Dear each and every one of you fabulous people,Thank you for your wonderful support this winter. We had just over 4,000 kids and their families with us on Christmas day. So many of the kids thanked us for being open on Christmas day and expressed gratitude for their presents. Some said that it was the only gift they were getting.
We'd like to say a special thanks to Restaurant Associates and Compass Food, for providing all the food for Christmas Day as well as thousands of food parcels; Douglas & Gordon, who pounded the streets of London for the third year to collect vital food, gifts and donations; and Mars, who overwhelmed us with their generosity.
Christmas is the hardest time of year for these families and, given the choice, none of them would rely on Kids Company to provide Christmas for them. It is always a humbling and poignant event to take part in. I occupied a unique position as a witness to the young people's joy but also to the extraordinary kindness of donors and thousands of volunteers who came out to help.
Thank you again for making our children's lives so special with your loving kindness. You are all absolute treasures and I wish you the best of the best for 2013!
Camila.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Why not take part in an exciting sporting or overseas challenge for Kids Company in 2013 and make it a year to remember, whilst losing pounds for you and gaining £'s for us!
UK CHALLENGES
From Superhero Fun Runs to 10ks perfect for beginners, right up to half marathons for the more serious fitness fans amongst you, we're sure to have the perfect race for you to take part in! You could even enter as teams, giving you training partners, fundraising companions and most importantly, mates to race with!
ADIDAS SILVERSTONE HALF MARATHON, Sunday 3 March 2013
Registration Fee: £15.00 Suggested sponsorship: £150.00
DIFC SUPERHERO FUN RUN REGENT'S PARK Sunday 19 May
Registration Fee: £20.00 Suggested sponsorship: £100.00 (all runners receive a FREE superhero outfit!)
BUPA 10K, Monday 27 May 2013
Registration deadline: 26 March 2013. Registration fee £25.00- Suggested sponsorship: £200.00.
ROYAL PARKS HALF MARATHON LONDON Sunday 6 October
Registration Fee: £35.00 Suggested sponsorship: £320.00.
For more information about any of these races, training or fundraising advice, and to find out how to sign up, please contact your account manager or Suzie Curran (suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk).
OVERSEAS CHALLENGES
This year we are running two brand new overseas challenge events trekking the World War II Escape route from France, through the Ariege mountains into Spain, and our very first cycle challenge, from Vietnam into Cambodia! Due its continual popularity, we are also running the Arctic Biathlon for an unprecedented sixth year.
LE CHEMIN DE LA LIBERTE (WWII ESCAPE ROUTE): 03 08 October 2013
Trek the World War 2 Escape route that so many walked in their desperate attempts to escape the Nazis in occupied Europe. Starting in the foothills of the Pyrenees, trekkers will climb 4,570m into the high mountains of the Ariege before a spectacular 3,350m descent into Spain on this tough and inspiring 60km 4 day trek.
Length of trip: 5 days leaving Thursday afternoon and returning Tuesday 9am; Registration Fee: £250.00; Suggested sponsorship: £975
(Costs NOT included: flights, insurance (circa £30) and any kit that needs to be purchased.)
CYCLE SAIGON TO SIEM REAP: 08 November 17 November 2013
This unusual and challenging cycling challenge 350km from Vietnam to Cambodia, will take you from the bustling city life of Saigon to the magnificent Angkor Wat giving you the chance to discover the backwaters of the Mekong Delta, Cambodian village life - and many dirt tracks!
Length of trip 10 days leaving Friday afternoon and returning Sunday morning; Registration Fee: £300.00; Sponsorship: £2000
(Costs NOT included: flights, insurance (circa £30) and any kit that needs to be purchased.)
ARCTIC BIATHLON SWEDEN: 29 November 2 December
Following its continued popularity, we are running this ultimate team wilderness endurance challenge for the 6th consecutive year. By day, teams will compete against one another on sleds and Nordic skis in temperatures as low as -30C. By night, they will enjoy dinners in the wilderness in the land of the Northern Lights.
Length of trip: 4 days leaving Friday AM and returning Monday PM; Registration Fee: £300.00 Sponsorship: £1200
(Costs NOT included: flights, insurance and kit that needs to be purchased)
For more information about any of these events and how to register, please email your account manager or chloe.hill@kidsco.org.uk
IN THE PRESS
We're excited to announce that Kids Company has begun providing services in Bristol, our first replication of our model of youth work outside of Greater London. We have replicated our street level centre, as well as our alternative education provision and schools services BBC Bristol made this short film about our work in the city.
This month, Tfl celebrates 150 years of the Tube with Penguin and they are launching a series of twelve books linked to the twelve lines of the London Underground. Twelve writers tell their tales of London life, each inspired by a different Underground line. Some are personal, some are polemical; every one is unique.
The children of Kids Company in partnership with Camila have written Mind The Child which will bring voices to light from the hidden parts of the city, the parts not usually heard from in our media, the parts least served by investment, and by public transport. The stations of the Victoria Line are some of the few on the Underground to weave into the capital's most neglected areas south and east London but even they stop abruptly at the relatively central points of Brixton at one end, Walthamstow at th
