1. Manchester United Visit
2. Eurodisney
3. Trip to Italy
4. Part funded trip to Florida
5. Daytrips to Weston-Super-Mare and Longleat Safari Park
6. Weekend trip to London
7. Trip to Eurodisney
8. Trip to Eurodisney
9. Trip to Eurodisney
10. Status Quo Concert
11. Prom Dress
12. Trip to Eurodisney
13. Legoland weekend
14. FA Cup Final
15. Trip to Eurodisney
16. Trip to Lourdes
17. Holiday at Butlins - Bognor Regis
18. Trip to Heathrow with Miss Wales
19. Makeover experience at Selfridges, London
20. Magical Experience for Mackenna Channing
21. Miss Wales & Rosie Lewis’ London Trip

1. Manchester United Visit

At the beginning of the year we were very fortunate to be offered four seats at Old Trafford for a game between Manchester United and Chelsea. We contacted Llandough Hospital who because there are so many Manchester United fans had to put names into a hat. the lucky winner was Liam Rees and everyone was delighted for him because he has had such a rough time over the last twelve months and he is also a huge Manchester United fan.  

So Liam together with his brother, mum and dad went to the match on 26th January and had a fantastic time. The four seats turned out to be in a hospitality box with a three course meal plus drinks included. Liam was also given gifts and had his photo taken with the F.A. Cup. We received a lovely letter from Liam who told us that it was the best night of his life and one the whole family will never forget. The only disappointment was that Man. Utd. lost the match to Chelsea! The seats were very kindly donated by Mr Martin Rowley.

2. Eurodisney Trip

On 22nd August 2006, six year old Stacey together with her mum, dad and three year old sister Megan had an early start from Birmingham airport for their flight to Paris. On arrival they were taken to the Explorers Hotel to begin their three day experience in Eurodisney. The girls loved the pool and the ball pit in the hotel but their favourite moment was obviously coming face to face with Cinderella's Castle in Magic Kingdom. Stacey's mum, Maria says "my memory of Stacey with her dad spinning her in a tea cup will stay with me forever - she is thrilled and he can't stop laughing - I will never let that memory go".

3. Trip to Italy

In October 2006 the Thomson family travelled to Southern Italy to stay in a beautiful villa in Ostuni. Amy aged 4, her younger sister Eva aged 2, mum and dad and both grandmothers relaxed for a week in the late Italian sun. Amy’s mum, Tina said “Without the assistance of The Joshua Foundation we would not have had this great holiday. Amy and Eva had a wonderful time and enjoyed running around the large villa and exploring the garden. We all had a great time and were able to relax and enjoy ourselves”.

4. Part funded trip to Florida

In May 2007 the Lau family travelled to Florida courtesy of The Joshua Foundation, Latch, and The Christian Lewis Trust. On their return mum Debbie wrote, "I am writing to try to express our gratitude for your kindness and generosity in making this happen - everything that has been provided has been quite unbelievable, way beyond our expectations and has filled our family with happiness for the two weeks in America and will surely last much longer, fading only gradually we hope. We have had difficult times with the illness of our son and although he suffers the most, it cannot be prevented from affecting his 2 older brothers and his young sister. The fun and experiences you provide for us all is not insignificant and I urge you to continue with your charitable work, it really does make a difference to us and families in similar situations. Please accept our deepest thanks for your generosity and kindness, without which this much happiness would have been sadly missed".

Brandon swimming with dolphins in Florida

5. Daytrips to Weston-Super-Mare and Longleat Safari Park

On 14th July 2007, 12 members of the McFarlane family and friends travelled in a minbus to Weston-Super-Mare for the day. The day was lovely and sunny (unbelievably) and everyone enjoyed a very memorable day at the seaside.

Bryn and mum on Weston seafront

On the 19th July the family travelled to Longleat Safari Park for the day, Bryn managed to stay awake and everyone enjoyed seeing the animals and the grounds around the main house. Bryn had close up encounters with several of the smaller animals including snakes.

Bryn and friends in Longleat Safari Park

6. Trip to London

The Ruby family went to London in July and stayed in a lovely hotel for the weekend, had a flight on the London eye, a cruise up the River Thames and visited the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. This is what they said on their return.

Alex with Simon McCorkindale and Alex in the London Eye

"We had a lovely time in London, the hotel was first class, the cruise up the Thames was really good, but the highlight was the flight on the London Eye, wow what an experience we saw Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade it was brill. We bumped into Simon McCorkindale (off Casualty) who was filming on Westminster Bridge and he was lovely and took the time to talk to us and posed for photos with Alex. Thank you for your kindness and generosity - I have enclosed a poem written for you by Alex."

7. Trip to Eurodisney

In July, Chloe Bigmore and family travelled to Eurodisney by plane from Cardiff. They stayed at the Explorer hotel in Disney for four days. In a recent letter from the family they stated that "The whole trip went very smoothly and we had a thoroughly enjoyable time. The flight was excellent as being a small airline it felt more personal and it was great to be able to fly out of Cardiff. The hotel was excellent and we found the whole experience a great escape for us and we were truly sorry to have to leave. We visited the customer services departments at the two resorts and they were only too pleased to give us special passes to avoid the queues at the rides. We ate at Planet Hollywood and the Rainforest Café, many many thanks for your help."

8. Trip to Eurodisney

In August, Kenzie Huish and family travelled by Eurostar to Eurodisney in Paris. The family travelled by train to Paddington and stayed in a hotel in London for the night before their early departure on the Eurostar. They stayed at the Explorer hotel in Disney for four days and enjoyed the passes provided for both the Disney parks. A very tired family arrived back in London and spent the night in a hotel before returning to Cardiff the following day by train. In a recent letter from the family they stated that "I am very grateful to the Joshua Foundation for giving me and my family the chance to go to Eurodisney- we all had a great time. Kenzie really loved it and it did him the world of good. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us. It really was the best time for all of us."

9. Trip to Eurodisney

On the 13th November 2007, 8 year old Brandon together with his adoptive parents, Janette & David and 15 other extended family members travelled to Disneyland Paris for a five day break. They left from Ashford early in the morning arriving in Paris at lunchtime heading straight for their Disney Hotel. They caused quite a stir as all 18 family members rushed to greet Mickey & Minnie outside Cinderella’s Castle. Brandon had his picture taken with all his favourite Disney characters and they all helped him to achieve his dream. Unfortunately Brandon passed away in January and his loving family would like to mention how brave he was throughout his illness. His dad said "he had the heart of a lion".

10. Status Quo Concert

On the 5th December 2007 Status Quo performed a concert at the CIA in Cardiff. Brandon and his dad David were huge Quo fans especially of lead singer Frances Rossi and were very fortunate to meet the group backstage before the concert. The group kindly signed autographs and chatted with Brandon before performing on stage with their very special guest in the audience.

11. Prom Dress

On the 20th December, Rebecca Spencer stepped out in style in her beautiful prom dress which she had requested as her wish from The Joshua Foundation. The dress was made especially for Rebecca by Glamorous Gowns Ltd in Nottingham and she chose a pink halterneck dress embellished with sequins and thoroughly enjoyed her special night.

12. Trip to Eurodisney

On the 27th April 2008, Rebecca and her parents and grandparents travelled to Disneyland Paris via Eurotunnel for 4 nights after an overnight stay in Kent. The family stayed for 3 nights in one hotel and booked one special night at Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne. They enjoyed using their VIP park tickets but the highlight of Rebecca’s trip was having lunch with Belle at Cinderella’s Castle.

13. Legoland weekend

On the 1st May 2008, Callum and his family began a 2 night stay at The Holiday Inn, Windsor complete with 3 day passes for Legoland. Callum enjoyed the time with his mum, dad, 2 sisters and their children. On their return the family wrote "We as a family, would like to thank you all at The Joshua Foundation for giving Callum and ourselves the opportunity to visit Legoland. He thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Your organisation is fantastic and even though a trip away was the last thing on our minds it was lovely to see Callum enjoying himself. We thank you once again for the wonderful time we all had in legoland".

14. FA Cup Final

"We went to the F A Cup final, the experience of Wembley and the fans was amazing- we didn’t take many pictures as we were busy enjoying the atmosphere. The stewards were brilliant and very helpful. The seats we had were amazing, we could see everything. I really enjoyed myself and could not have asked for more. I am very grateful to The Joshua Foundation for giving me the tickets for an amazing experience at the FA Cup final".

15. Trip to Eurodisney

"In September 2008 the Perkins family travelled to Eurodisney with 10 other extended family members for nights in Sequoia Lodge. Ethan particularly enjoyed his first experience of flying abroad, along with his cousins. The whole occasion was a great boost for the family, following Ethan’s recent treatment. We experienced every ride that Disney had to offer and one of the whole families favourite moments was the interactive stitch show. We would like to thank the Joshua Foundation for this special holiday".

16. Trip to Lourdes

"We are writing to thank you very much for enabling us to visit Lourdes as a family. We had the most fantastic time and the special moments and feelings we shared together there as a family will stay in our hearts forever. Everyone we encountered were quietly and determinedly caring and kind and we cannot begin to explain the emotions evoked by visiting the grotto, the chapel, the baths and the candlelight procession at night. We will not forget The Joshua Foundation and hope to help by doing some fundraising soon".

17. Holiday at Butlins - Bognor Regis

"We spent a week at Butlins in Bognor Regis and had a wonderful time. Laura loves Barney the dinosaur and got to meet him and have her photo taken with him. We watched some brilliant shows and went to Brighton and Portsmouth as they were nearby. We,ve never been to Butlins before and would like to say a big thank you to the Joshua Foundation for making this possible - we truly had a fantastic time".

18. Trip to Heathrow with Miss Wales

"The girls enjoyed the limo trip up to Heathrow Airport with Miss Wales and their night in a hotel it was nice to see my daughter in a dress for once. She bought a dress, shoes and a necklace with the money you gave her and she felt special again. Thanks so much."

19. Makeover experience at Selfridges, London

"I am just writing to say thank you for an amazing time in London at my makeover day at Selfridges. During my visit I had the chance to meet Gail Porter and her daughter and have now been invited to the Ivy in London in the new year."