£12,000 raised for St Teresa’s Hospice

Volunteers in Darlington made the aftermath of the festive season as green as ever, by collecting discarded Christmas trees to raise funds for a local hospice.

Over 1,600 were chipped into biomass power, thanks to the efforts of Darlington Rotary Club. The event raised over £12,000 for St Teresa’s Hospice. The hospice is currently forecasting huge deficit budgets and is relying heavily on reserves, as they work through current economic challenges and reviews that are being carried out by the NHS.

It currently costs around £3.5m to provide free inpatient and community care for those with life-limiting illnesses in and around the Darlington area. Two-thirds of this must be raised by the hospice through their own activities.

How did they do it?

Over 80 Rotary Club volunteers crewed 16 vans over two days to collect the discarded Christmas trees around the area, and homeowners made a donation to the hospice in return for their service.

The trees were then chipped on the site of Darlington’s Vauxhall Dealer by Greenworx Ltd. Directors Brett and Ryan Skelton were keen to give back to the hospice after they cared for their mum Hazel, who sadly passed away two years ago.

Additional chipping facilities were volunteered by Jackson Trees. The vans were loaned by Enterprise Rent a Car and Charter Self Drive.

Greenworx Ltd made a second donation to the hospice, taken from the proceeds of the chippings. They also provided a second chipper at Redworth Hall Hotel to accommodate trees being collected in the Aycliffe area.

What’s the benefit? The fundraising effort has provided a lifeline to the hospice, according to their Deputy CHief Executive, Nicola Myers. She said:

“I can’t remember a period so difficult as the one we are currently going through because of the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis, so events like these are a true lifeline.

“Demand on our services is exceptionally high at the moment and our in-patient unit (IPU) is full. To put this latest amazing fundraising in context, £12,000 could pay for the food for patients being cared for in the IPU for the whole year.”

We are pleased that local organisations are supporting one another through these tough times.

After forming in early 2022, The Steel River Stingrays have spent the last year preparing for their inaugural season in the British American Flag Football league. In preparation for this national competition, the Stingrays have welcomed both seasoned veterans and complete rookies to put on a set of flags and give the sport a try for themselves, and the results have been astounding.

“We’ve been really successful in our recruitment” says Rob Fodor, Head Coach of the Steel River Stingrays. “I think a lot of that comes down to the growing popularity of the NFL in the UK. So many people watch American Football now that obviously more and more people decide they want to give it a try. We’re here for them when they make that decision”.

To the uninitiated, American Football can be a confusing concept, but the aim of the game in both the full-contact and flag variants of the sport is a simple one. Two teams take to the field and compete to score more touchdowns than their opponents by getting the football into an end-zone.

The biggest difference in flag football is that tackling is completed by “flagging” an opponent (or snatching a flag from around their waist).

“This makes our version of the game really attractive to newcomers” Offensive Coordinator Drew Magnet says. “Being non-contact eliminates the need for expensive pads and helmets that are necessary for a full contact game and can cost people thousands of pounds to buy. Flag football makes the sport accessible to just about anyone and also eliminates a lot of the injury risk associated with the full contact version of the game”.

Flag Football teams are smaller than full contact teams, taking on a 5-a-side format rather than 11-a-side and, in the absence of physical tackling, training and tournaments can take place indoors, which is very welcome given the UK’s temperamental climate.

It was this ability to train indoors that saw The Stingrays find a home in Middlesbrough Football Club’s Herlingshaw centre. Each Sunday between 10am and 12pm, the team train on a state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound 4G pitch, shielded from the weather conditions that would see most team’s training sessions cancelled throughout the winter. Throughout the year, the team have attractive sponsorship from a slew of local businesses which means players enjoy team membership with only minimal financial input from themselves. Ultimately, there has never been an easier time to start playing American football in the North East.

“Give it a try”, Rob told us in response to what he would say to someone unsure about stepping onto the field. “We have players of all abilities, genders and ages who train with us, so you really have no excuse not to! We’re a really inclusive team and we’re eager to grow the game in the UK. If you ever wanted to play American Football, now is the time”.

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