.

“Until we got there, I didn’t realise how much we needed it. Logan was diagnosed in the February and spent weeks in hospital. It was May when we went to the caravan, and I’d literally been on autopilot the entire time – deal with it now, think later. I dropped everything I could, so I could focus on making sure he was OK.”

Sarah noticed a change in Logan after treatment: “He wasn’t the happy-go-lucky person he used to be – it’s caused so much stress, he was scared of everything.

“When we got to the caravan, it was amazing to play, relax, do what we wanted… and the sea air as well! We’d have a laugh together and not think about hospital.”

Sarah continues: “We tried everything; the beach, club activities, swimming, bowling, pedalos, and the little bikes you can ride around the campsite. We even had days out at Scarborough and Whitby.

“The holiday allowed me to unwind quite a bit. Seeing him laughing and playing helped me too.”

“When we got to the caravan, it was amazing to play, relax, do what we wanted… and the sea air as well! We’d have a laugh together and not think about hospital.”

Building The Future

Colleagues at Securitas Technology rolled up their sleeves for a community build day at The Walnuts School in Milton Keynes.

The Building The Future project, funded by Securitas Technology, saw an enthusiastic team of 25 work together to build a new sensory playground for pupils with additional needs.

Headteacher, Jonathan Budd, explained what the new space will mean to his pupils: “It’s an area of the school that we’ve simply not been able to invest in for many years. This is going to transform the opportunities our young people have, show them how important they are, and what they deserve.”

Fusion Community Initiatives empower volunteers to create spaces for the local community. Could your company benefit from a team building day, making a lasting impact on your local community? Contact: charity@woodenspoon.org.uk

The Road To Success

Last year’s epic The Road to Twickenham bike ride, organised by our corporate partner Gallagher, has funded a community build project at Old Hall Special School in Walsall. Among the team of volunteers building the playground equipment were Paralympic champion Louis Rolfe and former Scottish international Nathan Hines. Both sportsmen took part in The Road to Twickenham and were instrumental in raising the funds to make this project possible.