Springtime sensory sessions, Sunshine Run and lots of exciting Summer plans

Hi Sunshine News Readers,

With our Sunshine Run taking place in less than a week, we’ve been busy bees here at Sunshine HQ putting together the last preparations for the 21st anniversary of our much-loved 5K along the Quayside.

Our medals and t-shirts are arriving today and we can’t wait to share some photos with you next week. We’re expecting over 300 runners at this year’s race including teams from local businesses and organisations, as well as families we’ve supported who want to give something back, and individuals wanting to smash their personal targets and do something for a small, local charity, to support children in our community.

All money raised in this event comes from the entry fees, and will have a huge impact on improving the day-to-day lives of babies, children and young people living with disabilities, additional needs and terminal illness. We don’t ask for additional fundraising though it is welcomed, and we’re delighted to have seen so many of our runners going the extra mile(!) to raise all-important additional funds so that we can continue to provide life-changing equipment for our children.

Equipment that makes the lives of our families easier and more comfortable. Equipment that provides enrichment, breaks daily barriers and opens up opportunities so that children can reach their full potential and access the same opportunities as their siblings and friends.

Sensory session - Frog Pond

We believe that every child deserves the same opportunities, and as a small charity we receive zero statutory funding, so events like this are our lifeline to ensuring that children living with complex needs and life-limiting in the North East can access those opportunities.

And our support goes further than funding equipment… we also run a family line to provide support and guidance to parents and carers who need advice, and donations allow us to put on inclusive events for our families so they can take part in activities and create special memories with their family and friends in a welcoming environment, where cost and accessibility aren’t barriers.

For example, we recently ran a spring-themed sensory session in Cruddas Park GP Surgery, who kindly allowed us to use their community room. It was a successful day filled with messy play, crafting, cake decorating and lots of other themed activities.

Sensory session - Crafting

We had a ‘vegetable patch’ where children could dig out vegetables from ‘mud and worms’ (it’s amazing what some rice and pink dyed udon noodles can do!) and a ‘garden’ tuff tray filled with a ‘sand’ mixture made of flour, green peppermint colouring with toy insects buried, ready to be found.

Our kids could explore different types of flowers, and play with ‘frog spawn’ made from chia seeds and water, with lily pads with toy frogs and rocks. All of these stations provided a full sensory experience and allowed the children to get stuck in – which they definitely did!

This is just one of many family events we’ve put on, and our sensory sessions always prove very popular. They not only allow our Sunshine kids to play in a comfortable environment where they can dip in and out at their own pace, but it also gives the parents and carers an opportunity to meet other likeminded people, chat to our team and share advice amongst each other.

Sensory session - Digging for Insects

With the summer holidays just around the corner, our team have been busy planning even more activities and events, so our families can expect to see lots more opportunities for their little (and older) ones to get involved in. We’ll be revisiting organisations we’ve worked with before, as well as collaborating with new ones, too.

Watch this space as we’ve also been planning some more events for our supporters to get involved in, too. We’re filling our diaries with challenges and fundraising opportunities, and there will be something for everyone. There’ll be no time for post-Sunshine-Run-blues, and we can’t wait to launch our exciting calendar of events very soon.

You can keep up-to-date with all upcoming events by visiting our website, following us on social media @sunshinefund, and if you have anything to spare, you can donate to our Sunshine Run campaign at www.justgiving.com/campaign/sunshinerun2024, or you can make a donation using any of the methods on this page.

Thanks for reading,

Sophie X