Saluting charity champs

On the pages of our paper we often have to feature some tragic and heartbreaking stories.

We also act as your eyes and ears in our counrt rooms and make sure our council and politicians are held to accouint on your behalf.

But we also feature the amazing achievements in our city and across Wearside - these includee the remarkable acts and efforts our readers go to to help each other.

From little girls cutting off their own hair to help those without. kids doing a fitness challenge to help those suffering from cancer, to groups of people who help those suffering from injury.

We feature two on our pages today. One is a funraiser for Megan Bell’s Rainbow Trust. a trust set up in memory of the teenager who died in tragic circumstances, to help grieving families. A lasting legacy in her name.

Another is an abseil down the side of Sunderland Royal Hospital by staff to raise vital funds - as if these health angles didn’t do enough for us already.

We are thrilled to feature these remarkable things. It’s inpiring to see people giving up their time, money and much more to make sure the lives of others may be a little more bearable in tough times.

Today we salute all the fundraisers, the community coffee morning organisers, the cyclists, runners, walkers.and abseilers.

This work in our community , especially in times of austerity, is vital and we will continue to feature as many stories like these as possible.

So if you have a fundraiser or charity bid, please get in touch.

Where we will always fight for our communities, we will equally seek to champion those in it.