Go for gold in Shine’s anniversary year

The year 2016 will be a special one for Shine as it is the charity’s 50th anniversary. The charity, first called ASBAH, started in 1966 to help families with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. It has since developed into the Shine it is today - with more than 11,000 members and a head office in Park Road, Peterborough. The charity is now looking to raise lots of money in this anniversary year, including recruiting 100 companies to pledge £500 for the Go for Gold Challenge

Shine will be celebrating everything that has been achieved since its inception in the 1960s with a series of events throughout 2016. It is the only national charity offering specialist health services to people affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus – the golden thread or ‘SH’ of Shine. The charity’s health and education expertise goes beyond that offered by national services, and ranges from general health advice to one-on-one support from the health and development and education teams.

Shine has a network of support and development workers around the country who are at the end of a phone, email, Facebook or Shine event providing a reassuring voice to people experiencing the changes and daily challenges that spina bifida and hydrocephalus can bring for individuals and families. They are skilled at supporting people through change and loss, and enabling people to feel more positive about their future even when the going is tough.

Collette, one of the support and development workers, said: “A big part of what we do is helping young families come to terms with a new diagnosis, which can feel so isolating, so our events and Facebook groups help to connect members so they feel less alone. Sometimes, just knowing there is someone out there who understands and cares makes all the difference.”
Shine’s education team also work with schools so that teachers understand how spina bifida and hydrocephalus affect daily life and learning, and how to support their young students to reach their potential and feel valued members of their classes. Special golden anniversary events taking place in the Peterborough area to raise money will include the official launch at the Golden Anniversary Service in Peterborough Cathedral (13 April), the Shine Megacycle Festival (31 July) and a Shine Firewalk at Knarr Farm on 8 October. Also in July, the ‘Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus: Our Heritage’ exhibition will launch in Peterborough – the first exhibition of its kind in the UK. It will be fully open to visitors by the summer.

Shine Chairman, Richard Astle will be undertaking various challenges for the charity, including a 50-mile walk and an overseas trek. Richard has already raised £40,000 for the new Shine Health Hub, which offers specialist health checks for members with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, both complex conditions. He has also has been a key player in developing Shine in the City, which aims to build upon a spirit of partnership to develop mutually beneficial partnerships in the city. Not least of these is the Go for Gold Challenge to recruit 100 companies to pledge £500, thereby raising £50,000 in Shine’s anniversary year.
Richard said: ‘So much has been achieved by the charity during the last 50 years. The service and support it provides are vital so if you are able to help us during 2016 to make sure this is a year to remember then we would very much appreciate the support.’

Fundraising events
● April – Shine’s Golden Anniversary Service, Peterborough Cathedral, Wednesday 13 April
● Summer – Shine’s Megacycle – back by popular demand – a summer special event for all the family
● July – Official launch of the Heritage Exhibition
● October – Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Awareness Month – lighting up key venues around the country
● October – Firewalk, Knarr Farm near Peterborough, Saturday 8 October Shine runs numerous other events all over the country so that members can meet up with one another, have fun and share and learn together.

Below are details of some of the events coming up. For more information or to book for our events, unless otherwise stated, please contact or phone us on 01733 555988. You can also find details on the web calendar at www.shinecharity.org.uk/events

Want to help support Shine? If you would like to pledge support to the Go for Gold Challenge, or would like further information, please contact Shelley Green on or call 01733 555988

Join the 2017 trek
Richard Astle, Shine Chairman, and also managing director of local PR and marketing company, Athene Communications, will be celebrating the anniversary his own way – leading a 50-mile walk between Ely and Peterborough in late August and taking part in a trek in Costa Rica in January 2017. Several local businesses have already signed up to join him on both – get in touch if you want to be part of either challenge –