THE ILKLEY HAPPINESS CENTRE’S THE HELPING HAND FUND
Please Support Kimm’s dedicated Charity fund-raising:
Three years ago Happiness Centre Founder Kimm Fearnley found she had a healing gift. When her husband got really fed up of the queue of people waiting to be healed in the family kitchen asking if he lived here too? Kimm opened the Ilkley Happiness Centre on Leeds Road over the Veggie Café to offer the healing she felt she was called to give. A group of dedicated therapists gathered around her and now we have the Healing Centre that is here today with a most valuable range of healing therapies to the benefit of many.
But there are not just healing therapies on offer, though. Kimm Fearnley has also set up a wonderful program of free guided meditations, open to all. The meditation forms offered by each therapist are very different, but meditations are freely available Monday to Friday 9.30 to 10.30 am and Monday to Thursday 6.30 to 7.30 pm, with a Friday evening meditation just about to be added to this list: Introduction to Buddhism and Buddhist Meditation every Friday at 7.30 pm.
And there is Charity Fund Raising as well! The profits of the Happiness Centre are all dedicated to Charity Fund-raising.
Kimm has helped poor children in Peru and Nepal; the Disabled Children’s Group LS29, and she has paid for Jasmine Jubb of Ashlands Primary School to continue with her Violin Lessons when she transferred to secondary school where no funding was available.
Kimm has sponsored children’s Creative Writing Competition where Leeds-based children’s author Emma Barnes gave £50 cash prizes to two local school children as part of the Ilkley Literature Festival, and Kimm gave 10-year old Hayden Wright from Addingham who suffers from cerebral palsy regular tennis lessons at Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club.
And then Kimm has purchased a horse! Happiness is... a pony like much-loved Denzil
Disabled young riders are now getting back in the saddle thanks to a caring scheme paying for a much-loved pony to stay with a local group. The latest cause to benefit from the The Helping Hand Fund - set up by The Happiness Centre and backed by the Ilkley Gazette and Wharfedale and Aireborough Observer - is Otley and District Riding for the Disabled (RDA). The RDA group faced a financial crisis when it used up its funds to pay for Denzil, a pony it had been training to work with its riders and volunteers.
The group holds regular riding sessions in Guiseley and Draughton for disabled riders, many of them children, who enjoy learning to ride and overcome their own personal challenges to taking part.
Otley RDA had been fortunate to find trustworthy black Fell pony Denzil, and spent time and money training him to work with the children.
Unfortunately, they were contacted by someone who claimed the horse really belonged to them. The RDA thought the matter had been resolved, but the rightful owner later asked for the return of the pony.
He agreed to sell Denzil to the group for £400 - but this wiped out the group's much-needed funds.
On seeing the article in the Gazette about the Helping Hand Fund, RDA regional chairman Judy Olby made an application, and was thrilled when the Ilkley centre said it would give the group the money to reinstate its funds.
Judy said: "This was such an unexpected surprise. We are very grateful to the Happiness Centre and the Gazette and Observer for this award."
After visiting the group, Bev Ibbetson, from The Happiness Centre, was full of praise for the group and the volunteers.
She said: "I was struck by the dedication and patience shown by these teenagers. Young people often receive criticism, but there are so many out there doing wonderful things for others. They are the most amazing and dedicated young people."
Kimm’s Fund Raising is also making children’s lives better in Nepal. Here are the latest details. Please subscribe to this wonderful work:
Robin is one of three children in Nepal the Happiness Centre is sending money to every month. Robin and Ritika Thapa are 9 and 6 years old – they live at Kavre, Nepal with their Guardian – Grandmother
Robin and Ritika’s grandmother went back to her village, Kavre as she found it too difficult to survive in the city of Kathmandu. Her grandchildren (Robin and Ritika) were also taken back to the village with her. They have joined Shree Lali Gurans English Boarding School at Kavre. They are totally out of contact with their mother and their father has also forgotten all his responsibilities. According to the children’s grandmother he has married another woman. Their grandmother is looking after them.
Robin has been promoted to grade two this year. Though he is trying hard to study he is finding it a little bit difficult to adjust to his new surroundings. However, he is very happy to be back in his village and to be with his old school friends again. During his spare time, he loves to play with his friends.
Ritika has been promoted to grade U.K.G this year. She is improving in her studies and managed to secure 18th position in the class. According to her head teacher she has got potential to improve a lot.
Over Christmas 2011, The Ilkley Happiness Centre Helping Hand Fund paid the 'Caring for Life' project to supply the turkeys needed to feed 200 people on Christmas Day, who were either homeless or have learning difficulties or both. Turkey crowns were delivered from SLG Wholesale Meats Ltd, Unit 9, Penravons Industrial Estate, Penravons Street, Off Meanwood Road, Leeds LS7 2AW who donated from themselves 400 wrapped chipolata sausages to go with the turkey!! How kind!
The Helping Hand Fund also committed to pay for a piece of equipment for Radio Poplar which will cost approx £650 - a Sonifex Telephone Balancing Unit.
Radio Poplar is a registered charity 517552. They are Bramley's Community Interent Radio Station based at Bramley Baptist Church in Leeds. Their web site is www.radiopoplar.co.uk.
They are all volunteers and will be increasing their live broadcast programmes in January 2012. New programmes will include one to allow young people with learning difficulties to broadcast for which we have got a grant from Greggs. Plus an Armchair Aerobics programme with the help of Healthy Living for older people funded from a grant for Awards for All.
Their programmes cover a wide range of music including Polish and Jazz. Plus 2 young presenters Jon & Kris who host Almost Famous which allows new bands to come and play live on air. It started last May was booked upto November with bands within 2 months of starting.
Kimm has also agreed to pay for the Wharfe Valley Community Project for the ingredients used in their cookery class for the next 12 months, which will come to between £15 & £20 pw.
If you would like to support the charity by making your own donation, however small please use the secure donate button to pay by Paypal