A NORTH EAST event has once again gone beyond the pale – by raising an amazing £33,000 in one afternoon to support heart-related causes.
The White Party took place yesterday (15 Sept) at Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa near Durham, where around 400 people enjoyed an Ibiza-style celebration.
It’s the third time the event has been organised by Sunderland couple Sergio and Emma Petrucci, who are also responsible for the successful annual Red Sky Ball, bringing the couple’s fund-raising total to an incredible £338,000 in three years.
The money has bought life saving equipment for the heart unit at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital and the latest boost to the coffers will also pay for defibrillators to be installed in town and city centres across the region.
The couple decided to find a way to thank the medical staff who saved their daughter Luna’s life when it was discovered she had two heart defects when she was a toddler.
The youngster underwent cardiac surgery and is now a healthy six-year-old.
Sergio decided to organise a fund-raising event, calling it the Red Sky Ball, because of the colour of the sky the morning of Luna’s operation.
And since that event both Sergio and Emma have organised two sell-out events annually, raising huge amounts of money which have been spent on equipment that has saved other lives.
“We’re completely overwhelmed by the support we’ve received and the generosity of the people who come along to the events,” said Sergio.
“We’ve got amazing sponsors who make a massive difference and hundreds of people who now come to both the Red Sky Ball and the White Party every year.
“We’re thrilled that once again we’ve managed to raise an incredible amount of money which we can spend to help save lives across the region.”
Among the attendees at the event Steps singer, Faye Tozer, who is an ambassador for the Red Sky Ball and celebrity DJs Chris Bungoni and Brandon Block, who performed.
The White Party was supported by a number of businesses including Elopa Estate Agents, Everyone Active, Smart Utility Management, Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa, Specsavers, Santander, Esh Group, Mercedes Benz Sunderland, AR Controls, Ashford Orthodontics and Palladium Hotel Group.
For further information on future events visit www.redskyball.com