'We need your help': Sophie's Legacy in urgent need of sponsors for Saturday Night Suppers as numbers dwindle
A charity is looking for sponsors
The future of a beloved weekly pizza night for children in hospital is at risk as the number of sponsors dwindle.
Sophie’s Legacy has launched an urgent appeal for people to sponsor its Saturday Night Suppers which provides pizza on a weekly basis to children and their families in hospitals across the south.
The charity was founded in 2022 by Charlotte Fairall, from Stubbington, following the death of her ten-year-old daughter - Sophie - who was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma the year prior.
Since its launch, Charlotte has been campaigning for improvements in childhood cancer care, including the quality of children’s hospital experiences. As part of this work, Saturday Night Suppers was established. Normally, the scheme has sponsors lined up ten months in advance but the charity currently has multiple dates vacant for all the hospitals it supports including QA.
Taking to social media, Charlotte said: “It might seem like just a pizza, but we can honestly say that these Saturday Night Suppers mean the world to the families who receive them. We've walked onto wards and been greeted with rounds of applause. We've had parents in tears because they've been sitting beside their child all day, they're exhausted, they're at the end of their rope and suddenly there's one less thing they have to think about.
“And we've seen poorly children absolutely beaming because they've been given a pizza as a Saturday night treatThose moments are exactly why we do it. You can sponsor a night to celebrate a birthday or special occasion, in memory of someone, through your business or workplace, or simply because you'd like to do something lovely for families in hospital. And when you sponsor a Saturday Night Supper, we'll give you (or your business) a shout-out on our social media when we share that week's pizza night.
“We really want to keep those pizzas heading into hospitals every weekend.”
The cost of sponsoring a pizza night varies depending on the hospital and ward you want to provide for, with the cheapest option starting at £60. For more information about how to sponsor a pizza night, click here.