On The Cover A Real Life Fairy Godmother
Wendy Hobbs quit her job as a lawyer to grant special children’s wishes full-time
Making wishes come true
Iput my feet up after another long day at work as a property lawyer. It was a busy, intense job but I enjoyed it.
One day, I was invited to an event at a hotel in Cardiff hosted by charity Dreams & Wishes, which grants wishes for seriously ill children and their families. I’d written a children’s book during a short break from the lawyer world and I wanted to donate some.
At the afternoon tea, I listened to speeches about Dreams & Wishes and heard stories about the incredible, brave children they helped. It sounded like a wonderful charity, especially as it was run entirely by volunteers and every penny raised went straight to the cause.
The charity’s chairman, Tony Curtis MBE, came over to my table for a chat and said, “Why don’t you write a story for our children?”
THIS WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH MY LIFE…
I replied, “I’d love to.” I called it Claudia’s Special Wish. The story inspires children never to give up, with all profits going to the charity.
I was proud of it, especially when Dreams & Wishes invited me to read my book at the House of Commons to some of their amazing children.
It was Christmas time.
Parliament was sparkling with decorations, Santa Claus brought sacks full of gifts and Disney Princesses arrived as a surprise – all arranged by the charity. The children were so happy and, as I read my book and they listened with wide eyes, I thought: Thisis what I want to do with my life –help more of these children.
I decided to spend my spare time helping at Dreams & Wishes. I took part in their project to build a memorial garden near the hospital for families, with benches dedicated to special children who’d sadly passed.
We got together a choir – including some of the children – to sing in the John Lewis department store.
I also used my corporate knowledge to raise the profile of the charity. Businesses got involved, donating and fundraising through things like staff marathons. I entered Dreams & Wishes into awards and they won many. The children won awards for their bravery, too!
Best of all, I started helping to grant the wishes of the seriously ill children, and going along to the special days with the families.
One girl dreamed of meeting Alan Sugar. The charity arranged for him to have a chat with her, and she was over the moon.
Another time, we took the children to the Royal Welsh Show. The kids were treated like royalty, given rosettes and taken into the arena to meet the animals.
We threw Halloween parties at Cardiff Castle, had trips to Harry Potter Studios and even sent families
to Disneyland Paris. It was the most inspiring work. Not once did I see any of the children cry or moan. Some had years of painful treatments, unable to live life like other children their age. But they were all so brave and inspirational, as were their families, and it made me want to work harder for them.
One of my favourite moments was after our annual Christmas trip to London. On the bus home, I asked the children if they’d enjoyed the day.
One boy said, “It took my sadness away and made me feel like a healthy child again. I had fun.”
Hearing that made everything worthwhile. I knew it was so important to create these happy memories for seriously ill children –
THAT DAY, THE CHILDREN CAN SIMPLY BE HAPPY
memories that last a lifetime. Dreams & Wishes are all about putting smiles on faces and, through volunteering with them, I realised that that’s what life was all about.
So, just a few months after I’d first connected with the charity, I made the leap to quit my job as a lawyer and volunteer for the charity full-time. My husband supported us financially.
Each time we got a message of thanks from a child or their family members, telling us how much their wish meant to them, I knew the move was the best decision I’d ever made.
One dad wrote, Atour lowest moment, Dreams& Wishes gave us our happiest times. That means the world.
Since then, there’s been no stopping me and the other volunteers – some of whom are seriously ill children themselves, who want to help others like them!
When one child asked for 13th birthday wishes, we managed to get them from sportspeople like Ryan Giggs and MBE Paralympian Gold Medallist, Mark Colbourne.
We had a Paralympian spend the day with a girl who’d wanted to be an athlete before she got sick, and he reignited her Olympic dream.
Sometimes, people ask me how I deal with some of the children passing away. I realise that time can be short, but I get pleasure knowing we did everything we could to put a smile on their face while they were here.
Granting seriously ill children’s wishes helps them to forget their sickness, their treatment, their pain. That day, they can just be happy. That’s powerful.
Dreams & Wishes is life-changing to so many children and families, but also to me. I didn’t imagine I’d quit my lawyer job to make dreams come true, but I love every second of it.
Visit WWW.DREAMSANDWISHESCHARITY.ORG