The Sussex Snowdrop Trust 30th Anniversary Dinner

The local charity, The Sussex Snowdrop Trust marked 30 years of care with a special anniversary dinner at the Arundel Town Hall. Invited guests included past nurses, counsellors, volunteers, snowdrop parents, grandparents, and supporters. In the King’s Coronation year, the charity thought it would be appropriate to dine on one of the King’s apparent favourite dishes, ‘Pheasant Crumble’ which was prepared by local chef, Helen Clegg. The King’s pledge this year was to raise awareness of volunteer opportunities and one of the current counsellors, Phil Portway from the Snowdrop Care at Home Team gave a speech of thanks for the Chairman and Co-Founder, Di Levantine who has been a non-paid CEO for 30 years. Several guests shared their stories of their involvement in the charity, including one of the first nurses appointed, one of the first families who needed support and Colin Tebbutt MVO, who had spoken about his time as a Royal Protection Officer with Princess Anne and Princess Diana at various fundraising events for the charity. Guests also enjoyed hearing choral scholars, Claire Gale, Ella Blair and Sam Hancock from Arundel Cathedral with their medley of songs including, The Flower Duet (Lakme).

Di Levantine comments, “The dinner celebrating our 30th anniversary since we founded, ‘Snowdrop’ was wonderful. I was delighted to welcome guests to the special evening who were representative of supporters, nurses, businesses, families and many others, who had made a significant difference to the charity, over the past 30 years. It was a very happy event with people who really love the charity. We are a local charity helping families whose child has a life-threatening illness within a 15 mile radius of Chichester and we have been so fortunate that local businesses made this event possible including Arundel Town Council, Digby Fine English, Hennings wine, Goodwood Farm Shop and Pitch Up & Co. It was a memorable occasion, and we hope others will take on the joy of volunteering in their community in the Coronation year! “

Pictures – credit: Sophie Sitwell Photography

On Saturday 29th July, Peter Saywell of Saywell International hosted another spectacular Supercar Track Day in aid of The Snowdrop Trust.
We were so fortunate to have some dry conditions, allowing the incredible collection of Supercars the chance to enjoy the iconic Goodwood Motor Circuit, and we were delighted that the event attracted so many new supporters.
Our sincerest thanks go to Peter Saywell for his generosity and hospitality, as well as to all the drivers and Goodwood staff for making it such a fantastic day.
One boy, Samuel, who is on the ‘Snowdrop Pathway’ met Peter and was offered a ride in a blue McLaren. He told his mother, “Mummy, I will never forget that!”.

There were so many wonderful moments from the day -what incredible memories for everybody!
The total amount raised from the event was a staggering £11,643.19. A donation such as this will create a profoundly positive impact for the Trust.
Our appreciation also goes to Oli from the South Downs Slot Car Club and the Snowdrop volunteers who played crucial roles during the event. A special thank you to Dr. John Photography for skilfully capturing the excitement of this remarkable day.