Year: 2014
Passion
When a child needs life-saving surgery, families often find themselves relying on specialist hospitals, expert medical teams and the charities that support them. The Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital provides vital support to children undergoing complex cardiac treatment and to the families standing beside them.
For Nadine and Ivan Hollingsworth, this support became deeply personal when their son Seb required emergency heart surgery at just 16 weeks old due to a complex heart condition. The care their family received inspired them to give something back.
Action
Determined to support the hospital that saved their son’s life, Nadine and Ivan founded Seb4CHUF, a fundraising campaign dedicated to supporting the Children’s Heart Unit Fund. Since then, Ivan has taken on a remarkable series of fundraising challenges, from skiing down a mountain in a mankini to running 100 miles in under 24 hours, alongside numerous marathons and endurance events.
The Adderstone Foundation proudly sponsored the campaign’s annual Coast to Coast Challenge, where the team decided to push the limits even further- cycling from the east coast of England to the west and then running the entire route back again.
Impact
Over seven days, a team of eight fundraisers covered an incredible 280 miles across the country. TV presenter and Ivan’s childhood friend Ben Shephard joined the challenge, helping raise awareness and support along the way.
Seb himself was also part of the journey, travelling alongside the team in a specialist support vehicle provided by Richard Hardie Motors and sponsored by the Adderstone Foundation.
The challenge raised vital funds for the Children’s Heart Unit Fund, helping ensure that families facing the frightening reality of childhood heart surgery continue to receive the care, equipment and support they need at the Freeman Hospital.
