A friend of Elliot's Aunty Verity, Caroline Earth, got in touch with us to tell us about a cake and craft sale she's organised that is lasting a whole week long - a week! - for staff at Bournemouth University.
We asked Caroline to tell us all about her venture:
Can you tell us how you know Elliot?
I went to school with Elliot’s Aunty Verity, and also Morwenna, Elliot’s
Mum. We are still good friends and so I really wanted to get involved with
Operation Elliot. I’ve known Elliot since he was a baby and seen him grow up to
be an amazing and cheeky little boy.
Why did you decide to help?
Although Elliot is very determined and in many
ways his disabilities don’t seem to stop him, I can imagine how much more
easily he would be able to play and get involved with things if he was more
mobile and looking to the future I think this operation could really help him
to be more independent as he gets older. That’s why I want to do what I can to
help raise some money.
So what's the plan?
I work in Student Support Services at Bournemouth University. I know
that cakes are always popular and there would definitely be appetite for a cake
sale. I’ve been making some Christmas tree decorations too which I thought I
could sell. My manager agreed to let us have a table for the week in our staff
common room area and we’ve put an honesty box on the table for donations. We
hope that by keeping the table topped up with cakes for the whole week, we’ll
raise more money than if we just did it for one day.
How have you managed to make enough stuff?
When I mentioned the idea to colleagues, it quickly snowballed and
I was amazed at how keen people were to bake cakes and contribute their own
handmade crafts for sale. My friend Barbie and I spent our day off making
Christmas cards and decorations and we’re really pleased that although simple,
they’ve turned out really nicely.
Are you selling your wares anywhere else? We
also asked the staff in our coffee shop on campus to have a small basket of
cards and decorations for sale and they’ve got an honesty box and some
Operation Elliot flyers. That way, we can try to sell to students
too… they are always hungry!
Thank you Caroline!
If you'd like to do something similar, perhaps you could visit local Southbourne craft store Create It All. This new business is also planning to help Operation Elliot with a craft event. Perhaps you could get involved or take advantage of one of their craft workshops....
Keep your ideas and stories coming, we love hearing from you.