A BEDROOM makeover and a trip to Silverstone are just two wishes to be granted to terminally ill children thanks to the Redditch branch of a national charity.

The regional office of the Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, which covers the West Midlands, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Herefordshire, is run by co-ordinator Julie Wedgbury from her home in Yeadon Close, Webheath.

Mrs Wedgbury is supported by a team of about five Redditch volunteers of 30 in total throughout the region, but more volunteers are being sought.

Make-A-Wish is also organising Cycle Arizona, a 245-mile bike ride from The Grand Canyon to Phoenix in October.

"We would dearly love a participant from the Redditch area as this is where our regional office is based and it would help raise the profile of the charity locally," said Mrs Wedgbury.

To take part in the event, cyclists are asked to pledge £199 and then aim to raise £2,500 in sponsorship. Teams are also welcome.

Mrs Wedgbury said: "Youngsters aged three to 18 who suffer from life-threatening illnesses, for example leukaemia or severe cystic fibrosis, can apply to have a wish granted as long as they have not been granted a wish by another organisation.

"Wishes mainly fall into four categories - to go somewhere, own something, meet someone or be someone special, like a police officer for a day.

"Most popular is a travel wish but close behind is owning something like a Playstation II or laptop computer.

"And the more volunteers we have the better we can react to the wishes - they will know more people who may be useful contacts in making a wish possible."

The charity's national base is in Camberley, Surrey and there is also a large base in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation UK granted about 200 wishes last year but has now upped its target to 365, aiming to make a child's dreams come true every day of the year.

According to Mrs Wedgbury, the average cost of granting a wish is about £3,000.

"This is pushed up dramatically by children who want to swim with dolphins or visit Disneyland, but is kept down by those who wish for a new hi-fi system or computer which will only cost a couple of hundred pounds.

"Nevertheless, the one thing each wish has in common is that they bring such joy to these children.

"We are proud of how much money goes into granting wishes from fund-raising which includes events such as the London Marathon, selling charity wish pins, and local activities such as an Easter disco which takes place in Solihull this Saturday."

Previous wishes granted include arranging for a 15-year-old boy to meet the cast of teen soap Dawson's Creek.

"This involved using contacts in America to help. Of course, it works both ways. We recently welcomed an American family whose child wanted to visit the Globe Theatre in Stratford."

Despite needing careful organisation, trips abroad are not the most difficult wishes to grant.

"Things like getting hold of a Playstation II at Christmas are the hardest," explained Mrs Wedgbury.

"Luckily we managed to get one through a contact we had previously ordered a computer from, but it took more man hours than anything else because of the demand.

"But after the wish was granted we received a letter from the dad saying every effort put in was worth it because his son was having such a great time with it."

Potential volunteers, families interested in referring a child for a wish and anyone interested in taking part in Cycle Arizona can call Julie Wedgbury on 403938.