2007 | July | 15th - Swindon Advertiser

One big happy family at Calm barbecue

YOUNG swashbuckling pirates and their families took over a Swindon sports club for their summer barbecue.

 

The event was children's cancer charity Calm's annual summer get-together, this year with a high seas theme.

 

Fifty children, their brothers and sisters, mums, dads and grandparents made their way to the Supermarine club, in South Marston, for the event yesterday.

 

And there was plenty to keep kids of all ages occupied.

 

The charity supports families and children who have been diagnosed with cancer or leukaemia.

 

Chairwoman Mary Kitchener said the whole event had been organised by Zurich.

 

"We have had a barbecue every year since the charity started," she said.

 

"This year we were approached by Zurich, who asked us if we would be happy for them to organise it all for us and to pay for it.

 

"When we arrived they had everything set up and ready and said this is what we're doing.

 

"It has been absolutely fantastic and I think all of the families are having a great time."

 

Guests could try their hand at plate-spinning, juggling and unicycling, and also got to have their faces painted.

 

Mrs Kitchener said that everyone got on really well and supported one another.

 

"It is like a big community," she said. "It is nice for parents to chat with others who have already been through what they are going through with their family, and to share their experiences with others who are just about to go through treatment."

 

And the parents at the event all agreed that the charity did a fantastic job.

 

Mum-of-two Alison Lenton-Jinks, whose five-year-old daughter Alyssa has cancer, said it was good to see the children all having fun.

 

"We came to our first Calm barbecue last year and Alyssa had been in hospital continuously for eight months," said the 35-year-old. "When you come to a Calm event we are all like one big family.

 

"It is nice for the children to see that they are not the only one who is ill and it is good for brothers and sisters to see other families in the same situation.

 

"It just brings in fun, light and laughter to a situation that is often full of doom and gloom."

 

Bonnie Renard's daughter Charlotte was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2004.

 

She said that the support of the charity had been wonderful.

 

"The first we knew about them was when the chairman at the time turned up on our doorstep with presents for Charlotte and her brother and sister," she said.

 

"They have been so supportive and are always there, even when you think things are at their worst.

 

"As parents it is also nice to be able to talk with someone else who knows just what you are going through."