New hospice garden recognises efforts of fundraising teenagers

Thursday, 26 April 2012

SMILE: Charlene St John, Wendy Zadigue and Simon Hicks points to the Newham College’s ‘path of life’ brick that has the words: ‘Summer of A Lifetime Newham 2011 Smile One More Day’.

THE FUNDRAISING efforts of students from Newham College have been celebrated in a newly-created garden of meditation.
Richard House Children’s Hospice staff dedicated a special brick in their garden’s ‘path of life’ for the £550 raised by 14 teenagers brought together by the college.
The hospice transformed a derelict part of its grounds into a garden to give family members and friends space to treasure precious moments with children with life-threatening health conditions.
Newham Deputy Young Mayor, Wendy Zadigue, Newham College project worker Charlene St John and former project worker Simon Hicks represented the teenagers.
Hospice life president Anthea Hare said: “The path of life creates a positive experience for family members and friends of the children who stay here and represents so many individuals and organisations that have helped us to expand our work.
“The children enjoy being here and we give them support to do things that they wouldn’t be able to do in their own homes.”
College staff member Liana Mathurin-Brown organised activities for the teenagers for the ‘Summer of Lifetime’ programme last year. The programme was supported by the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust, inspired, Newham Council, and the Government.
Students, aged 16 and 17 at the time, organised a fashion and talent show and street collections to raise funds as part of the programme.
Wendy said: “I was keen to help terminally ill children and to raise other young people’s awareness about them.
“Taking part in fundraising was fun. I had not done something like that before and at the time I wasn’t the confident type.”
Greenfingers Charity designed and built the path with financial assistance from Grange Farm Centre that totalled about £20,000.
The Summer of Lifetime students were: Wendy Zadigue from Barking; Ermelinda Tahiraj from East Ham; Adesuwa Igbinedion Nigie, Docklands; Jonathan Reid and Trudy-Ann White from Forest Gate; Sandra Jane Ache, Plaistow; Mazwita Chaya, Manor Park; Lekeisha Babb, Stratford; Junior Djau, Brixton; Talide Balde, Dagenham; Acayo Laker, and Sabrina Hussein, Greenwich; Marina Martins Nascente, Waltham Forest and Halima Ruparell from Stratford.

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