Skip to content On Wednesday 16 October 2025, Blackpool Tower will light up in bright orange to mark the 15th anniversary of the Happy House in Watamu, Kenya – a children’s home built by former Blackpool hoteliers Sue and Dave Hayward. This celebration also falls on what would have been Mama Sue’s birthday, making the moment even more meaningful.
We’ve created a short, child-friendly story to explain why the Blackpool Tower will be glowing orange and a little bit about Happy House. It’s perfect for schools, assemblies or bedtime reading.
How You Can Be Part of the Story
Why should Blackpool care?
When Blackpool Tower glows orange, it’s not just for the Happy House in Kenya. It’s a message to the world – and to our own town – that every child deserves a childhood.
The Happy House began with two Blackpool hoteliers, Sue and Dave, who sold everything to follow a dream of giving children safety, love, and family. Fifteen years later, that dream has changed hundreds of young lives in Watamu.
But this light also shines for children here in Blackpool – a reminder that kindness, resilience, and hope are values we share at home as much as abroad.
Lighting the Tower is a symbol: no matter where a child is born, they deserve to feel safe, to learn, to laugh, and to grow up knowing they are valued.
Take a photo of the Tower glowing orange and share with us happyhouse@childrenofwatamu.org. We’ll show your photos and messages to the children in at Happy House.
To mark this occasion, a handwritten letter has been sent to every primary school in Blackpool.
The letters were written under the light of a solar lamp, outside the Happy House, because many of our children leave for school at 6am and don’t return until nearly 7pm. The weekend is the only time they can sit, reflect and write and often in Kenya the electricity can cut out for hours – but this didn’t stop our little writers!
Even in these challenges, the children’s words are full of joy, hope, and excitement about connecting with children in Blackpool.
