Former Mayor of South Tyneside hands out £34,000 to charities, raised during bumper time in office

Former Mayor of South Tyneside, Councillor Norman Dick raised more than £34,000 for the Mayor’s Charity during his two years’ in office, from 2019 to 2021.

Mayors usually serve for only 12 months, but the time frame had been extended due to coronavirus.

Councillor Dick was joined by the former Mayoress, Jean Williamson, to distribute the funds during a special reception held at South Shields Town Hall.

Among the charities to receive bumper cheques were South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade, which got £10,000, and NAAFI Break South Tyneside and Beach Access, which got £3,000 each.

South Tyneside Council said a wide range of other organisations also received smaller donations of around £1,000 each.

Councillor Dick said: “Jean and I were thrilled to be able to welcome these wonderful charities into the town hall and present them with a contribution towards their cause. They are all fantastic organisations doing a great deal of work in our communities.

“We’ve had the most amazing experience during our time in office. It was a very special time for us both being out and meeting so many wonderful organisations and outstanding individuals, particularly in the first year before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported the Mayor’s Charity, from hosting fundraising events or lending their services to donating to the Mayor’s Charity fund.

“It is down to the generosity of these kind-hearted individuals, businesses and community groups that we have been able to raise such an incredible amount of money. I know these charities are most grateful.”

The money was raised from the proceeds of several charity events held over the two-year period. These included a charity Christmas party night, evening of clairvoyance as well as a special fairground offer.

South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade, founded in 1866, provides a search and rescue service off the South Tyneside coastline and riverside, working with HM Coastguard and other emergency services, to respond to incidents at all hours and in all weathers.

South Tyneside NAAFI Break is a drop-in service for serving armed forces personnel and reservists, veterans and ex-service men and women as well as their families, to meet, socialise, network and get information about support services available in the Borough.

Beach Access is a charity which provides specially adapted all terrain wheelchairs and equipment to support people with mobility difficulties to access the beach at South Shields and other parts of the region.

A further 18 organisations to benefit from Councillor Dick’s Mayor’s Charity fund, included WHIST (Women’s Health in South Tyneside); Charlie and Carter Cookson Foundation, Hospitality and Hope, the People’s Angels as well as several groups for young people, people with disabilities or special needs and animal charities, to name a few.

This year’s Mayor, Councillor Pat Hay has chosen The Custom’s House and Cancer Connections as the main beneficiaries of the Mayor’s Charity during her time in office.