The night of October 31, the eve of All Saints’ Day, now means children dressing up in frightening masks and costumes and families decorating their homes with spider webs, ghouls and ghosts. It is a time of ‘tricks or treats’ and everyone in Tilling Green heads to one house of choice.
This house in Rye takes Hallowe’en to the extreme and delights the local children and families. Theresa Cooke and her lovely daughter Jodie Phillips have a love of Hallowe’en and have been decorating their home for years. She even once had a visit from Paul McCartney and his daughter Beatrice, who loved the decorations and especially Theresa, who was dressed up as a large black cat.
After many years of decorating, someone said that they ought to use the evening to raise funds for charity and so it began and they have raised thousands of pounds for different charities including Evalina Children’s Hospital, Conquest Children’s Ward, Cancer Research and Dragonfly charity.
This year the charity that they have chosen is “Daniel’s Arctic Bed”. Daniel is twenty-one and suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severely disabling and life-limiting neuromuscular condition which mainly affects boys. Daniel was diagnosed when he was five, has been in a wheelchair since he was eleven and is now struggling to use his arms. He needs the bed to enable him to be more independent.
The air was full of excited voices and the giggles from the children and some adults as well as they looked at the decorations and other people’s costumes: everyone had such fun tonight at 3 Pottingfield. Jodie, Theresa and helpers had created a Hallowe’en event rivalled by none in the area. Children and adults dressed in some fantastic costumes were handed a goody bag so they could collect cakes and sweets which had been donated by the people of Tilling Green. What a wonderful way to raise funds for Daniel and his Arctic bed.
Ethel Loves Me is holding a raffle of an original DC Comics Joker framed print kindly donated by Nick Forman. Tickets are £1 each and available in the shop. The draw will be on Saturday, November 18 and all proceeds are for Daniel’s bed as well.
The Hallowe’en night raised £413.17 and a local man has offered to make it up to £500 which is wonderful. Another step nearer to Daniel getting his bed. Jodie and Theresa thank everyone for supporting their venture.
If you want to be part of Daniel’s journey and help him get the bed that would make his life so much better please donate and make a difference
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/catherine-thomas-4
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Jason Dorey , Clair Debley-Turner .