To mark the 10th anniversary of the National Lottery, the Harriet Davis Trust for Disabled Children is holding a Coffee Morning at Carringtons Restaurant (by kind permission) tomorrow (Saturday), November 6, from10.30 am until 12.30 pm. All friends and supporters are invited. The Trust has received two major grants from the National Lottery Charities Board which receives its funding from the proceeds of the Lottery and is pleased to have been invited to share in this anniversary. The Trust's first house at Upper Albion in Castle Square, (Harriet's House) was purchased, adapted and equipped, with money raised from a programme of fund-raising events and donations from charitable trusts, organisations and many individuals. The Trust was founded in 1992 to provide a holiday house for families with disabled children in memory of Harriet who had enjoyed seaside holidays in Tenby during her short life and who wished that others should have similar holidays. However, so overwhelming was the demand from families, that it was obvious that an unmet need had been discovered. A major award from the National Lottery Charities Board provided funds for the purchase of Giltar View in Southcliffe Street and, together with donations from other charitable bodies and individuals, the house was adapted and equipped and opened in 1998. Again the demand could not be met! The trustees decided that a third house would be well used and that it should be purpose designed for the job. So, with fingers crossed that the money required could be raised, 'The Wheelabout' site on the Ridgeway, Penally was purchased. A second major award was granted by the Charities Board, and with further fund-raising the new house was built. 'The Wheelabout' has an indoor heated swimming pool as well as all the aids required to care for a disabled child. Without the National Lottery, it is doubtful if the Trust could ever have provided for the 100 families with disabled children who now enjoy holidays in Tenby each year. The Trust also owes a great debt of gratitude to its many supporters in Tenby who have given freely to fund-raising appeals and to the town's businesses and tradesmen who promptly provide the goods and services needed. Mention must also be made of the kindness which visiting families receive throughout the town. A Tenby badge, which Harriet had on her wheelchair, will form part of a display at the Tate Modern in London in connection with the 10th anniversary celebrations. John and Kit Davis, the founders of the Trust, will be attending a dinner, also at the Tate Modern, as the guests of the National Lottery.
