Latest People: Rockinghorse at Downing Street
Rockinghorse at Downing Street; Duke Of Edinburgh’s Awards; Launch of Land Rover Discovery Sport
CHARITY CHIEF VISITS DOWNING STREET
The Chief Executive of a local children’s charity has spoken of his delight at visiting 10 Downing Street. Ryan Heal, CEO at Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, was invited by Simon Kirby, Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, to a private reception at the official residence and office of the Prime Minister to meet with Samantha Cameron.
They were joined by Danny Dwyer, fundraiser for the Sussex Beacon, who also represented Brighton as a charity champion at the reception last week.
Samantha Cameron commented: “It was a privilege to meet Ryan from Rockinghorse. Their amazing work is changing the lives of individuals and families across Brighton and beyond and it was an honour to celebrate their work.”
Rockinghorse is the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton, and a vital supporter of the Trevor Mann Baby Unit, based within the Royal Sussex County Hospital. The charity raises money for life-saving and cutting-edge medical equipment, whilst ensuring that children are treated in an environment better suited to their needs.
Ryan Heal said of the trip: “Visiting 10 Downing Street was an incredible experience. It was an honour to represent the Rockinghorse team and we’re very grateful to Simon Kirby MP for the invitation.”
To find out more about the work of Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, visit www.rockinghorse.org.uk
300 young brightonians gain Duke of Edinburgh’s awards
More than 300 young people in Brighton & Hove are due to receive their Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Awards this year at a presentation ceremony on Wednesday 4 February at the AMEX stadium.
The DofE scheme is coordinated by Brighton & Hove City Council’s outdoor education team, which is currently working with more than 2,000 young people looking to enhance their skills and improve their employability.
Activities undertaken by young people on the programme this year have included:
• Woodland conservation, fundraising for African children and beach litter clearing in the ‘volunteering’ section
• Kick boxing, bouldering, zumba and sailing for ‘physical activities’ work
• Dog handling, car mechanics, power boating and learning languages such as Polish and Japanese for the ‘skills’ section.
The Amex event will be hosted solely by DofE participants, including two students from Hamilton Lodge School for the Deaf, Paighton Gibson and Olly Chettle, with the support of interpreters.
Learning to communicate with team members who have hearing was a key task for Paighton and Olly during their three-day expedition in the North Downs. During the expedition the team tackled map reading, 12 mile hikes each day, cooking on a trangia stove and tent pitching. Both boys felt they’d grown in confidence after teaching their four fellow team members some basic sign language.
Paighton said: “It was a real challenge to be with hearing people, without an interpreter, and is something I feel will be really useful in future.” Olly added: “I now realise it doesn’t matter whether you’re deaf or have hearing, we all have different skills we can bring to a situation. I was the best map reader so they relied on me, but of course that meant that if we got lost, it was my fault!”
The Bronze, Silver and Gold awards will be presented by the Lord Lieutenant for East Sussex, Peter Field, who is himself a Brighton resident.
If you’d like to know more about the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards scheme in Brighton & Hove please contact Rachel Paget on 01273 294234 or 07827 880759.
Celebrities turn our for Lewes Land Rover Launch
Over 300 people turned out at Caffyns Land Rover in Lewes for the launch of the New Land Rover Discovery Sport. The launch event, held on Thursday 22 January, served champagne and canapés and attracted a number of familiar faces, including former England Rugby Captain Phil Vickery, actors Julie Graham and Carol Harrison, artist Julie-Anne Gilburt – who produced the angelic figure on the famous Fat Boy Slim greatest hits album – and Brighton & Hove Albion footballers Gordon Greer, Andrew Crofts and Craig Mickail-Smith from BAHFC. The evening was hosted by Juice FM radio presenter Ambrose Harcourt.
Caffyns, who are celebrating their 150th year, used the launch to support two charities for the evening: Wooden Spoon, dedicated to helping disadvantaged young people through sport, and Chestnut Tree House, the only children’s Hospice in Sussex looking after over 300 children with life limiting illnesses and their families.
Steve Tester, General Sales Manager for the dealership in Lewes, said; “There was such a buzz tonight. Thanks to everyone who came, and we hope you come back again for a test drive!”
For more information on the new Land Rover Discovery Sport, contact Caffyns Land Rover on 01273 473186 www.caffyns.lewes.landrover.co.uk
