£10k Fundraising Target for Scarborough's Thalia Beau Foundation

A Scarborough charity aiming to build a unique beach retreat on the Yorkshire Coast is preparing for its first summer fair.

The Thalia-Beau Foundation, a small registered local charity based in Scarborough, is actively fundraising to establish a unique beach retreat on the Yorkshire Coast

The Foundation was set up in memory of six year old Thalia in 2020 following her brave battle with Restrictive Cardiomyopathy.

Thalia was on the urgent list for a heart and lung transplant but no donor could be found in time.

This year the foundation is aiming to raise ten thousand pounds in what would have been Thalia's 10th year.

The vision behind The Thalia-Beau Beach Retreat is to create a holiday home in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, specifically for families who have experienced the profound loss of a child.

In a significant fundraising drive, the foundation has launched its "10 for Thalia" campaign, which runs until November. The goal is to raise £10,000 before Thalia's 11th birthday, with all proceeds directly funding The Thalia-Beau Beach Retreat. The campaign encourages individuals to undertake challenges that incorporate the number 10, such as walking, running, skipping, jumping, swimming, baking, making, or hosting events. Participants are urged to "boast to get your friends and family involved" and can set up individual fundraising pages on JustGiving.

The foundation welcomes participation from children and suggests challenges can be either "the easiest 10 you could think of, or set yourself the hardest 10 to climb". They are actively seeking help to reach their £10,000 target by November.

The Thalia-Beau Foundation is also preparing for its first major self-hosted event, a Summer Fair, set to take place on Sunday, August 17th, from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at Stepney Hill Farm in Scarborough.

Christine Johnson, a trustee from the foundation, says the upcoming summer fair is the first time the foundation has organised their own large scale event.

"sadly we lost Talia in August, 2020 and we began the foundation in her memory in November, 2020.

We raise funds to deliver gifts to seriously ill children in hospital, we deliver care packages to parents and carers staying with the children in hospital, and we're also saving up to open a bereavement retreat here on the Yorkshire Coast for families that have lost a child.

The summer fair is our first big event that we are holding ourselves, so we really need support to make it work."

Christine says the event promises to be a "fantastic, fun day out for the whole family", featuring a wide array of attractions including music, dancing, bouncy castles, soft play, reptiles, alpacas, face painting, a hog roast, burgers, hot dogs, craft stalls, ice cream, and a train ride.

Many businesses are supporting the event. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at https://www.thethaliabeaufoundation.co.uk/event-details/the-thalia-beau-foundation-summer-fair. The foundation also welcomes businesses interested in hosting a stall to get in touch for more information. 

Thalia's family say that living near the sea in Scarborough has always been therapeutic for them and was for Thalia, who "lived for the beach". The envisioned retreat aims to be a place of "calm, peace and gentleness, where all the visitirs needs are catered for, so that for just a short time they can rest and just be".

The foundation also hopes to include "day trips and excursions for siblings, to bring a smile from within their broken hearts". Through research and personal experience, the foundation has found that "there is nothing like this in our area, or surroundings," making the retreat highly beneficial for grieving families who often "wanted to run away from it all". The foundation acknowledges that while they "live in a nightmare," The Thalia-Beau Beach Retreat is their "dream" and "hope for the future," and they "honestly do believe that it will become a reality".

Beyond their current fundraising initiatives for the retreat, The Thalia-Beau Foundation continues its broader mission. It raises funds to deliver seasonal gifts to seriously ill children in hospitals and hospices, and within the local community. They also provide care packages to parents and carers who are staying with children in hospital or in onsite family-supported accommodation.

The foundation additionally offers support to families who have been bereaved of a child. The foundation offers support to institutions such as Martin House Children's Hospice, Ward 51 (Children's Cardiac Unit at Leeds General Infirmary), Eckersley House (The Sick Children's Trust), Rainbow Ward (Children's Ward at Scarborough Hospital), and the Children's Community Nursing Team. 

The Thalia-Beau Foundation is a registered charity (1206269) and can be contacted via https://www.thethaliabeaufoundation.co.uk/