THE previous Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland has broken the borough’s all-time Mayoral charity fund-raising record.
Councillor Barry Hunt, who has recently stood down after his year as Mayor, raised £24,000.
During his year as Mayor, he slept on Redcar High Street on Christmas Eve and Christmas night to raise money for the homeless raising about £7,000. He also raised money for people with learning disabilities.
He said: “I feel humbled by the support shown from people right across the borough. I’d like to thank the generosity of the people who donated their time, money and effort towards helping these vitally important charities.”
His chosen charities were Coatham House, a charity for young homeless people and Earthbeat, a theatre company located in Saltburn to support adults with learning disabilities.
Cllr Hunt’s charitable actions included recording a charity single, a cover of Hurry Home, written by Teesside-based song-writer Steve Thompson. He also hosted a charity ball at Gisborough Hall in April. He was praised for his fund-raising by fellow councillors across the political divide at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council’s Annual General Meeting. He beat the old fund-raising record by several thousand pounds.
New Mayor, Cllr Karen King was elected at the meeting, and aims to raise money and awareness of Teesside Sands, which supports families dealing with the tragedy of stillbirth, and The Junction, a charity for vulnerable young people.