Tuesday 24 January 2017

Adding a little sparkle to January

Magical Storytelling at The Rainbow Factory

Little Hiccups booked The Rainbow Factory exclusively for Little Hiccups' families for a visit as we all needed a little sparkle in our life this cold January month. It has been 2 years since our last visit but we were not disappointed. The warmth of our reception took us straight back to our last visit and it was like we had never been away. The staff are so enthusiastic and you can tell that they truly love their work - a fact that absolutely shines through to the children who are completely captivated by the entire session. I had wondered if my two at 8 and 10 were too old for this event. I needn't have worried. The 8 year old in particular was so heavily involved in everything during this event that it was hard to get him home and in the car on the way he declared that he wished he could stay!

Our adventure started off travelling through Magical Woodlands where a variety of magical creatures lived. The models as always were so incredibly detailed you can get lost in each scene imagining the story behind it. You can half imagine that they move every time you turn around and that the stories are played out each night once the doors are closed to the public.

Once through here we were treated to a highly interactive show by two very talented actresses. The children (and adults - lets be honest!) were kept interested by the enthusiastic storytelling and acting as well as their ability to involve the children in the storytelling. It wasn't a case of the children having to sit quietly and watching.  Instead they were highly involved in an exciting story which encouraged audience participation - The Rainbow Factory certainly know their clientele. It certainly helped to keep their attention long enough to allow the majority of adults to sneak away and be treated to a buffet dinner and hot drinks which hopefully gave them a well earned 5 minutes rest!

After the theatre, the children were taken to the Creative Kitchen where playdoh, colouring or sticky Fairytale themed activities were available for everyone to get stuck into. Once all this was completed, it was their turn for food and they were then treated to sandwich platter dinner and drinks which was quickly devoured before home time.

"Thanks Miriam and co for another lovely event xx"

"Thankyou so much for a "magnificent" afternoon (his words!). It was magical! I have one loved up young man right now."

"Thank you. What a magical afternoon xx"

"My 17 month old was also absorbed by it all. I cannot believe he sat so still. It was a lovely, fun day. Thank you"

Website: www.rainbowfactorykids.com


Friday 13 January 2017

An Enchanting completion to a Magical Year


2016 has certainly been a massive year for Little Hiccups so it is only fitting that our last Hiccups Family event of the year should be our biggest Christmas party yet. We had an huge increase from 50 children to 85 and so many attended this year that the Royal Armouries very kindly moved us into the larger space on the ground floor. And what a delight that turned out to be as the room was gorgeously set up for a glamorous ball. The decorations really made the party feel incredibly special. Lunch was also part of the party package and the usual yummy collection of food was available for everyone to snack on.

This year saw the return of Susie Sparkles as an enchanting fairy and she continued to captivate the crowd with her mesmerising voice and rapport with the children. She was joined this year by Dozy Dave - a fantastic magician and balloon artist. During the couple of hours that the party was on, I witnessed many a child running around the hall with a balloon hat and sword. And it is always a delight to watch the children be wowed by his magic show. I've never seen children sit so still as I do during one of his shows.

Of course, as it was Christmas, we had asked Santa if he could delay his return to the North Pole and pay us a visit at this party. Something he gladly did. Santa managed to meet every child in his fantastic grotto with the timid woodland animals also paying us a visit and surprise them with one last present (and many, MANY thanks to Radio Aire's Cash for Kids for the amazing presents received!) It is safe to say that every child went away happy that day. Many of the adults did as well as we had the bar open. It was still Christmas after all! 

Alongside our volunteer, Heather who ensured that photos of the children with Santa were taken, Dean Sanderson Photography also offered their time and were doing the rounds to make sure that the memories of the day were captured. We'll be doing a family Photoshoot with Dean in March so watch this spot for our review of how that event goes!

"Thank you for another fantastic Christmas party complete with plenty of sparkles & glitter! You never cease to amaze us with everything the Hiccups family achieve in a year despite having your own families to entertain! Your all so selfless & completely amazing. Thank you for putting a smile on Max's face yet again today & for allowing us as a family to share it together in a safe, non judgemental, fun and happy environment Xxxx"

"I just wanted to say a HUGE "thank you" to Little Hiccups for such a great Christmas Party once more at the Royal Armouries today. As you can see Nathan "really enjoyed" seeing Santa, and he enjoyed it more, as one of your staff/volunteers asked Santa to see Nathan outside of his Grotto, has Nathan didn't like the sound of the blower which you could hear from inside the Grotto. So "thank you!" Little Hiccups, you did yourself proud once more!) xxx"

"Well done to all involved.first time for my lot and they had a brilliant time loved the food and great presents. Thank you very much."

"Thanks for a lovely party Little Hiccups and everyone that helped the children have an amazing time, we enjoyed every min, xmas glitter and sparkles to all xxx"

With thanks to: