We held our first official fundraising event at Rochdale Town Hall on the 1st April and it was a great success.
In the run up to the event, all our friends and family generously donated unwanted books, toiletries, games, and all manner of bits and pieces to sell at the Town Hall.
It was a rainy Friday morning but that didn't stop everyone coming down to support us as a family, but also all the other familes who are affected by FOP. People travelled from all over the country for the event: Auntie Rachel came up from London; Grandma Ann and Grandad Peter came down from Whitley Bay; and Great Auntie Irene came over the hills from Yorkshire!
The Morning also gave us the opportunity to meet Rachel for the first time, and to meet her family. Rachel's husband, Paul, and Oliver hit it off straight away and became the best of friends! The Mayor of Rochdale attended and met with our families, chatting about the difficulites people face at the moment trying to fundraise for worthy causes.
Grandma Carol rallied round her friends to run all the stalls, and most importantly keep the kettle boiling! Without all the Ladies who worked tirelessly all morning, the morning wouldn't have been the success it was.
There was a book stall, homemade cakes, tombola, a fabulous raffle, craft stall, sweet stall, bric-a-brac and a magnificent selection of handmade cards (donated by the kind ladies from UKScrappers).
It was a brilliant opportunity for everyone to meet Oliver and see what a great character he is. He and Leo had a great time exploring the Town Hall...but I think Grandma and Grandad were rather tired at the end of the Morning, chasing them up and down the Grand Staircase!
At the end, we couldn't believe how successful the Coffee Morning had been: we raised an increadible £1200 which was donated to the University of Oxford.
