The last couple of months have seen us receive some wonderful support from our friends in the community.
We’ve had the pleasure of working with the Pickwick Bicycle Club, Sama Karate Group, and have been the proud beneficiary charity of a ‘Blue Light’ football event, organised by the emergency services.
Rockinghorse relies solely on the generosity of local businesses, schools, community groups and individuals; people just like you.
We receive no local or central government funding, so support from societies, clubs and groups across the communities of Sussex are vital.
Find out more about our community stars and their fundraising achievements, below…
Bicycle Club raises funds for bilirubin monitors
The Pickwick Bicycle Club President, Roger Warwick, has chosen to support Rockinghorse during his year in office. From a fundraising event held earlier this year, they handed over a cheque for £2,300 to Community Fundraising Manager at Rockinghorse, Hollie Trezise.
Steeped in rich history, the club was formed back in 1870 by a group of six cyclists. The club was founded shortly after the death of Charles Dicken, which inspired the name. It has an unbroken 149-year history of being an active organisation since the day it was formed. Amazingly, the Pickwick Bicycle Club is the oldest cycling club in the world, and we are so grateful for their support.
Here at Rockinghorse, we aim to make life better for sick and disadvantaged babies, children and young people in Sussex. We fundraise to support hospitals, baby units and paediatric services in the county with the help of the local community.
Having been inspired by the birth of his two granddaughters, Roger felt compelled to raise funds for his local hospital, the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath. The Pickwick members contributed to the fundraising to support its midwifery services, during their spring luncheon.
Roger was joined by his granddaughters for a cheque presentation with Rebecca Elms, Community Midwifery Lead at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Haywards Heath (pictured below).
The money they’ve raised will be used to purchase bilirubin monitors, after seeing Rockinghorse’s appeal for the community midwife team in Sussex. The monitors are used to help detect jaundice in newborn babies during home visits, benefiting the team of 75 midwives based out of PRH and the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
Roger Warwick, said, “During my year as President of the Pickwick Bicycle Club, I was given the privilege of raising money for a charity of my choice. I wanted to choose a charity where I could see the impact of our fundraising, rather than it just going into a big pot.
“I’d seen an article about Rockinghorse and its bilirubin project in the local newspaper. Having been fortunate to have two healthy granddaughters born at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, I decided to support the midwives there. I hope to be able to make a further contribution again later on in the year.”
Hollie Trezise, added, “We are so grateful to Roger and his friends from the Pickwick Bicycle Club for choosing to support our charity. They have raised a fantastic amount of money to support our bilirubin project at PRH.”
Karate club’s challenge raises funds for the Royal Alex
Sama Group is a karate club for people of all ages, based on Lewes Road in Brighton. They set themselves a ‘500 punch challenge’ to raise funds for Rockinghorse.
55 of Sama’s students took part in the charity event and between them raised a fantastic £2,320 through sponsorship. Sama teaches karate and kickboxing classes in Sussex for children and adults aged four years and up. It holds classes in Brighton, Hove, Lewes, Seaford, Newhaven and Peacehaven.
Children as young as four-years-old were involved in the challenge, which appealed to all age groups at the karate club. They were targeted to achieve 500 karate punches in under one hour.
The group wanted to help local children and chose us as beneficiary of the event. We are the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital (the Royal Alex) in Brighton, where many members of Sama have been treated for various illnesses.
Remzi Mehmet is a senior instructor at Sama Group and organised the charity fundraiser. He said, “I’d like to thank all the Sama karate students and their parents who gave up a Sunday morning to participate in the charity event. They all worked really hard to raise sponsorship and showed great strength and determination on the day to accomplish their challenge.
“Martial arts is so much more than just learning and discipline, it’s a way of life. Showing support for a local children’s charity like Rockinghorse is a great way to bring the community together and to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Well done team Sama!”
Our Community Fundraising Manager, Hollie Trezise, said, “What a fantastic amount of money raised by Sama Group. Everyone involved in the event did so well to raise over £2,300 and we are so thankful for their support.”
Emergency services hold ‘Blue Light’ football fundraiser
60 players from the emergency services in Crawley, went head-to-head in a ‘Blue Light’ football fundraiser for Rockinghorse.
The charity event was held on Saturday 13 July and included representatives from the police, fire, and ambulance services, with the fire brigade taking home the winners’ trophy. Together they raised an incredible £3,315!
Our Community Fundraising Manager, Hollie Trezise, attended the football match and was delighted with the support received. She said, “It was great to see so many players in attendance, showing fantastic support for our charity. They have raised such a great amount, which will go a long way to support our paediatric projects in the county.”
If you’re part of a club, society or community group that would like to support our charity, we’d love to hear from you. Call us on 01273 330044 or email hollie@rockinghorse.org.uk.
