Kind stranger makes dream come true for one lucky child

Published on: 15/11/2024

During The Big Hoot art trail, four-year-old Charlie fell in love with the owl sculptures and loved finding them with his parents, James and Sophie. James says: “Naturally, he was drawn to Chester as the mascot of the event. He was so pleased to win a medal for completing the trail and he cuddled the Big Hoot plushie to sleep every night.”

Image above: (L-R) Sophie, Chester, Charlie and James at Chestnut Tree House

When Charlie met Chester

When the family attended the farewell weekend at Arundel Cathedral Centre, Charlie cried because he was never going to see the owls again. “He kept asking if they’d fly back to see him,” says James.

The trail was in aid of local children’s hospice Chestnut Tree House and one of the charity’s volunteers, Clare Bolger, was working at the event. She noticed how much Charlie loved the owls, and when she won Chester in the raffle, she decided to give it to him. Clare said: “The owls seemed to make Charlie so very happy.

“When I found out I had won Chester, I was excited – but I couldn’t forget the little boy at the farewell event. I spoke with my husband and we both thought it would be wonderful to make that little boy very happy. I loved Chester but felt that Charlie needed him more than I ever would.”

Image above: Chester with his new family and Clare

An unexpected gift

“When Charlie found out he was going to be taking Chester home, he was overjoyed and ran up to give him a big hug,” says James. “Chester is currently living in our sitting room and will be donning a hat and scarf to oversee the Christmas celebrations.

“We loved The Big Hoot because it got us out and about within two of our favourite local places and allowed us to visit parts of Arundel and Chichester we wouldn’t have seen on a normal day trip.”

The Big Hoot raised more than £160,000 for Chestnut Tree House, which cares for children and young people with life-limiting conditions in Sussex and South East Hampshire. The charity’s Deputy Chief Executive, Becki Jupp, said: “It costs almost £6m to provide our care services, with only 21 per cent of that coming from government. For the rest, we rely on the generous support of our community. It has been so lovely to see local engagement with The Big Hoot, and we hope those who enjoyed it will become hospice supporters in the future.”

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Kind stranger makes dream come true for one lucky child

When Charlie met Chester

An unexpected gift

How to support Chestnut Tree House

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