Friday 19th May 2017 was and alway will be the hardest day of my life. On that day I lost my darling daughter Rebekah. Although she had been ill her death was sudden and unexpected.
Today, Saturday 19th May 2018, will be the happiest and most special day possible. One year since her death and it is SUNSHINE SMILE DAY. There will be so much love at the centre of the day nobody will be able to measure it.
I went along to a radio station for a ten minute interview yesterday and ended up being part of a one hour chat show.
I really like Mike's style of presentation. At one point he picked up a poster for today and read the words at the bottom.....
Happy, smiling people WELCOME. Miserable people stay away.
Let's have some music.
Do you like that song ? I do. there will be groovy love today, there will be love of all kinds blasting out from our sound stage. DJ Chomp says he is going to play lots of Rock and Roll. Let 's have a bit now shall we.
Ok Sheffield Wednesday Owls hang on a moment we've got something for you in a minute.
At 4pm we are having a giant balloon release. During the day we will be asking people to write messages of love to add to cards on the balloons. Rebekah was a Sheffield Wednesday fan. We will play Sheffield Wednesday's anthem
Do you like that as an idea ?
Listen for the music. Look out for the balloons. If the wind is in the right direction they could make it to The Steel City.
Sheffield Wednesday FC's Community Programme is one of the good causes we are featuring at SUNSHINE SMILE DAY.
Another is The Food Bank. Josh and I popped into The Food Bank yesterday and I made a promise to its manager.
The plan was to collect one thousand tins and pile them into a food mountain before handing them over for distribution. Forget one thousand, let's go for TWO thousand.
We parked the car ahead of going into The Food Bank, we paid Milton Keynes Council's RIP OFF car parking charge. £2 an hour. What highway robbery !
Josh suggested that Milton Keynes Council should take the income from the rip off parking machines one day every week and give it to good causes in the city. BRILLIANT IDEA.
If I can win the title of Milton Keynes Most Inspirational Man I will publically challenge the council with Josh's idea. Let's see them get out of that one !
My sponsored haircut will be supporting all of the charities and good causes today.
Now here's an idea to top Josh's about the rip off car parking in our city.
If someone comes along to Sunshine Smile Day and donates £1,000,000 to Ronald McDonald House he will wear a mankini. If someone donates £2,000,000 I will wear one.
Terms and conditions apply so please read the small print:We will do this after dark on condition the council turns the street lights off.
Ronald McDonald House is our lead charity. Ahead of Sunshine Smile Day £404 has been donated to the house. Let's see how much we can take that up to.
We will have a Music Tombola running for an hour with some fantastic prizes.
Ronald McDonald House has given us FOUR HUNDRED fridge magnets to hand out. McDonald's Restaurants say they have given us one hundred half price meal vouchers. We have not actually counted them but I bet there are a lot more than one hundred there.
Harry and Megan are dropping in ahead of something they have panned in Windsor.
Come down to Sunshine Smile Day and tell us your wedding song. We are building a special display of songs.
This was my wedding song.
What was yours ? Come to Sunshine Smile Day and tell us.
We have a special gift from Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and some great items from Wings For Life which we will be featuring in a raffle.
We have another raffle with some yummy cakes.
Virgin Atlantic looked after us so well on our recent trip to San Francisco, as a THANK YOU we are featuring their charity WE CHANGE in Sunshine Smile Day.
Ahead of Sunshine Smile Day 2019 we will be going back to San Francisco.
I have not seen Gary Marling for possibly twenty years but we have known each other and been friends since 1972. Gary has provided the stage for our music and has two of his charities featured at Sunshine Smile Day.
As I write this blog I am worried, worried I may forget to mention everyone. Over the past year so many people have surround my family with love. My former students, my LEONITES have raced to surround me with love and support.
Rachel, a LEONITE, is in overall charge of today. Her family is at the centre of Sunshine Smile Day. Son Ben is our number one sponsor with Heslop Removals and has taken charge of the sound stage. Daughter Charlotte is in charge of the sponsored haircut.
Do you think our mascots are LEONITES ?
Maggie is a LEONITE. Maggie is in charge of our Foodbank Mountain.
Josh is not a LEONITE, he went to Sir Frank Markham School. I met Sir Frank once and knew his wife Lady Markham. When I was a student I was the student governor of my college and would sit next to Lady Markham at board meetings. When I wrote my book NOT THE CONCRETE COWS Lady Markham gave me permission to include material from Sir Frank's writing.
Sunshine Smile Day would not be complete without the smile of Jo, the lady with the big smile and the even bigger heart.
This is the first photograph we persuaded Josh to appear in. Seen here with Jo and Yours Truly he is supporting a Jo's Hope project.
If someone hands over one million pounds today Josh will have his photograph taken in a mankini !
You ready for that Josh ?
Josy IS ready to have his photograph taken with Mayor Petchey as they receive a cheque for Ronald McDonald House Birmingham from Asda Supermarkets. Ronald McDonald asked specifically for Josh to be their representative at the presentation. Look out for the picture in the national press tomorrow.
My book The Bridge House is a feature at Sunshine Smile Day.
Josh is writing a book, his autobiography. I have not read any of it yet but OMG he has a powerful story to tell.
I am NOT the inspiration behind Josh's book but one of my books is.
I wrote Peter's Magic Fountain Pen way back in 1982 for my son Peter's 12th birthday. It is the story of Pirate Henry Morgan and his family with Peter using his old granddad's fountain pen to travel through time to meet his ancestors in the Morgan family.
I gave Josh a copy. I did not know at that time his surname was Morgan. Coincidence ? The coincidence inspired him to start writing.
Back to my LEONITES. paul is sorting out the McDonald's Coin Spinner for the day. Over the past year Paul and his family have given so much love and support to my family.
LEONITE Cheryl rang my door bell the other day to give me a bag of gifts for the Music Tombola. LEONITE Sam was the Virgin Atlantic manager who made sure the crews looked after us so well on our recent flights to and from The City By The Bay.
Here's another lady with a big smile. Jo, the present head of Leon School aka the Sir Herbert Leon Academy. She and I met the other day, I found her an inspiration. We will meet again soon to talk about how the LEONITES can inspire the present school students. I can not wait for that to start happening.
Any students or staff from Leon coming by Sunshine Smile Day do make yourselves known. A special welcome awaits you.
There may be a wedding happening somewhere today. There may be a football match. Asda Supermarket and Sunshine Smile Day will in just a few hours time be the world centre of LOVE.
As it says on our posters, as Mike said on the radio yesterday HAPPY SMILING PEOPLE ARE WELCOME AT SUNSHINE SMILE DAY. Miserable, sad people please stay away.
Will you be there ?
That, of course, is Beck's song. This is mine. Listen to the words. Live your live like a Bridge Over Troubles Water. See you in a bit at Sunshine Smile Day.
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