Charity and Partnerships

The Special Lioness

As a trusted charitable organisation founded in 2017, The Special Lioness, as two mums of children with life-limiting conditions and profound disabilities, found that they had nowhere to turn for honest advice on helpful products and medical issues; finding the journey utterly lonely and exhausting. So, after meeting through a Portage sensory group, The Special Lioness realised that they had something to offer other families who were in similar circumstances – and that’s where their journey began!

Over the years, The Special Lioness has strived to become “a social, friendly, welcoming, slightly bonkers place for parent/carers to come.”

Sharing their own knowledge and contacts that they’ve built up over the years, The Special Lioness’s main goal is not only to help create strong friendships for other parents/carers but for their children, too. They have a passion for fundraising so that they’re able to give these families one-off experiences, filled with fun and laughter – particularly as most of the children who attend the group have a short life expectancy. The Special Lioness want to create as many memories as possible for families, while their children are well enough to experience them.

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)

The RNLI was founded as the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Lives and Property from Shipwreck in 1824. It changed its name to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1854 and has worked tirelessly for almost 200 years to save lives at sea. The RNLI’s research and rescue service help to educate, influence, supervise and rescue those at risk from drowning, and has pioneered developments in lifesaving at sea.

Rockcliff Girls Rugby Whitley Bay

Rockcliff Girls Rugby club are a rugby union team based at Whitley Bay Rockcliff RFC. It was established at the start of the 2008/2009 season and, since then, the team’s coaching staff have created an under 13’s, under 15’s and under 18’s teams for girls. Alongside coaching the girls to develop their rugby skills, the club actively encourages its players to get their refereeing certificates so that they have a better understanding of the game and can further develop their interpersonal skills.

Whitley Bay Football Club

The present Whitley Bay Football Club was formed in 1950 and was known as Whitley Bay Athletic. The club’s home ground is at Hillheads Park, which has a maximum capacity of 4,500. The club spent all of the 1990s playing in the Northern Premier League and now plays in the Northern League Division One.

Fisherman's Mission, local centre - North Shields

More than 13,000 people work in fishing: the UK’s toughest and most dangerous peacetime occupation. At sea, they face death and injury with an average of 15 fishermen killed or seriously injured every year. On land, many struggle with insecurity and debt. And for the 50,000 retired fishermen and their families, the fishing may have ended but the hardship continues as they face debt, scant savings, loneliness and isolation.

The Fishermen’s Mission reaches out to both active and retired fishermen by providing practical, spiritual and financial support – as well as a vital emergency response service.

South Shields Football Club

We recently took a box at South Shields Football Club’s stadium as goodwill for our work regenerating the local area.

South Shields Football Club is a football club based in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, that competes in the Northern Premier League.

We are looking to support the club in many ways, including directly investing in its fast-growing Academy and Foundation programme.

We look forward to continuing to work with the Club and wish SSFC every success for the future.

Sunderland Carers Centre

Sunderland Carers Centre provides support for people who care for their husband, wife, mam, dad, son, daughter, sibling, friend or other relatives. They offer information, advice and guidance to carers in and around Sunderland.

The Carers Centre is a “centrepoint” for carers in the city, assisting directly when and where they can and linking people with other organisations when more appropriate, to ensure every user gets the support they require.

Watch out for fundraising activities by clicking the box below.

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