Destiny Children News 2013
Launch of our new logo and mission statement - December 2013
Destiny Children, with the help of three supporters who have extensive marketing and PR experience, Jonathan, Jane and Susie, launch the charity's new Logo and mission statement. This was introduced at the Black Tie and Daimonds Ball reported below. Please see this link to the film clip which was shown on the night.
Destiny Children is a small charity based in Macclesfield, Cheshire.
We raise funds to help provide a better future for the children at Destiny Garden School, Mombasa, Kenya by securing them a good education and the basic welfare they need to survive.
We do this primarily through our sponsorship programme; our aim is to generate sponsors for every child at the school. And 100% of all our sponsor and donor funds, including Gift Aid, go to Destiny Garden School.
Black Tie and Diamonds Ball - Saturday 7 December 2013
A hugely successful event organised by keen supporter, Elizabeth Wright. It raised over £5,000 for Destiny Garden School and 14 new sponsors were recruited who will each be sponsoring a child at DGS at £10 per month.
The event was held at Shrigley Hall Hotel and was enjoyed by all - many have asked us to do it again next year!
Dancing was to the fabulous live 9 piece band –
Not Quite Jazz - http://www.notquitejazz.co.uk/
Many thanks to photographer Fu for all the photos; please see this link - Photos of Shrigley Hall Ball
Nicola Runs for DGS - 6th October 2013
Nicola Roper completed her first marathon in 4 hours 1 minute 29 seconds, which for the Kielder Marathon was a good time; it might be described as Britain’s most beautiful marathon but it was no bus ride! She has raised much needed funds for DGS. For more details and photos please see this link – Nix’s Marathon.
Sam's Walk for Destiny Garden School - September 2013
Sam completes a 15km walk from the Château de Versailles to the Notre Dame in 4 hours and 10 minutes, and raises much needed funds for Destiny Garden School.
Please see this link for her report and photos of the walk - Sam's Walk
and this link for details of Sam's Challenge
Newcastle Eye Centre Help Children at DGS - 5 September 2013
Nicola Roper, a keen supporter of Destiny Garden School, and the Newcastle Eye Centre Hospital, where she works, raised funds to enable two children at DGS, who were having problems seeing the blackboard, to be tested and have glasses made up.
The charity is delighted and excited as this is the start of a project that Nicola is taking on to try and identify any eye problems at the school and help where possible. Of the 350 children at DGS, these are the first to be identified as needing glasses.
Abel, of Class 4, and Jibini, of class 6, proudly wear their new glasses.
Sam's Walk for Destiny Garden School
At the end of August, Sam Gardner is challenging herself to a sponsored walk to raise funds for Destiny Garden School, Mombasa. As Sam lives in Paris, this will be no ordinary walk; she is walking from the Château de Versailles to Notre Dame!
Please support her. See this link for full details - Sam's Walk
Fantastic News – Successful Grant Application - 1 August 2013
Destiny Children received a grant which will enable DGS to complete classrooms 7 & 8 to a high standard. These classrooms will double up as an examination/assembly hall. Work has re-commenced to complete the roof.
This has been a huge boost to us and renewed our energies in applying for more funding to extend the Kindergarten classes, which are too small to meet the current education authority's standards. We also need funding to build a dining area which will enable the children to have lunch together, and provide shelter from the sun, and wind which can blow dust onto their food.
An 'Alternative Gift' for DGS
Matt, one of DGS's sponsors, bought his brother a birthday present with a difference; a special lunch for the children with beans and bananas. For more details on the 'Alternative Gifts' scheme please see this link - buy a gift
Val's Challenge for Destiny Garden School
Val completed her challenge on 20 July! She says:
"I had a wonderful swim on Saturday! There were at least 4,000 swimmers taking part in The Great Manchester Swim and I was one of them! There was a great atmosphere and the weather and water were perfect!
I managed a creditable time of 42:43 which I was very pleased with. I came 1651st overall, 78th in my age group and 650 in my gender group (wow technology is brilliant - I only expected a rough time!) A time to beat next year!
Thank you so much for all those who supported me - although the challenge was the thing I think I have raised about £400 which is wonderful.
See this link for more details of Val's Challenge
DGS Employ a Part Time Music Teacher thanks to MDMT - May 2013
The Martyn Donaldson Music Trust, MDMTwww.mdmt.org.uk, have given a generous grant which has enabled Destiny Garden School to employ a part-time music teacher during the coming year.
Janette Walks 10 miles for Destiny Garden School - May 2013
Well done Janette who raised much needed funds for DGS. Janette reports:- 
"In early May this year, I and three of my cousins did a 10 mile (16 kilometre) walk in Saddleworth, Lancashire. This is a beautiful area in the North of England where we all live and as we are all keen walkers we were really looking forward to doing this.We started our walk from the village of Delph on an overcast Sunday morning with waterproofs at the ready! My cousin Stefan having completed his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Silver expeditions had planned the route for us.
From Delph we walked around the outskirts of Uppermill and Greenfield villages to Dovestones reservoir where we had a well earned rest and our lunch. Half way through our walk and we were still dry!
After lunch we continued with our walk, firstly walking around both the reservoirs at Dovestones. At this point it had also started to rain! Undeterred, we continued our walk though the villages of Diggle and Dobcross before arriving very, very wet at our starting point of Delph.
Not the best day for a long walk but very worth it as we raised £663.70 for Destiny Garden school where I spent 8 weeks earlier this year as a volunteer.
Thank you to everyone who so generously sponsored us"
Destiny Children's A.G.M. - 17 May 2013
The Charity's third AGM was held on 17th May 2013 at the Black Swan, Lower Withington. The charity has had a busy but successful year and our thanks go to the Trustees, committee members, sponsors and supporters for their donations and fund-raising activities during the year. This has enabled us not only to cover the running costs of Destiny Garden School but also to make a number of improvements at the School.
During the year we have welcomed new members to the committee: Alan Slater, Debbie Kennerley, and, more recently, Janette Hodgkinson.
Gawsworth’s Coffee Morning – Thursday 14 March 2013
A very successful and enjoyable coffee morning was held at Gawsworth Methodist Church on Thursday 14th March in aid of Destiny Children.
This lively event was well supported by local parishioners and friends of the charity. On sale were cakes, books, spring bulbs, bric-a-brac and African jewellery. A plentiful raffle helped to boost the funds and we raised a very pleasing £260. This money is very welcome and will go towards the latest building project.
Many thanks go to all our helpers and to friends who made donations of cakes and books etc. and to Trustee Val who organised the event. A special thank you goes to Rev. Sheila Bishop who as always has been very supportive and helpful to the charity.
Middlewood Division Fayre - Saturday 9th March
Christine Armstrong organised the Middlewood Division Fayre and Guides from the Division manned a stall to raise much needed funds for Destiny Garden School. The event was held at the Assembly Rooms of Macclesfield Town Hall and opened by David Rutley MP. Photo here is of Christine and our MP.
Rosalind from Sutton St James’ Guides, Anna from
2nd Macclesfield Guides and Ella from Broken Cross Guides, together with Anna's mother, Liz, ran the 'lollypop' game, guess the name of the bear, and sold memory boxes and African jewellery. They did a great job.
The Fayre at the Town Hall looked tremendous; so much effort had gone into making a good variety of colourful stalls; there was a lovely atmosphere and we really enjoyed meeting so many friendly people. We hope all the Guides were successful in their fundraising.
Many thanks to all who helped in raising funds for Destiny Garden School and a special thank you to Christine Armstrong who has been very supportive of the charity.
Bollywood comes to Bollington - Friday 1st February 2013
Charity Destiny Children joined forces with the Rotary Club of Macclesfield for a Bollywood Evening to raise money to help with the education of underprivileged children at the Destiny Garden School in Kenya.
More than 150 people attended the event at the Viceroy restaurant in Bollington raising £3,300 to purchase books and desks for the school. The total included £1,000 donated by the Rotary Club to match money raised by the event and a further substantial contribution by the Viceroy to support the charity. Entertainment for the evening included Indian dancers, Dohl drummers and an opportunity for diners to join in the fun and try their hand at Indian music and dance.
President of the Rotary Club of Macclesfield Tony Graves welcomed guests to the event and also expressed the delight of his members in being able to help fund such a worthwhile cause.
Judy Roper, chair of the Destiny Children committee, commented: “We are hugely grateful to the Rotary club for their support, to all of the people who joined us at the Bollywood Night and also to the organising committee who put in such a huge amount of work to make it a success.”
Our thanks go to Sham and Bash of the Viceroy who were so generous in all they did to make the event a success; to our local company Pitch and Co who designed and printed the posters - click here for to see the poster; to Elizabeth Wright, Mina Ayoob and Pat who, with Adrian and Richard of Rotary, organised the event; and to all our friends and supporters who donated raffle and auction prizes.
Destiny Children Classrooms 7 and 8, and the Examination Hall
Destiny Children and our supporters managed to raise £7,200 to build classroom 7. This was helped by £3,250 raised at our Christmas Dinner Dance on 1st December.
However, because the Kenyan Educational Authorities have recently advised the school that it must have an Examination Hall by June this year, so that the class 7 pupils can take their mock Kenyan Certificate of Primary Education examinations, it is more economical to build a larger classroom than originally planned. This room will be able to accommodate both class 7 and class 8, with a partition wall which will enable it to double up as an Examination Hall when required. Building this larger room now will ultimately save £6,000, but the immediate costs mean that we need to raise a further £12,600 as soon as possible. Please see this link for further details.
Peter donates an SLR Camera to DGS - 8th January 2013
UK Volunteer Janette took over a Nikon D40 SLR camera donated by Peter Rathbone. Whilst this is for Victor to take photos for the websites, and the sponsorship programme, the children all wanted to try it out!
Victor said " Your generous gift will greatly enhance the quality of the pictures we take here at the school. The pictures represent our main mode of communication between us, sponsors, volunteers and various other well wishers on the latest developments around DGS. This makes photography essential to the well being of Destiny Garden School. Vincent Van Gogh once said ‘A good picture is equivalent to a good deed’. And with that I would like to thank you once again for your good deed and continued support to our school."