What £125,000 means to our charity and the children we serve

A few words of thanks from our CEO Lisa King, OBE

It’s just over a week since our Dream Ball and we are still on cloud nine thanks to its huge success. I wont share a litany of thank yous, although I’m tempted as they are much meant, but instead will reflect on how much the £125,000 means to our charity and the children we serve.

At the ball I cited just released figures from The Guardian which shared that in a mere four years poverty experienced by children has risen 25% – from 4.2 million to 5.2 million. That means that as we brink towards 2025 more than 1 in every 3 children in our country, rising in some areas to above 1 in 2, live in deprivation.  And if you have a disability – the shocking truth is that you’re 11% more likely to experience poverty. These are the children Dreams Come True so uniquely serves. These are the children who have never needed us more.

These figures stagger and sadden me. And they light my fire yet more to want to do all we can for the children we serve.  This year we are on track to impact 4,600 children by year end – yet this is just the tip of the ever-growing proverbial iceberg.  To ensure we reach our children we are developing plans to proactively target the most in need areas; Birmingham, Manchester,  Blackpool and Glasgow to name a few of our hot spots.  To these areas we shall direct our efforts and the funds you have raised to reach children whose dreams we are determined to make come true.

£125,000 is 12% of our budget line.  That’s a brilliant result and way beyond our hopes and expectations.  But as a charity we are not out the woods when it comes to raising funds and the danger of social platforms is to often only post the very Rosie and positive success stories which in turn can paint a less than real reflection of the reality faced.

We have worked our socks off this year to ensure we are on track to balance our £1,100,000 budget. As we chip away at that number we are on track to achieve it – a fundraising target which has taken much monumental effort in today’s climate and made more challenging given we rely solely on voluntary income and don’t receive any government funding.

Which is why, when I reflect on the ball and its success, I’m so utterly thrilled. The love in the room for our work and the children was palpable, the relationships we’ve strengthened and the new friends we’ve made are, I feel, the best bit of all. 

With an ever-growing base of support for our small but mighty charity we will continue to grow and together reach the children who need us the most – and to those children we will together bring joy, smiles, life-enhancing and life-changing impact and most important of all magic to the most deserving children in our country today.  We could not do this without you. We are so very grateful. Thank you to you all. Onwards #dreammakers!