May 24 min read

Bucket collections, the Sunshine Run 5K and an exclusive look at The Special Lioness’ Roaring Rainforest sensory experience

Hi Sunshine News Readers,

We’re now in May which means it’s officially the month of our Hadrian’s Wall trek! In just three weeks, alongside our trek providers, Challenge Northumberland, I’ll be taking a team of trekkers for a 13-mile hike across some of the North East’s beautiful countryside.

We’ll be starting at Thirlwell Castle and ending at Housesteads Roman Fort, and over 8 hours will explore a number of different locations including Steel Rigg, famous for its stunning views, being used as a film/TV set and for the recently felled Sycamore Gap. We’ll also reach the highest point of 1,000ft so wish us luck! We’re hoping for nice but comfortable weather, though as we’ve seen in the last few weeks it’s been very unpredictable, so we’ll see!

Each trekker pledges to raise at least £250 and all donations raised will have a direct impact on local babies, children and young people living with disabilities, additional needs and terminal illness, by funding life-changing equipment, providing accessible activities to families in our community, and offering support through our helpline.

Tynemouth Morrisons bucket collection

As part of our fundraising, myself and fellow trekker, Jon (who is also running the Great North Run for us in September!), headed to Tynemouth Morrisons to bucket collect last Saturday. We had a great time chatting to shoppers and telling them what we do, and we were overwhelmed by the generosity of the public. In the few hours we spent there, we managed to raise £216.69 which we were thrilled with, especially when cash is becoming less and less common!

Thank you to Morrisons Community Champion, Carol Jordan, and to everyone who donated, no matter how much or little, this proves that every little really does help, and it really does add up. We’re so close to our target now, but if you’d like to donate and directly impact a child’s life, you can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/page/sophie-revell-1706182147270.

In other news, we sadly said goodbye to our Fundraising & Events Co-ordinator, Amanda, who has moved on to an exciting new opportunity. She said, “I've been blown away by the passion and dedication of everyone involved in this wonderful cause, and I'm deeply thankful to have worked on such prestigious fundraising events with the most extraordinary team. From decorating biscuits with our amazing children and their families, to boogying at our black-tie events, or even with Santa! I am truly grateful for such a transformative experience.”

Rest assured though, our Sunshine events are in safe hands and we have lots of exciting things in the pipeline! For example, we launched our much-loved Sunshine Run 5K last week and have already had lots of positive responses. It’s set to be a fantastic event keeping old traditions but also adding some newer touches, too.

Standard entry costs £22 and there’s no additional fundraising – all proceeds come from run entries. We invite runners of all abilities to join us to #PaintTheToonYellow on the evening of June 19th, and you can do it alone, with friends and family, or you could get a group together after work and race it with colleagues. Walk it, run it, dance it, skip it – however you do it, do it for Team Sunshine and help support children with complex needs in our local communities.

For more information please visit www.thesunshinefund.org/sunshinerunand to register please visit https://bit.ly/4b8Txe1.

Last week, myself and Bev, our Families Co-ordinator, paid a visit to The Special Lioness in Washington to visit their newly launched Roaring Rainforest sensory room, and what a fantastic space it is! The Special Lioness is a wonderful organisation who we’ve worked with for a while, so it was great to see how we can work together with their new room. We will definitely be seeing them again soon and it’s the perfect space for our families, so watch this space for a rainforest themed family event…

The Special Lioness - Roaring Rainforest Room

The room was designed by Claire and the team and their hard work has certainly paid off. They’ve really thought of everything and the creativity behind the not only looks amazing, but it’s inspirational, too. From LED waterfalls to neon signs, from story bags to a ball pit and not to mention the handmade tree which was built around a wheelchair to ensure it was accessible, providing a relaxing area to sit in, the entire room provides a sensory experience that can be enjoyed by individuals of varying needs and complexities.

Roaring Rainforest – Tree

The team run classes with parents and carers of children with complex needs to teach them how to make easy, DIY sensory toys that cost a fraction of the price of the toys for sale, which is perfect when families aren’t sure if their child will even engage with them. We couldn’t believe how effective a simple storage box and fairy lights could be, and we think this will help so many people.

They received funding from Asda Foundation which allowed them to add a mobile hoist and changing unit in the corner of the room, making it even more accessible and comfortable for families visiting the space.