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In 1928, the North East saw the opening of the Tyne Bridge, which is now recognised as an icon locally, nationally, and across the world, as a symbol of the region’s strength, pride, and industrial heritage.
The famous bridge was opened by King George V and Queen Mary who recognised the levels of deprivation and subsequently donated £15, equivalent to £800 today, to fund a seaside trip to take disadvantaged children out of the city, to explore the local coastline.
The Editor of The Chronicle at the time picked up the act of generosity and decided to continue this philanthropic mission, which is when local charity, The Chronicle Sunshine Fund, was born.
Almost a century later, the North East remains one of the most deprived areas of the UK with the highest levels of disability, and there is a direct link between the two.
The Sunshine Fund remains one of the longest standing local charities with rich history and a royal connection linking them to the Tyne Bridge, and most importantly we are still continuing our mission to improve the day-to-day lives of local kids.
We do this primarily by funding specialist equipment to babies, children and young people living with disabilities, additional needs and terminal illness. This equipment is not available on the NHS, yet it can be a significant difference to the lives of local families.
In addition, we also facilitates free and inclusive family events for the kids they support, and one of these is our annual Beach Day in South Shields, which revisits our charity’s origin.
We partner with South Shields Surf to deliver a full day of activities, tailored to each child’s individual needs.
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They run 1-on-1 accessible surf sessions for children with more physical needs, using adapted boards, specialist equipment and highly trained staff to support the kids and make the experience safe, comfortable and, most importantly, fun.
In addition, there are group surf sessions for other children, and for those not wanting to go in the sea, there’s ‘beach explorers’, where kids can go rock pooling if the tide is out, dig for shells and fossils, make tents and learn more about the local coastline.
We also hire beach-friendly wheelchairs from Beach Access North East, which gives families the opportunity to trial out different models, and for some kids, allows them to get on to the beach for the first time.
The aim of Beach Day is to bring our community together, open the door to brand new opportunities and experiences, and for many it’s to simply enjoy a day at the seaside, in a welcoming environment.
One parent who attended this year’s Beach Day, said, “It was a great opportunity to reconnect with other families and children. Adaptive surf was a highlight for my son while his sisters especially enjoyed having the chance to meet and play with other siblings/young carers. They loved the coastal explorers rock pooling and den building!”
Another said, “To see the smile on my girls’ faces was priceless, they had a massive sense of achievement learning to surf even the one who couldn’t stand got into the water and was so happy with herself. It was a break from day-to-day struggles.”.
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