Earlier this month, the team at ICMIF donated an assortment of Christmas presents and chocolate selection boxes to a local charity The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust (CAFT) to be distributed to children at Christmas parties organised at the Farm. The team who visited the Farm to give the gifts to the charity also had the very special mission of dressing up as festive mascots to welcome the children to the Farm that day.
CAFT is based very close to the ICMIF office and the Farm provides a variety of fun days and short holidays for terminally ill, disabled and disadvantaged children from all over the North West of the UK. ICMIF staff who have visited the Farm say is a truly magical place and becomes even more special at certain times of the year such as Easter and Christmas when parties are organised for the children at the Farm.
Throughout November and December, CAFT is transformed into a magically festive farm. Christmas parties take place daily Monday to Friday and each day is a happy day with themed activities which typically include: a visit to the CAFT Christmas Barn to meet the Farm’s furry, festive animal friends. A stop off at the Winter Wonderland Cafe for hot cocoa and party games. Down in the courtyard, children can play in the “snow” and meet some special Christmas visitors who have come all the way from the North Pole! Followed by a lovely handmade Christmas dinner and of course, no Christmas party is complete without a visit to the grotto to meet Father Christmas, who has a big bag of gifts wrapped and ready for every child to take home.
The gifts given to the children at these parties have all been donated by local people and local businesses which, like ICMIF, organise collections of presents. The furry mascots who greet the children in the courtyard are also volunteers from local businesses and this year our team took part and dressed up as characters including a Christmas tree, a polar bear and a penguin and were there to greet the children arriving for their party that day – not a normal ICMIF day at the office that’s for sure!
Also, earlier this year a team of volunteers from ICMIF spent a day at the Farm helping them with general maintenance tasks to help with the upkeep of the facilities and all reported it as being a very moving but incredibly happy experience. ICMIF has also supported the Farm with donations of Easter Eggs back in April of this year.
We are delighted to support this local charity which does a wonderful job of providing special fun days and holidays for very deserving children.
Read more about CAFT here.
