Once Upon a Time Auction!

Most you of are probably aware that With Kids' ambassador, Robert Carlyle stars in the hit American fantasy-drama, Once Upon A Time. 

The TV show has a great following and online fan base who became aware of With Kids through Robert Carlyle.

The show's fans have been great supporters of our work and in the past have ran online charity auctions. They have already kindly donated over £3,000 and they're kindness doesn't stop there. 

Our friends at Once Upon A Time Australia are running a charity auction as a way for the fan group to pass on the community spirit and love that has been portrayed by the cast of Once Upon a Time and our charity's ambassador, Robert Carlyle.

They will be running the online auction on Sunday 30th November. They have began to collect pieces for the auction, which include items from the TV series and Once Upon A Time themed items. Watch out for some very special items which they will be announcing soon!

If anyone would like to donate any items, please do not hesitate to PM the fan group by clicking HERE.

Please click HERE when the auction goes live to bid for the items!

Take a look at the auction items below...

For more information about the auction, please follow With Kids on Facebook and Twitter.

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Alabama Visitors

At the weekend, Sondra and her friend Brenna travelled all the way from American to see the With Kids team!

This was their first ever trip outside of the US and they travelled all the way from Alabama to visit us in Scotland.

To celebrate this occasion, we took advantage of the glorious sunny weather and had a barbecue in the With Kids garden with our guests and some of our families.

While the pair are over here they're travelling all over Scotland and only had one day which they were able to visit us. Luckily this was one of the sunniest days we've seen this year!

Sondra is a huge Robert Carlyle fan and indeed all things Scottish and has been a massive supporter of With Kids. Sondra is also the proud owner of the famous 'chipped cup' from hit television show Once Upon a Time.

Having been on a flight for over 24 hours, our special visitors still managed to get their sleeves rolled up and helped out with the barbecue. 

Below you can see a photo of our fun day in the sunshine with our special visitors! Thank you so much for coming to visit us, we really appreciate your support!

If you have any photos from the weekend in the sunshine please share them with us and we'll post them onto our Facebook page. Also if you would like to find out more about With Kids remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

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Once Upon A Time - A Real Fairytale

As many people are no doubt aware, With Kids' ambassador Robert Carlyle is currently starring in the hit American fantasy-drama, Once Upon A Time.

Robert's involvement with our charity was highlighted by members of Once Upon A Fan, the major online resource for fans of the series, who then decided to help with fundraising.

In an incredible real life fairytale for With Kids, they have, to date, raised £3,475 of a £5,000 target.

As if that wasn't enough, Once Upon A Fan are running a With Kids charity auction from Monday 24th September to Sunday 30th September 2012.

Pieces for auction will include jewellery, original fan art pieces, rare autographed posters, journals, Emmy DVDs and lots more.

The final, ultimate auction for the ‘chipped cup’ from Skin Deep, signed by Robert and Emilie de Ravin, will take place on the 30th September.

Gareth Hughes, the founder of Once Upon A Fan, said: “The support we have received from all over the world has just been incredible. It has blown me away. Not just in terms of donations, but the kindness shown.”

In our second guest blog post, Gareth delves into his past and explains why With Kids are so close to his heart.

Every Fairytale has a Happy Ending

I became aware of With Kids through fans of Once Upon A Time, who recommended watching the videos that Robert had done. 

I could really relate to the difficulties that disadvantaged families go through and the idea that everybody deserves a chance, or a happy ending.

I grew up in a very poor part of Merseyside on a council estate where chances in life seemed limited. 

Early on, I made a conscious decision that I could do well in spite of the barriers that society sometimes places on people.

I went to university and I am now a manager of a brain injury unit in Cheshire.

I can relate so much to what With Kids are trying to do because my mother and father never had that kind of support.

We were lucky in the sense of having a local community of neighbours that pulled together and supported each other, but nothing like With Kids existed.

So, when I learned about With Kids and what they do, it was just instinctive, as the fan site grew in popularity, that we could use this huge following to do some real good.

My life could have gone down a very different path so the idea of building resilience and self esteem in children from a young age is so important to me, so that they find pride in themselves and achieve their goals, however big or small those goals are.

That's why I love what With Kids are doing.

The love is mutual Gareth. The love is mutual.

If you would like to submit an item for the Once Upon A Fan With Kids auction, contact Gareth at gareth@onceuponatimefans.co.uk

You can donate to With Kids, via Once Upon A Fan's Just Giving page.

If you would like to follow in Gareth's footsteps and write a guest blog post for With Kids, please email s.blair@withkids.co.uk with your ideas and suggestions.

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Diane Caron - Making Dreams Come True

Although With Kids is only a small charity based in the east end of Glasgow, the work that we do has resonated with people across the globe.

Thanks to our ambassador, Robert Carlyle's starring role in fairytale drama, Once Upon A Time, a group of his fans decided to get involved and help raise much needed funds. 

One of those fans is American author Diane Caron, who is donating 50% of profits from her book, Clams in Cups: Legends of the Heart to With Kids over the next year.

In the first With Kids' guest blog post, Diane discusses why a charity in Glasgow has captured her heart.

Magic, Dreams and Fairytales

Having had a love of fairytales since childhood, I was drawn to Once Upon a Time from the very beginning.

At a time in my life when I felt there would be no happy endings, it gave me hope that the curse could be broken and that magic in my life was possible again.

I discovered actors I had never seen before and was fascinated by Robert Carlyle’s portrayal of the infamous character of fairytale lore, Rumpelstiltskin.

In my search to learn more about Mr. Carlyle's previous work, I found the interview he had done with With Kids, which captured my heart. His interview was so heartfelt, especially when he spoke about the children and families, and of his father.

I was inspired by his relationship with his father, the love he had for him, the care and sacrifices that were made, and how his father supported him unconditionally and without question in his quest to be an actor.

His father encouraged him to do what was in his heart, which I feel is the key that opens the magic door to the life we are all meant to have.

The interview and With Kids' work resonated with me beyond words. I have always wanted to be involved with organisations that support children and Mr Carlyle’s interview inspired me to move forward to find a way I could help.

After this, I started seeking out information about With Kids, as well as following the Once Upon a Time fan sites, and noticed that people were undertaking various fundraising efforts.

It was then that I decided to donate 50% of all profits from the sale of my book, Clams in Cups: Legends of the Heart, for the next year to With Kids.

One of my dreams is to help children achieve their dreams. And as Mr. Carlyle said in the interview below: 'Don’t ever let anyone take your dreams from you'.

If you want to follow in the footsteps of Diane, we are now inviting our friends, supporters and ambassadors to write guest blog posts for us.

Whether you want to write an article, a poem, or a short story, we want to share your thoughts, opinions, imaginations, dreams and aspirations with our community.

If you would like to write a guest blog post for With Kids, please email s.blair@withkids.co.uk with your ideas and suggestions.

Clams in Cups: Legends of the Heart, is available online at AuthorHouse, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community via the share buttons below. Thank you.