Staff at independent Scottish hospitality operator, Manorview, fundraised £95,000 to take children facing life threatening or terminal illnesses to enjoy a magical experience in Lapland earlier this month.
The flight, organised by the When You Wish Upon a Star charity, was fully funded by the money the Manorview team raised, and departed from Prestwick Airport on Monday December 4th, with 70 families onboard for the trip.
The team at Manorview have supported this charity for a number of years, and in 2020 set an ambitious fundraising target to fund the plane trip from Scotland.
“We wanted to set a really ambitious goal that we knew would fund something incredible for Wish children and their families,:” said Katrine, a member of the Manorview team. “Funding the trip to Lapland was something we all got excited by, and we knew that the thought of happy kids meeting Santa and making memories would fuel us through the many fundraising challenges.”
Those fundraising efforts began in early 2020 – but in March, things inevitably got harder for the team, when Covid meant the hotels had to close, and people couldn’t get together to fundraise.
But this didn’t stop the team, which organised a number of virtual fundraisers. Together, they walked the distance of Route 66 (2,448 miles) by taking walks and hikes in their local areas and tracking the distance via phones and fitness devices.
In 2021, the team also raised funds to walk or run a total distance of 10,000km – imagining they were walking through various places in Europe to get to Lapland. The team also later took part in a number of on-the-ground fundraising events, like 10k runs, half marathons and Tough Mudder. Some brave souls also took to the air to take part in a sky-dive, taking sponsorship from friends and family.
When You Wish Upon a Star also hosts a 70km Arctic trek, in temperatures as low as -40 degrees. Some members of team Manorview took part in this to help fundraise, raising huge amounts of money towards the total.
The Manorview business also supported the fundraising efforts, with £1 from every sale of a special charity cocktail going towards the funds. Team members also get a paid day to support charity each year, meaning they can help a good cause without losing hours or pay, and many team members used this to take part in fundraising activities too.
Katrine, who is part of the team at Manorview venue Boclair House, said: “Raising nearly £100,000 is no easy task! But the team really kept each other going throughout it all. We just kept thinking of how amazing it would be to see the kids get to Lapland.”
During this month’s trip, families enjoyed a true Lapland experience – with husky and sleigh rides, a firepit with toasted marshmallows and fireworks display. After dinner, the treat children met Santa and were presented with a gift. To ensure the experience is special for everyone, treat children can bring parents/guardians and siblings to enjoy everything with them.
Four people representing Team Manorview – Juliet, Katrine, Steve, and Scott – all attended the Lapland trip. Steve, who works in Manorview’s property team said: “Seeing the fundraising efforts pay off was just amazing. These families deserve every joy and happiness, and it was incredible witnessing this special and magical time. The team at the charity do an incredible job of organising this, and we are so happy that we were able to fund the trip to ensure it could happen!”
Emma-Kate Wyrley Birch from When You Wish Upon a Star said: “The donation made by The Manorview Group was extremely generous, we are very grateful to all their team members who took part in so many initiatives to raise the funds.
“As a non-government funded charity we rely on donations and fundraising to ensure we can continue to grant the wishes of children who truly deserve joy.”
