Kind-hearted South Shields woman raises over £1,000 for poorly children

A kind-hearted South Tyneside woman has praised the generosity of others after raising over £1,000 for sick children in the region.
Jenn Pattinson at the 1980s-themed party, which helped to raise more than £1,000.Jenn Pattinson at the 1980s-themed party, which helped to raise more than £1,000.
Jenn Pattinson at the 1980s-themed party, which helped to raise more than £1,000.

Jenn Pattinson, from South Shields, ran the Great North Run and held a 1980s-themed charity night in aid of the children on Ward 7 at the Great North Children’s Hospital, at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Her sister, Chris, is a voluntary medic at the Great North Run and also works on the ward, which is a haemodialysis unit.

Jenn Pattinson also took part in the Great North Run.Jenn Pattinson also took part in the Great North Run.
Jenn Pattinson also took part in the Great North Run.
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The money will go towards buying iPads for the children to entertain them during long days on the ward.

Miss Pattinson said: “I chose my sister’s ward as a way of saying thank you to her and all of her medical team who help out at the Great North Run.

“A lot of the children on the ward spend the majority of their week attached to a machine, often for hours at a time, day after day, and they must get incredibly bored.

“I decided to raise funds to get iPads for the children to use, and if I could raise enough, I’d treat the older children to an Xbox One.”

Jenn Pattinson also took part in the Great North Run.Jenn Pattinson also took part in the Great North Run.
Jenn Pattinson also took part in the Great North Run.
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So far, £1078.65 has been raised, and that figure is expected to rise.

The charity night was held at Westoe Rugby Club, with Jenn organising it with the help of her partner, Gary Keenan.

She has paid tribute to those who donated raffle prizes.

She added: “The charity night really helped to get the funds climbing.

“Organising it was great fun, and me and Gary gathered in as much as possible in the way of raffle prizes.

“We have to thank a number of people who helped massively.

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“Gary is an avid South Shields FC fan and has built up a great rapport with (chairman) Geoff Thompson, and after Gary told Geoff about this, he offered two season tickets and a signed football shirt for the raffle.

“I just want to say thank you so much to Geoff, who is a very kind and generous man.

“We also planned to put on a buffet and have curry and rice delivered hot on the night.

“After being given high prices from a number of curry houses, we tried the Curry Centre in Ocean Road, and the boss there, Tajullah Ullah, offered all the curry and rice free of charge.

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“I could not believe this man’s generosity and I burst into tears. What a man he is, and I cannot thank him enough.

“To top it off, the curry was delicious as well.”

Jenn added: “Westoe Rugby Club didn’t charge us for the room hire, and and Billy from Coolcats Disco also charged a reduced rate.

“Everyone was having a great time, strutting their stuff on the dance floor when I was approached by the vice chairman of the club, Stu Ashman, who said hearing my speech about the children had really touched him, so much so that he had to leave the room rather tearful

“He then handed me £100 from his own pocket, and again I burst into tears.

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“I can’t thank Stu and everyone who helped, including Gary, my friend Elaine, and all those who sponsored my run, bought raffle tickets, and came to my 80s night, enough.”

Donations can continue to be made at www.gofundme.com/usy82mbw