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Hi Sunshine News readers,
How has April almost come to an end already!? The last month has flown by and we’re now heading into May – the month of bank holidays and (hopefully) some warmer weather!
To kick things off, we’d like to thank Michelle Embleton who ran for Team Sunshine in the London Marathon this week. Not only did she smash the race in just 4 hours 15 minutes, but she raised over DOUBLE her target.
As it stands, she’s raised £1,305 for The Sunshine Fund which is amazing and will go so far. Michelle has supported our charity in many ways for years and we’re so appreciative of all she does for us and our Sunshine Children.
Another long-term Sunshine supporter is Lauren Scobie, who has volunteered and fundraised for us since she was just 15. This weekend, Lauren and her mum, Kerry, are taking on the Cheviot Horseshoe Challenge to raise money for The Sunshine Fund.
The amount the Scobies do for us is amazing and we’re always so grateful for their support. If you’d like to donate to their challenge and help fund equipment that will improve the lives of children in the North East with disabilities, additional needs and terminal illnesses, you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/teamscobie.
If Michelle and Lauren have inspired you to take on your own challenge, you can support us in many other ways, whether it’s through volunteering, fundraising on your own or taking part in one of our events. All information on how you can get involved can be found on our website.
We still have a couple of charity spaces left for the Great North Run in September, and after the news that Sir Mo Farah’s last professional race will take place in Newcastle for the Great North Run, what better time to get registered? Be part of history and don’t miss the last opportunity to run alongside one of the racing greats, all whilst improving the lives of our Sunshine Children.
If a half marathon is too much, or if you’d like the perfect warm up before the GNR, our Sunshine 5K Run is one of our biggest events here at The Sunshine Fund – especially this year as we celebrate its 20th anniversary! With an elite wave for club runners looking to smash their PB, as well as a general Fun Run wave, we welcome everyone of all abilities and invite you down to the Quayside for a fun evening of fundraising, entertainment and (fingers crossed!) sun.
Behind the scenes at Sunshine HQ, we’ve been very busy! We’re thrilled to finally be able to announce our first secret regarding our ‘Bridgertoon’ Charity Ball taking place on September 29th at The Grand Hotel in Gosforth Park.
We have now confirmed that local music group, ‘Andrelli’, will be performing for us at the ball. Andrelli are a string quartet who play a variety of different genres of music, and their contemporary covers will provide the perfect soundtrack to what is set to be a spectacular evening!
And last, but certainly not least(!), our Family Co-ordinators, Rachel and Bev, were invited to the Alnwick Garden to have a sneak peek at their upcoming, highly-anticipated attraction: Lilidorei, a ‘magical, mysterious village full of play’ where it’s Christmas 24/7!
This is what Rachel said: “Me and Bev had the best Monday morning getting a sneak peak of Lilidorei, the exciting new attraction at The Alnwick Garden. We were given a tour and opportunity to explore some of the different play elements! There were some great conversations around accessibility and inclusion. We're looking forward to collaborating with the team at Lilidorei and sharing the magic with our sunshine families”.
Rachel and Bev were shown around by Ian McAllister, Strategic Head of Marketing & Communications at The Alnwick Garden & Lilidorei, who said: “We were absolutely thrilled to be able to show Rachel and Bev what’s behind the magical Lilidorei gates and for them to see quite what our visitors can expect when we open. We are looking forward to the entire team and guests to come and experience it and help us with our inclusion and accessibility plans.
"We know that there is something for everyone, whatever their levels of ability, but seeing even the smallest of things through the eyes of Team Sunshine will help us ensure that we cater for everyone that we possibly can!”
We have some exciting plans lined up for our Sunshine Families events so watch this space! Families can keep up to date through our private Facebook group where we post all news and events.
Thank you for reading - we hope you have a lovely bank holiday weekend!
Sophie
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