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Having a great time helping out

01 April 2008

City centre nightspots join forces to raise funds

A leisure company has donated £1,000 to the Sunshine Fund. Entertainment Organised for Children’s Health, (ECHO), is the registered charity of Luminar Leisure Ltd and is aimed at supporting local charitable causes.

Each of the venues in the company’s portfolio raises money, which then gets pooled together in a central fund and distributed to various children’s hospitals, good causes and health projects

In Newcastle Luminar owns popular nightspots Envy and Liquid, who hold collection nights at key events throughout the year.

Paul Mcgregor , manager of Liquid and Envy, said: “The company likes to give back to the local community and the Sunshine Fund seemed like an extremely worthy cause in the North East. “The money is raised through various collection days at our venues, for instance at Easter and Christmas, and then pooled together in a central fund. Basically, the money raised in each city goes into one big pot. “ECHO then decides which local charities to give it to. We usually donate to children’s charities. Sometime we might buy specific equipment for a children’s ward in a hospital but, with the Sunshine Fund, we felt it was best just to give them the money to do with it as they see best. “Every time we have fund raising events each venue is given a target amount to raise on a key date, which means everybody is contributing. “It’s a really worthy charity which helps and supports a lot of young people in the North East. “Although it is decided at a national level where the funds go, each individual region has a big say in the decision. We put forward the Sunshine Fund.”

Decisions on where ECHO donates the money are made every March. This year they gave the Sunshine Fund £1,000 to buy specialist mobility equipment.
Founded in 2002, ECHO has had a number of celebrity supporters including Ant and Dec, Sara Cox, Gordon Ramsay & Jennifer Ellison, and holds national events such as Give a Kid a Quid.

Jo Harris, manager of the Sunshine Fund, said: “We are delighted with the donation from the Luminar and 3D Entertainment Group. ECHO is obviously a charity which is dedicated to supporting local charities such as the Sunshine Fund. “It is because of the continuous support and generosity from charities such as ECHO and the public that we are able to keep up our work in the North East.”

If you would like raise money for the Sunshine Fund or apply for grant, call Jo Harris on (0191) 201 6289.


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