Press & Media
Charity raises 70k at Fundraising ball
A charity fundraising ball has raised more than £70,000 to make the dreams of terminally ill children come true. The Dream Factory, which was launched by Avril Mills from Epping six years ago, hosted the Monte Carlo-themed event at Orsett Hall in Orsett, on Saturday.
Performances by X-Factor singer Lydia Lucy and acrobatic and dance act Donovan and Rebecca were enjoyed by over 280 guests.
An auction hosted by EastEnders actor and comedian Terry Alderton included a host of donated ‘lots’ including signed football shirts from Pele and David Beckham and signed memorabilia from Olly Murs and Kylie Minogue.
Pub to support children’s charity
A community pub will host a beer festival this weekend in a bid to raise money for terminally ill children and young adults.
The Theydon Oak pub in Coopersale Street, Epping, has dedicated two weekends to raising funds for Hainault charity The Dream Factory.
The Dream Factory, which launched in 2008, has already granted almost 300 wishes for those aged three to 25 years and have life threatening conditions or severe disabilities.
Avril Mills to receive British Empire Medal
A mother who turned family tragedy into determination to help others has been included on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Avril Mills, 55, from Epping, learned five weeks ago that she will receive the British Empire Medal.
She set up the Hainault-based charity The Dream Factory six years ago after losing her son to Leukaemia in 1999. The charity grants wishes to seriously ill children.
Speaking after the announcement on Friday, she said: “I had to read the letter three or four times to make sure I had got it right,” She said. “I was amazed, just totally overwhelmed. “The letter tells you that you can’t tell anyone until 10.30am on June 13. It was so hard not to be able to tell my mum and dad.
Pupil raises £500 for Dream Factory
A pupil at Epping St John’s School has singlehandedly raised £500 for charity The Dream Factory.
Molly Curtis, 13 from North Weald, organised a sponsored swim herself, setting a target of swimming 100 lengths in an hour.
The year eight student however, finished in well under an hour so, supported by her parents and brother, pushed herself to complete 120 lengths.
The Dream Factory Pair set off on Arctic Challenge
The founder of charity The Dream Factory and a colleague have set off on a 156-mile journey across the Arctic.
Avril Mills, the Epping mother who founded the charity six years ago following the death of her son Oliver from leukaemia, is accompanied by Martin Bye, the charity’s dream coordinator, on the Husky Sled Challenge.
The trip will see them cover 156 miles with a team of huskies and is set to raise £11,000 for the charity, which makes dreams come true for children and young adults with life-limiting conditions.
The pair set off from Epping on Saturday and flew from Heathrow to Tromso in Norway for the start of the seven-day trek. They will be joined by 13 other fundraisers, who will have to learn how to guide huskies, put up their own tent, cook their own food and get used to sleeping on reindeer skins. The challenge finishes in Sweden.
M & S Launch Easter Egg Collection for The Dream Factory
Marks & Spencer in High Street, Epping, is collecting eggs, along with Epping St John’s School and Ivy Chimneys Primary School, for The Dream Factory’s Easter party on Thursday, April 17.
The party, to be held at The Waltham Abbey Marriott hotel, will feature a hunt for eggs donated to the charity.
The children will be joined by three of the charity’s patrons – ‘Allo ‘Allo star Vicki Michelle, former boxing champion Colin McMillan and EastEnders star Terry Alderton – for a day of face painting, glitter tattoos and other entertainment.
he Dream Factory grants wishes for seriously ill and disabled children.
Epping St John’s pupils raise £1800
Pupils at Epping St John’s School have collected the cash for The Dream Factory through fundraising events and non-uniform days.
The charity grants wishes to seriously ill children. Yesterday the school in Bury Road, Epping, handed over the latest cheque for £700.
The Dream Factory founder, Avril Mills, and her son Josh, a former pupil at the school, attended an assembly to receive the donation from headteacher George Yerosimou. Mrs Mills said: “All the money raised from the non-uniform day and bag packing will enable us to grant two more dreams.”
Brentwood Preparatory School girl, 8, raises £600
A big heart and a sweet tooth helped eight-year-old Deborah Awe bag £600 for a children’s charity through a cake sale.
Deborah, a pupil at Brentwood Preparatory School, organised the sale in aid of Redbridge charity The Dream Factory, which brings to life the dreams of youngsters with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses.
“I met a girl called Daisy earlier this year and I was told she was very ill,” said Deborah. “Her parents were very upset when they explained it to me.
Speaking Out: Avril Mills on the Dream Factory
Avril Mills, the founder of Hainault-based charity, the Dream Factory, has spoken to the Guardian about the success of her charity over the past five and a half years and her hopes for the future.
Terry Alderton Helps Raise Money for The Dream Factory
A soap star joined forces with Santa to raise money for sick children yesterday.
Eastenders actor Terry Alderton, The Dream Factory Patron, spent the day at the Exchange Shopping Centre in Ilford helping young people write Christmas letters.
Arctic Sled Challenge
The founder of a Hainault charity is trekking across the Arctic to raise money for more ill children’s wishes to come true.
Avril Mills started The Dream Factory after her nine-year-old son Oliver died from leukaemia in 2008.
The charity has now granted more than 220 wishes to young people with disabilities and terminal illnesses, including new bikes and toys, holidays and meeting celebrities.
Avril and dream co-ordinator Martin Bye will drive a pack of huskies 156 miles through the Arctic over seven days.
Ben Murphy lost more than 5 stone for The Dream Factory
Ben Murphy, from Epping, lost five stone 12lbs in just eight months, raising thousands for the Dream Factory, which grants wishes for ill children.
The 29-year-old has gone from weighing 26 stone, to 20 stone and 2lbs, something which he believes is a major accomplishment. He said: “Exercise was always a dirty word to me and I would do all I could to avoid it prior to beginning this challenge.
“There have been times when I thought about giving up but knowing what this money means to such an amazing charity kept me on track. I am so grateful to everyone who has been so generous in their giving. “It is absolutely my intention to continue to lose weight.
Former Mayor Completing Weight Loss Challenge
A former mayor is close to hitting a weight loss target for charity.
Ben Murphy, 29, of Epping Forest, needs to lose one more stone to raise £3,500 for The Dream Factory, which grants wishes to seriously ill children.
Mr Murphy, who weighed 26 stone at the beginning of the challenge in January, hopes to lose the fifth stone by the end of August.
Children create small businesses to raise money for charities
Teams of business savvy children are putting their skills to the test by creating small businesses to raise money for charity.
Children at Manford Primary School, Manford Way, Chigwell developed their own small businesses to raise money for The Dream Factory, Fowler Road, Hainault.
For three weeks, children learnt about how businesses operate and how to market products to the wider community.
Avril Mills looks back after granting 200 wishes
ixing meetings with the stars and organising trips for seriously ill youngsters is all in a day’s work for the founder of a charity that has granted 200 wishes.
Avril Mills, of High Street, Epping, lost her nine-year-old son Oliver to leukaemia in 1999 and set up The Dream Factory after being inspired by a wish he had to make children’s dreams come true when he grew up.
She was given an office to use in Hainault by South Eastern Electrical in 2008 and has since recruited 30 volunteers, who have just granted their 200th wish, a pink iPad, to a seven-year-old girl with a severe muscular condition.
The 54-year-old said: “We’re delighted to have granted 200 dreams.
“We started five years ago and had nothing and it’s nice to know we’ve managed to do this.”
