Caroll Patterson's Weekly Column

Caroll's update!

4th April 2013

Hi folks, I hope you all had a fab Easter with plenty of fun and Easter eggs.

Firstly this week I am sending huge congrats to Ant and Dec or should I say 'PJ and Duncan' for reaching Number 1 in the official singles chart with Let's Get Ready to Rhumble.

The lads, who are our Patrons, are great guys and deserve all their success.

Miss Newcastle, Rachelle Graham, and her mother came into the Chronicle offices this week for a photo shoot as Rachelle is the face of our Sunshine Run this year.

She is a lovely girl, as well as being beautiful, and is looking forward to taking part in the run on June 26. I'm sure she will attract lots of runners and spectators on the Quayside in her running gear and crown.

I wish her all the very best for the Miss England competition in May - go girl!

A huge thank you goes to Chris Caswell who came into the office with £260 which she received for doing a talk to the ladies of the Townswomen�s Guild. In her presentation she tells the story about her twin boys � Lewis and Elliot � who both have cerebral palsy and how the Sunshine Fund has helped them over the years with specialist trikes and equipment so they can join in activities with their friends.

It was lovely to hear of the family's Easter plans and how the all terrain chair we supplied will allow the family to go hill climbing together - I hope the weather holds out for them.

Our very good supporters ITPS invited me to a networking event in their box at St James' Park where I met some very interesting people, as well as having a very nice bacon sandwich.

From this, a local company are now looking at making a DVD for our Sunflower Ball. Also, I told everyone about our Go Bananas campaign in June when we hope everyone will wear yellow and fundraise for families like the Caswells who need our support.

I had to get up at 6am and it was a cold day but it turned out to be a really fab session with a lovely view of the pitch - what a way to start your day. Many thanks to ITPS who continue to support us in lots of ways. It's a great company.

A nice short Easter week at the Sunshine Fund with lots of chocolate eggs going around to keep us motivated and fundraising. I have a couple of outings this weekend with some of our Sunshine families which I will update you on in next week's column.

Best Wishes, Caroll

If you would like tickets for the comedy night, would like more information on the fund, or want to find out how to apply for a grant, please contact us or call me on 0191 201 6289.

Your corporate charity:

Become one of our corporate partners to help us make a difference. There are so many ways to get involved!

How to get involved:

Whether you're planning a fundraising event, or you're joining one of ours, click here to find out more.

Making a donation to us:

Don't be shy! Click here to donate to the Sunshine Fund this year and make a difference in your community.