Video stars send festive message
HI, Sunshine News readers.
With a little less than one week to go until our annual Question of Sport event, it’s been all go in the office once again as the team rallies round to get all the things done on our to-do list.
The last time we hosted Question of Sport was back in 2019, so it’s been a long wait to see it’s return but we’re incredibly excited to see who will climb to the top of the leader board take home the QoS trophy this year.
Behind the scenes, we’ve worked with our friends at Signpost Productions at ITV to film some content for our Christmas appeal.
A few weeks ago, Lauren, Bev and Rachel headed to the ITV studios in Gateshead with two very special guests, Freya and Liam, to record a series of videos which will be used to raise awareness of the charity over the festive period.
Having worked with the team at Signpost before and, given that they are award winning in creating accessible, on-screen content in multiple sign languages, we knew they’d be in safe hands. There’s a chance that you’ve already seen the work of the Signpost team in your own homes, whenever you see a signer in the corner of Corrie or Tipping Point, it’s their wonderful team who have produced it.
Best friends Freya and Liam, both 11, were beyond excited to take part but it didn’t affect their performance one bit as they absolutely smashed their lines!
Liam was a one-take wonder and Freya, who is visually impaired, which meant she was unable to use the autocue, amazingly memorised her lines.
I know they say don’t work with kids or animals and, while I’m highly allergic to dogs so animals really are out of the question, Freya and Liam were an absolute dream.
We’d go as far as to say that Holly and Phil need to watch their backs and these two might be ready to take their jobs in a few years!
Another aspect of our filming ties in with our summer schools project, Seeds of Hope, where we hope to grow (see what I did
there?) the reach of the project and promote equity, diversity, and inclusion across organisations in the North East. We’ll be sharing more information in the new year.
Thanks to Emma for organising and Chris for supporting on the day. Chris is currently working his magic and editing our videos, so that they’re perfect to share with you in time for Christmas.
Now that Fenwick’s window has been unveiled and shops and high streets are adorned in festive lights, I feel like everyone is well and truly in the Christmas spirit and making plans for the weeks ahead. If you haven’t already spotted on our Facebook and Instagram page, our accessible and inclusive Santa’s Grotto Bus, which is in partnership with the legends at Stagecoach, will return to Newcastle City Centre this December.
Our Grotto Bus has been a Christmas tradition for Sunshine Families for many years, however, this year we expect Santa to be busier than ever due to the rising cost of living.
We believe that every child has the right to see Santa and everyone is welcome to visit us. Visit our Santa bus for free from Monday, December 12 to Sunday, December 18 on Northumberland Street.
Be sure to follow us (@sunshinefund), for updates and more information on our official Santa Bus with Stagecoach.
Have a great weekend all!