Our most recent day visit to Sun City saw forty very excited children from Thembelenkosini Care Givers in Soweto board the bus at 06h00, amid many ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’. It was the first time any of them had ever travelled on a bus with reclining seats and a toilet. The treats started with a breakfast snack and those soon followed by goody bags, all sponsored by Nashua North East’s Dean Naidoo.

On arrival atSun Citythe entire group was welcomed on the lawns of the Cabanas with hot chocolate and cupcakes. Then, thanks to an incredible sponsorship from Gametrackers Outdoor Adventures, we boarded 2 large open vehicles for our thrilling game drive in thePilanesbergNational Park, a true experience for every child as none of them had ever seen animals in the wild. The children became more and more animated, game spotting and counting animals that included everything from hippos, to rhinos, elephant to warthog, wildebeest, springbok, impala, waterbuck and kudu.

The Calabash chefs and restaurant team hosted us at an extravagant lunch, with the chocolate fountain for dessert proved to be the highlight. Then it was a walk up to the entertainment centre where Wayne and his arcade games teams were on hand to give out tokens to all the children. Then the fun really began. They raced from one game machine to another, popping coins in and collecting tickets. A prize for each child sealed the excitement of the day as we headed back to the bus for the long journey home.

A big thank you toNatalie,Virginiaand every other person behind the scenes atSun Citywho gave the Thembelenkosini children such a memorable day and ,of course, the ultimate school holiday treat. To Teresa, Mandy, Ash, Sergio and Janine for joining us for the day and helping out with every aspect of the trip.