Tickety-Boo announces charity partnership
Ottery St Mary coffee shop and children’s play kingdom Tickety-Boo is to support Honeylands Children’s Charity over the coming year.
This is the first charity partnership for the venture, which opened in August 2016.
Front of House Manager, Zoe Blackmore said: “We particularly wanted to find a charity that was both local and relevant to children.
“After some research, we came across Honeylands. It was an apt choice - since deciding to work with the charity, we have discovered connections between some of our customers and the centre.”
Honeylands Children’s Charity supports Honeylands Specialist Child Assessment Centre, which provides a service to young children with complex additional needs including autism and Down’s syndrome, in Exeter, East Devon and Mid Devon. The centre, based in Pinhoe Road, offers assessment, intervention, specialist clinics and therapy.
Tickety-Boo will be contributing specifically towards the charity’s Music Therapy Fund, an essential service that helps around 80 children through group work and individual sessions, to develop a range of skills.
The charity’s secretary, Rebecca Boyle, visited Tickety-Boo with her four-year old daughter Jessica, who was supported by Honeylands before joining mainstream education.
“Honeylands was our rock from when Jessica was eight months’ old,” she explained. “Music therapy is invaluable for the under-fives who use the centre; even the most poorly children respond so well to it. The service costs about £25,000 to keep running annually.”
Whilst Rebecca was chatting, Jessica enjoyed trying out the play area, which includes soft play, a reading zone and opportunities for creative play in a castle and treehouse. A pirate ship is currently being constructed in the new extension, which will be opening soon.
Chef Dave Goldthorpe said Tickety-Boo always welcomed children with complex needs. “We recommend that any child needing a quieter play environment takes part in sessions earlier in the day when we are less busy.”
The Tickety-Boo team will be running monthly fundraising activities both for the staff and customers of the coffee shop and play area. “Don’t be surprised if you come in and see our chef in fancy dress,” Zoe laughed.
“We would be grateful if customers could pop any spare change into the collection tin at the till, and get involved in any events we advertise; the more we raise, the better for the children that benefit from Honeylands.”
Find out more about Honeylands by visiting honeylands.org.uk
