Teddy bear run brings delight to youngsters
A supercar show at Blackbushe Airport raised around £1,600 for charity for deaf children in North Hants
A BRIGHT orange lamborghini, a slick black Porsche and a retro yellow Mini were among the vehicles on display at a charity event held in Blackbushe this month.
Around £1,600 was raised for the North Hants Deaf Children’s Society (NHDCS) on July 13, when 46 cars were exhibited outside The Bushe Cafe at Blackbushe Airport.
John Rampton, event organiser, said he and other families with deaf children had a “fantastic day”. “My two-year-old son Harry was born profoundly deaf,” Mr Rampton, from Yateley, said. “NHDCS was of great support to us so we wanted to do something for them this summer.”
The convoy of vintage and sports cars left Blackbushe early and drove to MercedesBenz World, in Weybridge, where they were greeted by families from the NHDCS.
Having got the cars parked up, a small raffle was held with prizes including a passenger ride in one of the Silver Arrows display cars.
Mr Rampton, who also has a six-year-old daughter called Amelia, said the money raised will go towards providing sign language courses for parents and grandparents and support for the rest of the family.
“It is just as important for the siblings of the deaf child to be supported so they do not feel left out,” he said.
Every year Mr Rampton and his friend Westley Waller organise a teddy bear run at Christmas, giving cuddly toys to children at Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice.
Their team of volunteers buy teddy bear skins and material throughout the year and stuff the bears themselves, although recently they got help from a group of schoolchildren.
The volunteers then transport the teddies in eye-catching sport and classic cars to the hospice in Arundel, West Sussex.
“When our son was born deaf, my wife was devastated, but we soon realised he could have been a lot worse,” Mr Rampton said.
“Because we have an understanding of what other people go through, we organised our very first teddy bear run to the Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice.
“For the past few Christmas’ we have driven cars down to the hospice to give the young people teddy bears.
“The event also gets people visiting the hospice where they can find out what goes on there.” Chestnut Tree House cares for more than 280 children and young adults with progressive lifelimiting conditions from Sussex and south east Hampshire.
It offers support for the families, including psychological and bereavement support, end of life and short break care and sibling support.
Last Sunday Mr Rampton his wife Christina made a special visit to the hospice to give four-year-old Jude the drive of a life time. The young boy, who needs a pancreas, stomach and small and large intestine transplant, got to ride in a flash Lamborghini.