steps first 25th birthday part went with a swing this Sunday, 22nd May. Over 100 children and adults attended. The Mayor and Mayoress of Warrington, Councillor Hans Mundry and Councillor Karen Mundry cut the cake. Entertainer, Ian Zippy Lees created magic and laughter.

It was a very early start for the journey from Warrington to Newcastle, we were hot footing our way up the AI and arriving at our destination ready to set up by early morning. The weather could have been kinder, it rained on and off for most of the day but it didn't dampen spirits once everybody was indoors.

Entertainment was provided by Wanda the Lady Magician and Libby from Ace Faces was on hand to create some wonderful arty creations with face paints and air tatoos.

Jane Doolin was on hand to cut our celebratory cake and we hope that this is the first of many activities that we'll be doing in the North East in the future.

This is the first event steps has held in Northern Ireland and it was a really good turnout. steps supporter, Nazareth Jorvina as Sister Jones of Musgrave Park Hospital had worked very hard to promote the party and over sixty adults and children attended, including sister Jones herself and consultant surgeon Mr Cosgrove. It was a resounding success. Children's entertainer 'JG' kept a good supply of balloon animals going whilst entertaining the children with many magical stories. Mums, dads and other family members chatted to each other sharing experiences. It was such a positive experience that a group of families are already planning another event. One family travelled from Dublin and felt that families in Eire would benefit from similar activities - watch this space for further developments!!

What a lovely setting for a party, the St Pierre Marriott Hotel & Country Club pulled out all the stops to ensure that we all had a great time! The party was well attended with over thirty families taking part in the fun. Maisy Muddle entertained the younger children whilst Clare, (our Head of Fundraising) and volunteer Rhian, got the older children to participate in a strategic games session.

Thanks to everyone that attended - we'd really like to develop stronger links in Wales so if you have any ideas or suggestions on how we can achieve this please contact the office on 0871 7170044.

25th Anniversary Party in Glasgow literally brings the house down (well nearly!)
Yes, it was hot stuff! I am of course referring to the fact that on the Thursday prior to the party the venue (Beardmore Conference Hotel) had a slight fire incident to deal with. Fortunately, there were no injuries and the fire was contained on the 2nd floor and by Sunday most of the smoky smell had dissipated!

Of course, not one to let such events spoil the occasion (a party is a party after all!) the steps anniversary party was a huge success. Over 50 families braved the fog, many travelling quite a distance to join us for the party. The children were captivated by Wizzi Wizzard who entertained for the whole party with his jokes and wonderful animal magic. Just to see their faces was a real delight and one that I'm sure they will remember for a long time to come.

Thanks to Wendy Allen for volunteering to help and to all the children and their families who attended and made it such a special day.

A great turn out for the penultimate party with more than 30 families attending. The children were entertained by Smarty Arty who proved a great success giving parents the opportunity to meet others sharing stories and learning from other parents. All of this would not have been possible without the generous support of BBC Children in Need who were represented by Sally Ann Bell and Lorrayne Johnson. Special guest was Dan Banton, who with his arrival in 1979, was the catalyst for steps' inception as a support group - from little seeds

Many thanks to steps trustee Ruth Bootland, she was very keen to talk to our supporters to hear their views on steps' role for the next 25 years - holding more social events seem to at the top of most people's list! Thanks also to Laura for being thrown in at the deep end and manning the steps stand, don't know how we'd of managed without you!