[Serious] Noel's Christmas Presents...

More so for the UK residents amongst us.

Did anyone see the program on Christmas Eve?
I'm never going to moan or complain about how bad things are ever again. These people were phenomenal!

The one that especially got to me was the young mum.
For the US residents I'll explain the premise of the show.

Anyone can nominate a friend or family member for special recognition. One such person was a young woman (30s) who had been deaf since birth. She was also a single mum bringing up two young boys. If this wasn't hard enough she was recently told she had ovarian cancer, and it is terminal. She has been making up a scrapbook of photos and such of her and the boys because she knows they will be too young (2 and 5) to really remember her that well when they are older. The way she just seemed to accept what was to happen was heart-breaking.

Anyway, the presenter Noel Edmunds (pretty big star too!), showed up when she was with her family at a restaurant and explained she had been chosen to receive an award for how brave she was. He gave her a top of the range HD camcorder which she was very shocked by. He then also explained that he was to take them to Disneyland in Florida so they would have a great time and plenty of footage for the future. They even went so far as to give them access to The Magic Kingdom park all by themselves, whilst it was closed with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and such to wait on them hand and foot.

I dare anyone to watch this program and not feel anything.


I think there were around ten or so people that were given these awards in total but this one was especially poignant for me.

Still think you got it bad?
I certainly have a new perspective this year...

Didn't watch it, it used to be on terrestrial but Sky got it now, I used to enjoy it though and makes you think Noel actually cares on this one not just a celeb host. Heard a few peoplpe down the local say a few of the stories almost had them in tears,

Yeah I was welling up big time throughout. The stories are very real and I'll give Noel one thing he actually does care about these people, good to see in a celeb.
Like I said the one I described got me welling up the most.

Another was a couple whose young girl was suffering from severe Cerebral Palsy. They were going to go to Florida to swim with the dolphins to help with her condition, but she passed away before they could go.

If you don't well up watching this, you have no heart...

Many are dealt shocking hands in life and the realisation that someone else is always worse off is more shocking. Although Noel's Christmas presents is a touching and thought provoking program. There are so many more in the same / worse situation.

The sadest thing of all is that only 10 were helped. He could have helped 10,000. Make of that what you will.

I knew a man once who was founder of a charity. I am lucky enough to have before me the paper outlining the origin of his idea. In the fifties he read a story in the paper about the terminally ill son of a film start "Red Skelton". Before he died he too him on a cruise around the world. The child was described as a privileged child.

In his paper he drew on his experiences of being a member of the round table club and working with keen and innovative business minds and wrote: "I had learned, that whilst one man on his own can do little or nothing various experts pooling their talents can do anything, perhaps even making all sick children privileged children."

This man went on to send thousands of sick and dying children to Disneyland Florida on what could be described as a trip of a life time, raised millions of pounds and devoted his life to the Charity. One of his dreams was to fill a Jumbo Jet full of children.

Unfortunately the charity was dissolved in the late 1980's before his dream could be realised. The idea came from a man who was as normal as you or I perhaps without much money but a good heart. By the time it had dissolved he had put his life into it and was left with practically nothing.

Today there are little or no remaining references to the Charity. Only a handful of the children would still be alive today and the parents in old age.

Very little of what I see on TV moves me as much as this man's actions; someone who brightened the lives of so many and someone who expected little or no recognition in return.

Why did the charity disolve? If it was helping thousands it must have been succesful at some point, shame!

Money ....