fundayout.org

Fun Day Out 2006

Walking around the grounds of Carberry Tower on Sunday morning, the sun was starting to come in and there was a buzz in the air of anticipation of the day ahead. It looked to be a clear and sunny day but we were all a little worried of the rain that was rumored to come in. The staff were busy doing last minute set-up activities and franticly making sure everything was ready for the arrivals in only a few short hours. This was my first year to participate in the event and I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when everyone would get here or how would the guests feel about the set up for today. Would the drivers be organized where to go? If anything went wrong, it would defeat the purpose of a year’s worth of planning for the staff and for the guests.

Around 9:30am the cars began to arrive a half hour early. Not trickling in one at a time mind you, a caravan of them all rolling in at once. It was without question the sign to all of us that the show had started and it was time to be ready. The drivers came in with great enthusiasm for today. All had smiles on their faces and a great attitude as they came by the car sign up area and collected their packs. Over the next hour they filled up the three car parks and began to polish their bonnets or have a chat with other drivers. It looked like an outdoor luxury car showroom with almost every year and type of Porsche car on display. 93 Porsche cars in total had arrived to be a part of the Fun Day Out this year.

The setup of the bouncy castle and slide were now waiting for the kids to play on and Pirelli Tyres had their setup ready with a simulator for the kids (and most likely their dads too). An F1 Formula race car simulator was set up and waiting for the kids to imagine themselves going at high speeds along a motor speedway. Maximillion had arranged a giant chessboard on the ground as well as a croquette game and giant wooden connect-four game. A crafts tent was setup next to the Husky Dogs who just arrived. Kenny Dunn had set up some of his Porsche cars for show and everything seemed to be coming together. The Doctors from Dundee Hospital had attended as on site medical help again this year making us feel very confident we had the right resources for any medical emergencies.

The Families began to roll in around 11am and took instantly to the main marquee as it seemed to be the initial place to go. A few kids began to start shyly approaching the slides and from then on the kids were going everywhere. The parents seemed to enjoy either walking around with their kids or letting them go on their own as they watched from the tables nearby. I was instantly filled with some relief that our hard work and setting up was starting to pay off. People were having fun and enjoying themselves. I have to say it was an emotional feeling for myself that I was allowed to be a part of something that brought some joy to families and children that have had to bear such a difficult task of dealing with cancer or leukaemia. I sensed a genuine feeling from the rest of the staff as well that they felt the same that day. There were around 30 of us who had volunteered to help out for the day and between our four photographers, we took over 1300 photos of the event. By the end of the day, we had about 50 families as guests to our fun day out. Some last minute cancellations from children that were too sick to attend left some empty Porsches for the rally but we did our best to fill them up with brothers and sisters who wanted to take a ride for their own.

Around 12:30 the kids had all been paired up to their cars and the horns began honking in anticipation of the rally. Time to move. The police had prepped us and there were more police escorts waiting to block off the traffic for us on route. The rally followed the police car out of Carberry and onto the highway and we were off. Hands were waving from every car. I can imagine some kids may have been intimidated by the fast sports cars but most that I saw were eager to get on the road on go for a spin around the turns and bends. There were several long stretches where the drivers gave some distance in front of them so they could punch the gas a little bit for the kids to feel the excitement of a fast ride in a Porsche sports car. Lights were flashing and horns were honking and going through the villages, we were welcomed by cheers and clapping from onlookers as we passed by.

When we arrived back at Carberry Tower, we were greeted with all of the parents and staff clapping and cheering us in around the tower and to the car parks where the children had some time with the driver and their parents before returning to the games and activities. The husky dogs had proved to be a very popular attraction as the children were surprised to learn what friendly and funny creatures they were. They enjoyed the attention and the kids loved giving it to them. Team races were a big hit with fathers and the police while the kids really enjoyed having dueling tournaments on the Gladiator Joust.

While the rally was underway, the band “The Fundamentals” had setup in the main marquee and was performing for the rest of the afternoon with many popular songs. Face and nail painting for the kids and mums were going on while the prizes were being given out to the drivers. Faces like Kenny Dunn and Tom Farmer were seen around in the crowd as well as many other well wishers from the area.

As the day began to wind down, you had a sense that the fun day out was a big hit with everyone. Ferdie was busy most of the day, running around and taking care of whatever needed taking care of, but he seemed very pleased with the day as well as the staff and volunteers. Overall there was a feeling of something good accomplished today. Many kids and their families stayed till the end of the day as they were having so much fun.

Cancer is a terrible thing and struggle to get through for anyone. We have seen many of these families stay strong in supporting their child, so like any other major illness, the whole family is affected as well as the child. We hope today was a break from that day to day struggle and worry and we hope we have brought some smiles to where they were needed. We have already received so much positive feedback from this year’s event which only encourages us to do more. Thank you all for your contributions, your efforts, your warm hearts and your bold fight. We look forward to seeing you again for a Fun Day Out next year.