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Shopping centre staff celebrate reaching their fundraising target

Shopping centre staff celebrate reaching their fundraising target

Shopping centre staff celebrate reaching their fundraising target

8 September 2014


 The team at Sanderson Arcade in Morpeth have ten thousand reasons to celebrate this week after reaching their fundraising target for a great north east charity.

The management team, staff and shoppers at the centre have spent the last eighteen months raising money for The Sick Children’s Trust after it was selected as the Arcade’s nominated charity at Christmas 2012.

Over the last year and a half the fundraisers have run marathons, completed skydives, busked, flipped pancakes and even shined shoes to reach the £10,000 target. The popular Christmas Lights and Halloween events at the centre also helped to boost the fundraising target.

And this month the team have presented the money to The Sick Children’s Trust in a special cheque presentation held on the centre.

Julie and Paul Carss from Shilbottle collected the cheque with their three year old daughter Summer. Summer has had two heart transplants at the Freeman Hospital after being born with a severe heart defect. Despite her difficult start in life, she’s now progressing well with careful monitoring by the specialists at the Freeman’s children’s heart unit. 

Families like Summer’s, rely on The Sick Children’s Trust to stay near to their sick children while they are being treated in hospital. The charity's Crawford House in Newcastle provides free 'Home from Home' accommodation, as well as emotional and practical support for the families of children who are being treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary and the Great North Children's Hospital.

A second ‘Home from Home’ in the city, at the Freeman Hospital’s children’s heart unit, is now nearing completion and the money raised at Sanderson Arcade will provide a playroom in the new house which will open this autumn.

The Centre Manager at Sanderson Arcade, Medi Parry, said: “This really has been a huge team effort. We set ourselves a tough challenge but everyone has worked really hard over the last eighteen months to achieve this fantastic amount for the new ‘Home from Home’.

"I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped us raise this amazing amount of money which is going to make such a difference to families and young people in our region. We can’t wait to see the new playroom when the new accommodation is officially opened later in the year.”

Caroline O’Doherty, Campaign and Appeals Manager at The Sick Children’s Trust, said: “We are delighted that the staff and customers of Sanderson Arcade have raised such an incredible sum, which will enable us to fully-equip a playroom in our newest ‘Home from Home’. With so many activities and ideas, the fundraising over the past year has been great fun and the perfect way to raise money for a special space which will help the brothers and sisters of sick children in hospital. Thank you to everyone who supported the appeal!”

For more information about news and events at Sanderson Arcade visit www.sandersonarcade.co.uk and to find out more about the Sick Children’s trust visit  http://www.sickchildrenstrust.org

Pictured left to right are Medi Parry, Caroline O'Doherty from The Sick Children’s Trust, Paul and Julie Carss with their daughter Summer. 
 
 

For further information, contact:

Public Relations Department, Dransfield Properties Ltd
Tel: 01226 360644
Email: pr@dransfield.co.uk