If you have ever walked through Thornleigh Road, Horfield, you will have encountered local celebrity, Dale the Dalek.

Dale the Dalek has been a resident of Thornleigh Road for several years and is a great favourite with many local kids, including my own.

Dale’s guardians – the imaginative and superbly creative Carol and Keith Walker – regularly update his surroundings to be in keeping with particular themes. For example, one year the theme was “Tate Really Modern Bristol” which depicted Dale amid ten mad items in his garden.

Have a look at this youtube video of the Tate Really Modern Bristol gallery – I promise that it will make you laugh!

Last year there was a “Bristol City Council” theme…

There has also been an “Anything Goes” theme whereby Keith and Carol planted a branch of a tree that their neighbour had cut down and invited people to hang anything on it.

Thus, the creative spirit of residents from in and around Bishopston was utilized to its best and from the “tree” hung anything from baked beans cans and spark plugs!

The theme this year is the “Deck Chair Challenge” with seaside surroundings, but this time, Keith and Carol are using Dale to help raise money for a very important charity: Children’s Hospice South West.

I was interested to find out the reasons why the Walkers’ picked Children’s Hospice South West and discovered that there was a very personal reason behind it. Keith explained to me that  several years ago, their nephew received treatment from the hospice as he was dying.

For this reason, Keith and Carol want to use the Dale to raise as much money and awareness as possible to support the amazing work that Children’s Hospice South West do to support children with terminal illness and their families.

All of the community are invited to take part in the Deck Chair Challenge. To take part all you have to do is the following:

• put on some swimwear attire and sit on the deck chair provided
• get your photo taken and share on Twitter, tagging Dale into the tweet (Dale has his own Twitter account, of course)
• make a contribution to Children’s Hospice South West in the box provided in Dale’s garden
• Dale accepts coins, cheques and notes 🙂

However, if the thought of putting on your swimwear in deepest darkest Winter just chills you even thinking about it, please contribute to Dale’s collection anyway!

Keith explained to me that £130 has been raised so far but that they wish to raise much more for this important cause. The couple will be fundraising for Children’s Hospice South West until March.

So, residents of Bishopston and beyond, now is your chance to do something special: Take the Deck Chair Challenge!