Nathan’s Extravaganza raises over £5,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust, The J’s Hospice and The David Randall Foundation

A charity ball which was held to celebrate a young Colchester man’s 21st birthday has raised £5,281.47 for three charities which have supported him throughout his life.
Nathan Cain, from Colchester, turned 21 last month and to celebrate the milestone his Mum, Sue, organised ‘Nathan’s Extravaganza’ charity ball at Le Talbooth, Dedham, to thank The Sick Children’s Trust, The J’s Hospice and the David Randall Foundation for their support over the years.
Since he was born, Nathan has battled a number of conditions including cerebral palsy, worster-drought syndrome and scoliosis. Throughout the years, three charities have had a significant impact on Nathan and his family’s life. The Sick Children’s Trust, which runs free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation supported Nathan’s parents at its Acorn House when he needed specialist treatment at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The J’s Hospice has provided the family with much-needed emotional support and respite for Nathan while the David Randall Foundation has provided the family with day trips. Sue says:
“Nathan and I were absolutely delighted with how many people came along to celebrate his birthday and to support three charities close to our hearts. The evening was a great night, filled with delicious food, sunshine and lots of laughter.
“Everyone showed so much generosity with the raffle and the auction which really made a difference to the final total raised.
“Nathan had so much fun and enjoyed a couple of glasses of Prosecco. Once the evening was over, we finally went to bed around 3am, and by 6:30am he was raring to go! He received a lovely signed photo and birthday card from The Sick Children’s Trust’s ambassador, Chris Tarrant, who is Nathan’s hero and he was over the moon.
“We’d like to thank everyone who supported the event, from those who donated prizes, sponsored the event to those who bought tickets. Without everyone’s generous support, the night wouldn’t’ve been possible.”
The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the country, supporting around 4,000 families every year with sick children in hospital. Although accommodation is provided free of charge to families, it costs the charity £30 to support a family for one night. £1760.49 has been donated to The Sick Children’s Trust from ‘Nathan’s Extravaganza’ which is enough to support 59 families with free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation for one night. Community Fundraising Manager, Elisa Cappello-Dowd, says:
“It was wonderful meeting Sue and Nathan along with all their family and friends at Nathan’s Extravaganza. Sue put so much hard work into making the night a success for three charities and ensuring Nathan saw in his 21st birthday in style!
“We can’t thank Sue enough for choosing to support The Sick Children’s Trust once again. Because of Sue’s support, we can keep more families together, just minutes from their seriously ill child’s bedside.”
For further information about The Sick Children’s Trust, please visit http://www.sickchildrenstrust.org/