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15 milestones and
one good cause
 Back, from left — Claire and John Cheshire (25th wedding anniversary), David and Jennifer Halkett (30th wedding anniversary) with granddaughter Abby, John Neilson (80th), Kathryn and John Garner (Kathryn’s 50th birthday and 25th wedding anniversary), James Christie and Nicola’s
fiancee, Rab. Front row from left — Andrew Garner (18), Joanne Garner (21), Ian Armstrong (21) James’s fiancee Kerry, Nicola Cheshire (21 and engaged to Rab), and Paul Cheshire with girlfriend Fiona, who both qualified as chartered accountants.
By
Sarah Johnson
KATHRYN GARNER has helped turn our appeal into a real family affair after organising a party to celebrate not one . . .
not two . . . but 15 important milestones.
 As one of six children, Kathryn, who has four sisters and a brother, has always had to be meticulous about remembering birthdays and anniversaries but when she looked at her diary earlier this year she realised what a busy
12 months it was set to be.
With one pearl and two silver wedding anniversaries, an 18th birthday, three 21sts and an 80th birthday — in addition
to three graduations on the horizon — there were plenty of dates to remember, cards to post and gifts to buy.
Then of course there were three engagements to celebrate.
If there were a party for each of these special occasions 2007 would consist of blowing up balloons, preparing buffets and many a Sunday morning spent nursing a sore head!
So Kathryn, who recently celebrated her own silver wedding and her 50th birthday, along with younger sister Claire Cheshire, who also celebrated her silver wedding in June, decided to arrange one big family party.
No presents
However there was one rule. No presents. But what is a party without a present?
So the sisters decided donations would be given to The Sunday Post Children’s Hospital Appeal instead. And everyone was delighted to help.
On Friday October 12 all the family and their guests got
together at Locharbriggs Social Club outside Dumfries for a night to remember.
Everyone was there to wish eldest sister Jennifer and David Halkett a happy 30th anniversary, and Kathryn and Claire and their husbands, both called John, a happy 25th.
Celebrating their engagements were Kathryn’s nephew James Christie and fiancee Kerry, and his sister Julie and her partner
Oli.
Claire’s daughter Nicola made it a hat-trick by getting engaged to her boyfriend Rab.
Kathryn’s son Andrew turned
18 and her daughter Joanne and nephew Ian turned 21, as did Nicola, who graduated from the Dumfries School of Nursing earlier this year.
Fellow graduates were Kathryn’s daughter Joanne, who graduated from Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and sister Claire, a theatre nurse.
And, last, but by no means
least, we mustn’t forget Kathryn’s dad, John Neilson — now a
great-grandad to Abby (2) — who will be 80 in December.
But mum Mary — still young
at 79 — won’t be 80 until next year when she’ll have the full attention of the clan.
Tucked up
With the party over, and the
120 party-goers tucked up safely in their beds by 2 am, all that was left was to count the money — which turned out to be a fantastic
£1330.57, with special thanks to a £500 donation from one of the guests, Peter Browning.
Kathryn said, “I’m delighted with the amount we raised as it’s far more than I expected. Everyone had a great night, dancing right from the start.
“We raised quite a bit of money from ‘Fling £1 in the bottle’ with
the rest given over the night.
“None of us needed any presents and although we did receive some flowers and a few gifts most people did what we asked and we’re delighted to be giving this money
to help children across Scotland get the care they need.”
We’d like to say a huge thank you to Kathryn and her entire family.
The presents may not have come all wrapped up with bows and ribbons but they were most certainly given with love.
 IF YOU have a
special reason for contributing to or raising funds for our appeal
then we’d like to hear from you.
It could be that
you’d like to thank caring staff for the treatment they’ve
provided in your hour of need. Or perhaps a relative spent time in
one of Scotland’s children’s hospitals and the experience has
left a lasting impression on your family’s life.
Whatever the reason,
please let us know.
We’d be delighted
to share your experiences with our readers. And, who knows,
it may inspire others to follow in your fund-raising footsteps.
Back
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You can e-mail us at:
hospitals@sundaypost.com |
