Lapland Trip For Jack

My Nephew Jack was nominated through Radio Lincolnshire Station to go on there trip to Lapland. He has just turned 4 & his mummy died in June so he really deserved this treat.

We departed from East Midlands at roughly 7am on Saturday Morning.
We were entertained on the flight by the fabulous Jeremy Spake. He really was perfect celebrity & all the Children loved him. His rendition of Jingle Bells made the Children laugh. He had us all singing & some Children were brave enough to do a Solo.

After arrival at Rovaniemi Airport we were taken by Coach to the Magical Forest. There was still a fair bit of snow there.
We had the opportunity to experience activities such as- Skidoos, Snow mobiles, reindeer rides, Husky ride, Toasting Marshmallows, Rudolph Baptism ceremony.
It was fantastic. I was asked by Veronica to speak live to Radio Lincolnshire whilst there after i had sent a text saying what a Fab time we were having.
Jack was filmed singing Rudolph Red Nosed Reindeer.

We then went to a Restuarant for Lunch & tried Reindeer meat & a selection of other gorgeous food. Santa & Rudolph arrived to a Chorus of Rudolph red nose Reindeer from the excited Children where they all received a gift of a Husky Dog.
When it was Jacks turn to see Santa his face was just beaming & after receiving his gift he sang rudolph to Santa. I was so proud of him.

We then went to Arctic Circle & had oppurtunity to browse the Shops for unique gifts. I was disappointed because the Post Office was closed which a lot of the Children were looking forward to.
The Snow had almost gone there & it was very icy.
Then it was back on the coach to the Airport, Homeward bound.

As we were sat waiting for take off, Jack was looking at the Stars & he said - I knew you was with me Mummy. i had a tear in my eye.
On the flight home all the Children were given a £10 gift Voucher, a Reindeer licence & a bag of oodies courtesy of Radio Lincolnshire.
We had quite a lot of turbulence on the way home & i felt unwell so was pleased when we landed at East Midlands.

A very special day but a very long one & there were lots of Happy but very tired children.
Everyone of them was a local hero & it was a truly magical day for them.
Its a day Jack & I will never forget. I know my Sister would have been really proud of her little Boy.

There are so many people to Thank - all the Presenters & crew at Radio Lincolnshire, the BBC, the Tour Guide on coaches, the Airline Stewardesses & Crew, all the listeners who donated to the Gold appeal, of whom made it possible for these Heroes to go, my friend Georgina Fox who nominated Jack, Jeremy Spake & all the special Children who went.
Last person to thank is my Nephew Jack for being such a good boy despite being really tired.
Its certainly a day Jack & I will never ever forget.
Thank you Radio Lincolnshire.

Written by Tamara

The Little Frog

Hubert was a frog. Just a little frog, but a big dreamer. One day Hubert was sat on his lily pad, watching the flies buzz past, wondering what life had in store for him. Then he remembered the fairy story of how a frog was kissed by a beautiful princess, and 'KAPOW!!!' he became the most handsome prince ever seen. The princess fell madly in love with him and they got married. He eventually became a king and was soon the richest man in the land.

"I wish I was that prince." he thought.

That night Hubert curled up on his lily pad and dreamt of becoming a prince. Sure enough he soon saw a beautiful young lady walking up to his pond. As she bent down to look at her reflection, Hubert said hello in his own special froggy way, "Ribbet". He startled the princess so much that she screamed, "Aaaaaaaargh!!!" and ran off as quickly as she could. He woke at the sound of the scream (well you would too at a scream like that). "That dream didn't turn out too well!" he thought.

Next morning Hubert woke thinking about the dream and said to himself, "Well, I quite like who I am really, but I maybe it would be good if I could find something more interesting to eat than flies." They tickle as you swallow them you know. He imagined all sorts of dishes all day long; fly soup, deep fried flies, fly cake and, his favourite, ice-cream fly surprise.

"I wish I was a famous chef." He thought.

Curled up on his lily pad that night he begun to dream. You've guessed it, he found himself in an amazing kitchen filled with gleaming pots and pans. All around
him he saw the most fabulous feasts and marvellous morsels. The finest food you could ever dream of . Then he saw loads of chefs all looking at him with interest. Rather too much interest he thought. Then he remembered HE WAS A FROG!!!! He woke suddenly from his dream - HE WAS THE NEXT ITEM ON THE MENU!!!!


It was a moonlit night as Hubert lay there thinking about why he couldn't even dream dreams with a happy ending. He noticed a large tree on a hill. How I wish I was that tree he thought. How much it must have seen through the years. How much change, how many seasons been and gone.


As he wondered a strange thing happened. He found himself in a stable looking at a manger filled with straw. Nearby a young woman had just given birth and a man carefully laid the baby in the manger.


"I wish I was that manger," Hubert thought, "so I could cradle that baby."

Next, he was in a room staring at a big table. Friends sat around it with worried expressions, all looking towards one man. He was passing some bread and a cup of wine around the table.


"I wish I was that table," he thought "then I could hear what they were talking about."

Finally, he saw the tree once more, but this time a man was hanging from it, beaten and stripped. Yet through his agony the man's eyes seemed to burrow deep into Hubert's soul, He felt loved.

Before he realised it, it was morning and as he opened his eyes he saw the tree, empty, on the hill. And he realised that the baby in the manger, the man at the table and the dying man were all the same man. Then he wondered if the baby knew his future or had his own dreams. He wondered, if the man sharing a meal with his friends know what was going to happen to him. The he remembered him hanging on the tree and how he knew everything about him. He knew Hubert's dreams and frustrations, hopes and disappointments. And for all his faults the man chose to love him for who he was.


"I wish I knew I knew that man," Hubert thought "then I would know why he loved me."

At Christmas time with all the glitz and glamour of Santa and Christmas trees, lights and decorations, it's all too easy to forget about Jesus. We remember the baby in a manger and feel holding that image in our minds. It's easy to love a baby. We often forget about his time on earth and how he sought to heal the spiritually and physically sick people he encountered. His teachings have hugely influenced generation after generation and still do today. But consider Jesus dying a cruel, agonising death nailed to a cross is all to much for us to bear during a carol service. The stark reality is - that's what Christmas is all about. God became a man to live with us, to die for us, to take away the sin that separates us from knowing God. In Jesus we can find forgiveness, not just at Christmas but at any other time of the year.

Hubert thought, "I wish I knew this man."

What about you?

Is Jesus still in the manger?

If I could be granted one miracle, it would be that the expectancy of Christmas would fill the air every day:

• the excitement of children eagerly waiting for Santa to come
• the renewed friendships fuelled by seasonal love
• glistening lights and delicate decorations perfectly positioned in each house, shop or street
• so much food that your belly aches at just the thought of it
• special gifts for everyone, poshly wrapped in pretty paper
• guessing which Bond film would send dad to sleep, contented after a mountain of food.

So much excitement and so many memories.

My childhood memories of Christmas with my family are still special to me. I remember each one with joy. It's funny how you grow used to things and create your own family traditions. I grew so used to doing things in a certain way that I expected to see or hear things from my past at Christmas time. But the day dad left home Christmas was never the same again. I suddenly realised that I couldn't rely on just family traditions for Christmas anymore, because my family wasn't complete. By now my brother, David, had a girlfriend and often did a vanishing trick for hours on end. Mum soldiered on, but I could feel her anguish and guilt, even though her only crime was loving that great big confused dad of mine.

Meanwhile, in my search for a hiding place, I began to notice how other people behaved at Christmas. I discovered the joy of buying gifts for other people. I delighted in the smiles of complete strangers wishing me happy Christmas. The shopkeepers were more helpful and even arch-enemies at school took the time to scrawl merry Christmas on a jolly card.

Was it me or had the whole world changed overnight? And why were they so happy?

I remember walking to town from our house. Everyday I would pass the cemetery; at the bottom, near the gate, stood an empty wooden cross. On it was a mottled brass plate with the inscription, "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?" I thought back then, "Shouldn't that have been taken down at Easter? . . . Why is it here at Christmas?" But gradually it helped me to rediscover the babe in a manger. It was easy to keep him there. I felt more in control that way. Every now and then I'd let Him out of the manger and rediscover His childhood stories, like when He got told off by His mum and dad for hiding in the temple; or I'd relive the story my RE teacher told me, about how He healed little sparrows. When I felt more adventurous, I'd let Him perform a few miracles, like making alcoholic water or spitting in people's eyes. I used to think what strange habits this man Jesus had.

Still the words were calling to me. "Is it nothing to you?" Did I really know the baby that would become Jesus? John tells us that 'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us'.

Whether we are Jew, Greek, Gentile or Yellow Belly the WORD is the reason we exist. The word is God. And, as I get older, Jesus continues to get bigger than me and I can't fit Him into the manger anymore. I think about the stable and I remember the scriptures describing a great king with terrible armies, living in a palace. The King was born in a stable, homeless. His only attendants a loving mother exhausted from the birth and a bewildered Joseph, knowing this child was not his own, but God's. I think about these things and the blunt reality of the Christmas story hits me right between the eyes. If Jesus was born today, would His stable be the cardboard cities or would we make room for the King? Would we believe the shepherds heard His angels or would we lock them up in the loony bin and pretend they'd seen a UFO?

How many people cherish the air of expectancy of Christmas time and don't know the person who it's all about? We all teach kids about Santa and baby Jesus, but are we really going to leave Jesus in the manger at Christmas and pack Him away with the decorations in the new year. Or, are we prepared to unwrap the greatest gift that God has given us and recognise that Jesus IS real?

He felt joy, pain, sadness, anger, love, worry, temptation, betrayal and loneliness. He ate and drank, slept and worked, bled and died, just like us. But Jesus is alive today and that is what we should be celebrating this Christmas. He is interested in us. He wants to share everything with us and wants us to learn to know and trust Him. Isn't it time we put Christ back into Christmas?

I love Christmas with all its trimmings and joy. But I will never forget that empty cross and hope I will never pass by saying it means nothing to me. I know the baby is a man and the man is, was and always will be Emmanuel, God with us. In Jesus God has given us a truly astounding gift this and every Christmas.

If you could be granted one miracle this Christmas, what would it be?