PRINT 4 HELPING LOCAL CHARITY

YOUNG people granted wishes by a Nottingham charity are the stars in a new calendar which will raise money for the cause.

The calendar also celebrates the 21st birthday of When You Wish Upon A Star.

One thousands copies are being printed for free after Bulwell-based Print 4 Ltd saw an appeal in the Nottingham Post.

The calendars will be sold for £5 each, raising £5,000 towards taking ill children to visit Father Christmas in Lapland.

Maggie Falconer, East Midlands community fundraiser for the charity, said: "It is the first time we've done a calendar. We wanted to celebrate 21 years of granting wishes and 21 years of creating smiles, and each page has all the children smiling."

Although the charity is well known for organising trips to Lapland, it grants wishes for children all year round.

Maggie added: "We want people to remember us all year round, not just at Christmas.

"With a calendar it's there 365 days of the year, so every day people will look at the calendar and think of When You Wish Upon A Star.

"We would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has helped to produce this calendar giving their time and service, especially Print 4 Ltd who came forward after our appeal."

Among those in the calendar is Owen Brindley, 12, from Bilborough, who was born with renal failure and has a number of serious health problems.

Last year he lived his dream of being a Redcoat at Butlins in Skegness.

His mum, Michelle Brindley, said: "It was just something he really wanted to do and when we asked for the wish it was something that hadn't been done.

"It made such a difference. It was like he was a normal child for the weekend. It was amazing to see him. Other children were coming up asking for his autograph."

Also starring in the calendar is five-year-old Lois Ladkin-Brown, from West Bridgford.

Lois has been receiving treatment for leukaemia for 15 months and, just before last Christmas, she went to visit Santa in Lapland, thanks to the charity.

Her mum, Cheryl Ladkin-Brown, said: "It made an amazing difference because she actually started her intensive treatment on Christmas Eve, so all Christmas she was laid up in bed and couldn't move and was being sick constantly, so it was like her Christmas really."

The portraits for the calendar were taken free of charge by Saul Isaac Photography, in Ruddington, which has supported the charity for a long time.

Image 4 Ltd did all of the pre-press work for free, Rothera and Brereton Ltd supplied the paper, and Fasthands Ltd did the finishing operations. Gary Wheat, of N9 Design and Production Limited, designed the calendar.