30 July 2010
The sun shone on the crowds on Saturday (24 July) as approximately 3,000 people turned up to enjoy a summer fete organised by friends and staff of Queen Mary's Hospital for Children and the neonatal unit at St Helier Hospital.
The event, which took place in Sutton Arena and was opened by the deputy mayor, Councillor Sheila Andrews, was organised to raise money to buy new equipment for the children's hospital and neonatal unit. And, less than a week after the fete, the total raised already stands at £9,700.
One of the organisers, senior paediatric nurse, Sue Collis said: "It was a great day. We've had a lot of positive feedback about it and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. We were lucky with the weather too - the sun stayed out with just a few clouds.
"At our first count, we've raised nearly £10,000 with more money to come in and we're really pleased with that. Every penny made at the fete will go to a good cause and I would like to say a huge thank you to the people who helped to make the event happen.
"We're not only grateful to the people who came along and took part but also to the volunteers who gave up their valuable time to staff a stall or helped to organise the event. I would also like to thank the deputy mayor for taking time out of her busy schedule to cut the ribbon for us and the Friends of Queen Mary's Hospital for Children for their continued support."
Councillor Andrews, who, coincidentally, worked in the child health department at Queen Mary's Hospital for Children before it moved to St Helier Hospital in 1993, said: "It was a privilege to be invited to open the fete and I was pleased to see so many people there. It's obvious that a lot of hard work went into making the fete the success that it was and I hope that everyone who attended had a great time. It was all for a great cause."
The event featured more than 50 stalls to browse and lots of entertaining acts in the main arena, including Theo the Magician and a show from the Metropolitan Police dog team.
