Big Chocolate Tea Party!!

Feeling Chocolate-Tea?

Forgo the calories and host a Big Chocolate Tea Party any time in April 2011 - and raise some money for charity.

The Sick Children’s Trust’s second annual Big Chocolate Tea Party is back!

The Big Chocolate Tea Party is about getting together with friends, family or work colleagues, over a cuppa and your favourite chocolate treat to help raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust, enabling them to help sick children and their families at their time of need.

Michael Crawford OBE , president of The Sick Children’s Trust said: “Many of the families we have helped have explained how swapping stories and sharing worries over a comforting cup of tea has enabled them to draw strength from each other; helping to ease the burden of having a seriously ill child in hospital. So I couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to raise much needed funds for our charity.”

Emma Thompson stayed at The Sick Children’s Trust Rainbow House whilst her son, George, aged one years, was being treated at Great Ormond Street.

She said: “We do not know what we would have done without the help of The Sick Children’s Trust. We had to come to London at short notice and our planned short admission turned into a long term situation that has turned our lives upside down. Because of the help of the charity we are able to have accommodation near to the hospital and it means we can still have a family life and all be together at this difficult time.

“We will definitely try to raise money for this wonderful charity in the future, not only would the money go to such a good cause but it would be fun to organise an event like a Big Chocolate Tea Party that the children could be involved with as well.”

Last year the charity raised £14,000 and have high fundraising hopes of trebling that this year.

As well as various tea parties being hosted around the country by the public, this year the charity has teamed up with The Chocolate Festival at the Southbank Centre as its official charity. It will be hosting a Big Chocolate Tea Party filled with fun chocolaty arts and crafts from 12-2pm on Sunday April 10 2011 and everyone is encouraged to come down and visit.

To receive a Big Chocolate Tea Party pack please visit www.sickchildrenstrust.org or email thebigchocolateteaparty@sickchildrenstrust.org. There are also lots of downloadable recipe cards created by famous chefs Heston Blumenthal, Ainsley Harriott, Gino D’Acampo, Phil Vickery and Gary Rhodes for chocolate inspiration!