Cherbourg FC Summer Fundraiser

The 8th Annual Six-a-side Tournament took place on the 20th July 2013. In stark contrast to last year the sun shone all day. New entrants AFC Bishopstoke lifted the Winner's Trophy in the senior section beating AFC Spirit in the final. Fleming Legends won the junior final with Ze Germans taking the Runners up Trophy.

Our thanks go to the officials of the d
ay and to Crestwood College for the use of their facilities.

Nick's London Jaunt

Nick Hall ran the British 10K London road race in sweltering heat recently in support of Sophie's Appeal.

Nick said,

'I want to get back into running and what better way than to raise money for a charity in memory of a special little girl who was close to my late fathers heart.'

Nick completed the race in a creditable 1 hour 15 minutes.

3 Fire Fighters Cycle from Southampton to Edinburgh in a Day

Three Fire Fighters from Southampton Airport recently took on a challenge to cycle for 999 minutes in aid of two charities; the Fire Fighters Charity and Sophie's Appeal.

Mark Beaudro, Louis Kirchell and Jack Bambrook cycled in hour long relays at an average of over 30km per hour. The team covered a distance equivalent to a journey from Southampton Airport to Edinburgh Airport in the 16 hours and 39 minutes event. Generous donations and moral support from both customers and staff at the airport spurred the team on to complete their task with Mitchell's Restaurant ensuring they were refuelled regularly on their journey!

Over £900.00 was raised from supporters donations and the Airport's own Communities Trust.

Misfits plus Mike Conquer 3-Peaks to Raise over £2400

Six plucky ladies hatched a plan to raise as much money as possible for charity whilst challenging themselves to the limit taking on the three highest peaks in the UK in just 24 hours.

Following six months of planning and training, one of the team had to retire due to injury and last minute replacement, Mike Glen, stepped up to the plate. The team climbed Ben Nevis (1344m), Scafell Pike (978m) and Snowdon (1085m) just in the nick of time with a yet to be verified 23 hours and 59 minutes!

Well done and huge thanks to all the team: Hayley Richardson, Mandy Grinyer, Kerry Hyde, Tracy Griffiths, Donna Wainwright, Mike Glen and support driver Marie Pennington. Thanks also go to Southampton Airport for sponsoring the transport.

Sophie's Appeal 10th Anniversary Ball raises over £10,000 to help sick children

Sophie's Appeal supporters have raised in excess of £10,000 at the charity's 10th Anniversary Masquerade Ball. The major fundraising event was held at the Concorde Club in Eastleigh and welcomed around 250 guests including charity patrons Sarah & James Beattie.

The fun packed evening included Caricaturist David Hensley, Magician Wayne 'The Wierd', bellydancing by Rebekah and Hipnotise and a special surprise performance by Britain's Got Talent's "Popping Ron" (pictured)

Lin Barringer, Sophie's mum and charity co-founder, commented,

"2013 marks 10 years since Sophie was diagnosed with Wilm's Disease, and was when Mike and I originally decided to set up the charity to help others. In the last decade the charity has raised well over £320,000 which has gone on to help literally thousands of sick children and their families. The 10th Anniversary Ball has been a huge success and we'd like to thank everyone for their committed support yet again. The £10,000 raised is enough to fund 40 families for respite care in the New Forest, or 4 dream family holidays for terminally ill children"

Co-Operative Support

Sophie's Appeal recently benefited from a grant from the Southern Co-Operative Community Fund.

The grant has been used to replace an ageing printer and to purchase publishing software to enable us to bring much of our printing requirements in house, driving down administration costs.

The cost savings mean that even more of your donations go to directly support the sick children we set out to help.

Holiday Inn Eastleigh raises £800.00 at May Fete

Staff at the Holiday Inn organised a Spring Fete to raise funds for both Sophie's Appeal and Shelter in a Storm. The monies raised were divided between the two charities.

Families enjoyed the afternoon whilst listening to the wonderful sounds of Crestwood Steel Band. The younger visitors enjoyed traditional games - hook a duck, tin can alley, lucky dips to name but a few while the adults tried their luck at the Wine Bottle Game, Tombola and raffle. Stalls included homemade cakes, preserves and pickles, plants and books. Visits to the Fire Engine and Ambulance proved extremely popular.

Sophie's Appeal would like to extend their gratitude for the continued support from the management and staff at the Holiday Inn Eastleigh.