BAFTA-winning children’s TV presenter Maddie Moate returned to her hometown Witney to perform live shows at a family fun day.
Excited children met Maddie Moate as well as England cerebral palsy footballer Harry Baker Harry Baker for local charity Rafiki Thabo Foundation’s fundraising day.
Ms Moate, who is best known for presenting the CBeebies series Maddie's Do You Know, performed her ‘Busy Bees’ show to a crowd of children.
After the first live show, she posed for pictures along with Rafiki Thabo’s patron, England cerebral palsy footballer Harry Baker.
(Image: Rafiki Thabo Foundation)
He particularly enjoyed meeting 12-year-old Michelle from SunRae Inclusive Dance and West Oxfordshire Wheelchair Dance who also has cerebral palsy.
For the second show, Ms Moate was joined on stage by Mr Baker to discuss the work of the Rafiki Thabo Foundation to help educate disadvantaged children in Kenya, Uganda, and Lesotho.
Children were also able to explore the visiting fire engine, take part in a number of games, and have the opportunity to challenge the England footballer to beat the goalie and a keepie uppies competition.
Families also enjoyed browsing the many stalls and watching performances from Witney’s GJ Sings, the SunRae Inclusive Dance and West Oxfordshire Wheelchair Dance and Banbury-based Laidlaw Memorial Pipe Band.
Founding trustee Jon Uglow said: “As a small charity, we are immensely proud of what we achieved on Saturday, and despite all the odds being stacked against us, we managed to raise enough money that sixteen children living in poverty will now be able to attend secondary school for a year.
“However, the issue is we had hoped to raise four times that, so we could support them all the way through secondary school - we now have a large gap in our budget to fill.”
The charity’s events and partnerships manager, Janne Pilbeam said: “It takes so little to do so much.
“35p will provide one of the poorest children at our link school in Uganda with a hot, nutritious school meal enabling them to concentrate in class that day and take on their long walk home, for many this is their only daily meal.
“With £300 we can pay for an entire year at secondary school for a child in Lesotho empowering them to fulfil their potential and have the best possible chance of breaking out of poverty.
“We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us on Saturday and to all the amazing volunteers for giving up their time to help us put on what was in the end a truly fabulous family fun day.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here