A message from Santa...

Hi Sunshine news readers

Its Santa here! Now I know what you are thinking; “How does he have time to write for The Chronicle Sunshine Fund when he is so busy preparing for Christmas?” Well you see, I only work one night a year and the elves do all the manual labour so to be honest, I've got a little time on my hands! But don’t tell Mrs Claus that, of she’ll have me doing DIY. Throughout the year I keep in contact with the team at The Chronicle Sunshine Fund, and they are mostly no bother at all. Apart from that Rebecca, I have to keep my eye on her.

I see the team working so hard to fundraise to fund specialist equipment for the boys and girls in the North East and this year they've struggled to meet the increasing demand from local families. You see, the babies, children and young adults who come to the Chronicle Sunshine Fund for help need things that you can’t just nip out and buy, and sadly, my elves cannot make. Even though these items are essential, things like walking frames, specialist seating, hoists and communication aids don’t come cheap! And the children need them to live comfortably and safely. I’m proud of The Chronicle Sunshine Fund team as they have been able to keep operating right through lockdown periods and have never missed a deadline for equipment provision meaning all children have had the equipment approved for purchase well within the agreed time frames. This is a huge achievement, and there's been lots of barriers this small charity have had to face in this challenging year, so I will keep them all on my nice list.

The team could really use your help. There's lots of ways you can get involved to make our families Christmas dreams come true. Why not fill out some of your child’s details on our website and I will write them a personal Christmas letter, complete with the Official North Pole wax seal! For just £5.00 your letter from me is a lovely pre-Christmas gift that you will want to keep forever. You could take part in Christmas Jumper Day on 11th December and make a one off donation of £2 by texting SUNSHINE2 to 70085. I’ll be doing this with Mrs Claus, although she’s a bit mad at me at the minute, she’s had to knit me a bigger jumper because I've overdone it a little with the mince pies during lockdown….. If you're not feeling as festive as usual or perhaps you would just like a quicker and easier way to help children with disabilities this Christmas, please consider making a one off donation to help the charity continue their work. You can post a cheque, make a donation on the website or speak to the team. They're a canny bunch!

Now that we are past the half-way point of lock down number two I hope you are all managing to keep safe and well. 2020 has been a difficult year for all of us and this Christmas will look and feel different for many. Remember to be kind to yourselves and each other.

I’ll see you all on Christmas Eve!

Santa x