Charity chief executive Simone Enefer-Doy recently made a pit stop at the Lakeland Motor Museum as part of an epic two week, 3,000 mile road trip with a difference in a bid to raise money for the little-known children’s charity Lifelites.
The challenge – dubbed a Lift for Lifelites – asked volunteers for lifts to a landmark in every county in England and Wales, taking in nearly 50 en route in a variety of weird and wonderful vehicles. Simone started from the charity’s small office in London on Friday 26 May, and so far she’s travelled in a Tuk Tuk, a fire engine, a steam train and a Ferrari to landmarks such as Bleinheim Palace, Goodwood and the National Space Centre.
For her visit to Cumbria she travelled by road, rail and water thanks to the local Freemasons. Before arriving at the museum, she had been on a lake cruise from Bowness-on-Windermere to Lakeside, before jumping on a steam engine on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway. The final leg of her journey was in a 1927 Humber. On arrival at the museum, Simone was presented with a donation of £1,000 from Cumberland and Westmorland Freemasons, and £200 from the local Widows Sons.
Simone said: “Cumberland and Westmorland Freemasons are dedicated supporters of Lifelites, and we’re so grateful that they volunteered their time and vehicles to help us complete this challenge.
“We have been absolutely blown away by the response we’ve had from volunteers all over the country and can’t thank people enough. The money they’ve helped us to raise will be life-changing for the life-limited and disabled children that we support in their area.”
All the money raised will go towards Lifelites work donating and maintaining specialist technology to give children in hospices the opportunity to play, be creative, control something for themselves and communicate, for as long as it is possible. They do this for the 10,000 children and young people in every children’s hospice across the British Isles and are currently celebrating their 20th year of doing this.
Simone said: “We are a very small, but very hard working charity and are determined to do all that we can to impact the lives of children who don’t have the same opportunities that we do due to the confines of their condition. Every moment is precious for these children and their families, and we want to make sure they can make the most of every second. We can only do this thanks to the generosity of our supporters, like Cumberland and Westmorland Freemasons.”
If you’d like to find out more about Lifelites or to make a donation, please visit their website: www.lifelites.org
