Alice-Rose was a healthy, happy child until she had meningitis at aged one.

After being admitted to hospital in intensive care her kidneys started failing, she was put on dialysis and into an induced coma. 17 days later

she suffered a stroke, leading to a devastating bleed to her brain, causing brain damage.

Alice’s parents were told there was nothing more that could be done for her. Her family was told to say goodbye.

But after having her life-support machine switched off, everyone was shocked when minutes became hours and

the brave little girl hung on; growing stronger, grasping back her life. After three months, Alice was allowed to return home.

Meningitis and the stroke had taken its toll, and Alice was left with several after-effects: she was unable to speak or eat properly, was deaf in her right ear, weak in her right leg and arm, and the bones in her left leg were damaged, which affected the growth and made the leg shorter than her other one.

What did Meningitis Now do?We funded a specialist trike for Alice through our financial grants scheme; enabling her to join in family walks and bike rides. The family has already noticed a big improvement in Alice’s leg strength and pedalling the wheels is great exercise for her.

Alice’s mum, Jennifer says; “When Alice first got her trike it would really tire her out, but she can now cycle for a mile. The trike has brought so much fun. I believe that every child deserves that feeling of freedom. It has made a huge difference to Alice’s life and we are so grateful that Meningitis Now was able to fund this for her and I’m grateful to those that take part in events, such as Toddle Waddle,to fund the charity.”

Fundraising Guide: How to make your Toddle

Waddle a success

The difference you can make

©Meningitis Now 2015 Registered Charity Number 803016 (England & Wales) SC037790 (Scotland)

How to pay your money inOnce you have completed your Toddle Waddle, thank everyone involved and collect the money you have raised as soon as possible. There are a number of ways you can pay your money in.

At the bankPlease remember to use the unique paying-in slip in this pack. This is how we track your donation, so we can thank you when we receive it. You can pay monies directly in to your nearest branch of NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank. If you need a replacement paying-in slip, please contact us on 0345 120 4530 or email toddlewaddle@meningitisnow.org

By postYou can send us your details, and a cheque made payable to Meningitis Now and post to:Toddle Waddle, Meningitis Now, Fern House, Bath Road, Stroud, Glos GL5 3TJ. It is not advisableto send cash through the post.

Over the phoneCall the events team on 0345 120 4530 with your credit or debit card details and we will be able to take your donation securely over the phone.

Welcome - thanks for signing upOrganising a Toddle Waddle really is a doddle – and you’ve already made the first step by registering. In this pack we’ll guide you through the rest, with a little help from mum Hilary who took part in 2014.

Hilary says: “I took part in Toddle Waddle last year because, prior to coming across the Meningitis Now website, I knew very little about the disease and was shocked at what it could do to a child in just a matter of hours.

“I signed up as I wanted other families to know about meningitis and wanted to make a difference. Toddle Waddle seemed like the perfect opportunity to do this and have fun with the kids at the same time. It was really easy to organise and we all had a whale of a time, so I wanted to share some tips below to make yours go swimmingly well.”

It’s not all about the walkWith Toddle Waddle, the emphasis is on having fun so below we’ve shared some suggestions on extra activities you can do:

Make a difference sooner

The easiest way to collect sponsorship is by setting up an online fundraising page such as

JustGiving or Virgin Money Giving. You can then send the link to

friends and family and ask them to dig deep and donate straight

to your page. Don’t forget to encourage your sponsors to tick

the gift aid box.

Book the date and choose your location

The joy of holding a Toddle Waddle means you can hold it on whatever day suits you, in any location inside

or outside, as long as it’s safe! I chose to hold mine around my local park and then had friends, family and children

back to my house for food, drinks, and Toddle Waddle activities. Don’t forget, there are more activities available to

download from www.toddlewaddle.co.uk

Send the invitesAnyone who has or looks after a child

can take part, whether they are in a pushchair, crawling, waddling or

walking, so get them to join in too. You can hold it just for friends and family,

or open it up to others. Enclosed in the pack are some invitations - add your

event details, photocopy and send out. You could also join Meningitis Now’s Toddle Waddle Facebook page and

share your event: www.facebook.com/toddlewaddles

Take photosPost them on your instagram,

twitter or facebook with #ToddleWaddle, so that everyone knows what you’ve been up to. If

you fancy getting in the local paper, send your photos to them with

details about what you did and why.The photos will also make a great

addition to any memory folders you are creating for your children for

when they are older.

HaveFun!

Dress up - inside this pack is a template hat, ready to be photocopied, cut out and assembled. Children can make the hats before or on the day, and there’s even more hat designs available to download online. Why not go one step further and do fancy dress too?

Treasure hunt - organise a special under the sea themed treasure hunt, providing the children with hints and tips to help them find the hidden sea creatures - ask them to count how many they find as they go along.

Get chatting - ask the children about animals that live under the sea. Get them to talk about what they are, what they look like and what noise they make.

Biscuit decorating - make some simple glacé icing, buy some biscuits, have bowls of decorations and let them loose to make their own sea creature biscuits. They can be eaten at the end of the day as a reward for finishing the walk.

Get arty - you don’t have to be an artist to get face painting and children love getting their faces made up. On our www.toddlewaddle.co.uk pages we’ve uploaded our favourite designs you could try.

Who doesn’t enjoy food? - get children and their grown-ups to bring along a picnic on the day. Encourage sharing by making it a ‘bring and share’ lunch.

For online resources visit www.toddlewaddle.co.uk