A team of staff from North East furniture manufacturer, Godfrey Syrett, downed tools in favour of buckets and spades for this year’s annual sandcastle building competition for local children’s charity, Children North East.
Working with children from Langley Park Primary School, the furniture specialists built a number of designs to fit in with this year’s theme, ‘Quayside to Seaside’, including a ferry, a metro carriage and the Sage Gateshead.
The event took place at Sand Haven beach in South Shields and was the charity’s 21st annual Sandcastle Challenge.
Over 1700 primary school children joined in the fun, working in teams of 15, and paired with a business, the children worked to get their creations finished within the allocated hour.
Out of the 130 teams involved there were five winners, each winning £200 for their school donated by the event’s main sponsor, Galliford Try. The winning designs were chosen for their creativity, their joined up work with the business and the overall finish of the design.
Derek Mitchell of Godfrey Syrett said: “We had a great time taking part in the Sandcastle Challenge, it was fantastic to see the children enjoying a fun day out at the beach and being creative with their designs. But most importantly the event raised funds and created awareness for a very worthy cause. We are delighted to continue to support Children North East, for whom we have raised over £15,000 during the past three years.”
Children North East has been established for over 125 years providing a better chance at life to children living in poverty, a figure which currently stands at 132,000 in the North East.
Carol Taylor, senior fundraiser of Children North East said: “At Children North East, our vision is for every child in the North East to grow up healthy and happy. The support and services we provide strive to give them a hand up rather than a hand out. We are very grateful for Godfrey Syrett’s ongoing support, the money they have raised really has made a difference to the families we support.”
For more information about Children North East and the Sandcastle Events, visit: www.children-ne.org.uk