Dame Vera Lynn sadly passed away at the age of 103 on 18th June surrounded by her family. She was the founder and president of Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity based in Cuckfield. Hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects to the ‘Forces Sweetheart’ as her funeral procession stopped at the crossroads in her home village of Ditchling with a fly past by two Spitfires. She will be truly missed by all the staff and families at the charity, but her legacy will live on with the continuation of the support given to children with cerebral palsy and other motor learning impairments. The Charity is facing an extremely difficult time due to the devastating impact that Coronavirus has had on small charities. The staff have worked hard to find new ways of supporting families through offering virtual online sessions and have been actively fundraising through online activities such as virtual challenges. They are busy planning to reopen their doors to families in September following strict Government guidelines. A parent whose child has taken part in Zoom sessions at home said: “You have given us so much valuable support over the last few weeks of isolation. My daughter has really enjoyed as well as greatly benefited from the one-to-one online sessions with Istvan. He is very good at explaining things and makes it fun. It has really worked a treat and I can see an improvement already in strength and balance. Thank you so much for organising this.” The fundraising team have some exciting events planned for the coming months, including a Firewalk, and have also secured a coveted charity place for the Virgin London Marathon for 2021. If you are looking for a challenge to support a local charity they would love to hear from you! Please take a look at the website on how you can get involved or call Carole on 01444 473274 or email: carole.whorwood@dvlcc.org.uk.

Article published in August’s Cuckfield Life.