Charity couple are ‘honoured’ to receive Prime Minister’s award
A couple whose charity has worked to improve the provision of public-access defibrillators across South Tyneside have been recognised with a national award.
The pair were awarded the Prime Minister’s Point of Light prize on the back of their health-related charity work, which has included a recent drive to install a number of defibrillators in public places across South Tyneside and the rest of the North East.
Sergio and Emma Petrucci launched their own organisation in March 2020, having spent four years raising funds to support children with heart conditions in the
North East.
The Red Sky Foundation helps to support cardiacrelated causes in the region – including work that helps babies, children and adults living with heart conditions.
Sergio and Emma devote much of their spare time to running the charity and raising funds for the organisation through hosting events like the upcoming Red Sky Ball, which is set to see a thousand guests attend when it is finally held in 2022.
Donations from such events are channeled into funding life-saving equipment and machinery for North East healthcare centres, as well as into the provision of support services for people of all ages across the region.
Reacting to the news of the
Point of Light award win, Mr Petrucci said he and his partner were ”thrilled and honoured” to have been selected for the prize.
He added: "It came as a complete surprise when we got an email two days prior to the announcement telling
us we had been awarded the Point of Light, asking if I’d accept it, and that was the first I knew of it.
“So many people have supported our Red Sky journey and we simply couldn’t make the difference we’ve made to help save so many lives without their encouragement.”
Mr and Mrs Petrucci had privately supported many charities for a number of years. But, they said, it was a life-saving heart operation for their daughter Luna, now aged eight, that inspired the couple to set up their own project which deals specifically with cardiac-related health causes.
Luna underwent open heart surgery just days before her second birthday, after surgeons identified two complex conditions.
Sergio and Emma began fundraising for the Children’s Heart Unit in Newcastle to show their gratitude for the centre’s work.
“When we experienced the amazing work of the doctors and staff on Ward 23 and in the paediatric intensive care unit that became the start of our charity work,” Mr Petrucci said.
"And our first Red Sky Ball was held a year later raising over £64,000 and that’s what kickstarted us to do so much more, by setting up the foundation.
“The Children’s Heart Unit is and will always be a huge part of our lives – but through our foundation it’s nice to be able to do things for other projects and other children and adults living with heart disease across the region.”
Over the past five years, the couple have helped fund two echocardiogram machines for Sunderland Royal Hospital and James Cook Hospital, and specialist organ transplant machine that helps grant surgeons more time to perform transplants.