Latest news with #FoundationofLight
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chance for kids to play on Sunderland AFC's pitch at Stadium of Light
Budding young footballers will have the rare opportunity to play at the Stadium of Light. The Foundation of Light is hosting a special event called Kids' Play on the Pitch during the May half-term holidays. Children aged three to 14 will be able to play on the Sunderland AFC turf. The event on Wednesday, May 28, will allow children to run out of the tunnel, play on the pitch, and have their photograph taken pitchside. (Image: Foundation of Light) Each participant will also receive a commemorative certificate. There are one-hour time slots available for 6-14 year-olds starting from 8am, with the last slot at 1pm. There is also a 45-minute slot for 3-5 year-olds at 2.15pm. The price for the 6-14 year-olds is £30, while the 3-5 year-olds can participate for £25. Registration will be at the Beacon of Light, with all players being chaperoned to the Stadium of Light. Spectators are welcome to watch from the West Stand, and refreshments will be available at the Yard Nine café. Spaces can be booked by following this link. Read more: 'Important discovery' as rare spider that is 'master of disguise' spotted in UK Experienced skydiver, 32, who died in County Durham incident last weekend is named Mini-heatwave continues in Darlington & County Durham as temperatures stay high There are only 96 spaces per time slot, so demand is expected to be high. The first-ever kids' play on pitch event, hosted by Foundation of Light, includes a pitchside photograph, commemorative certificate, and the chance to run out of the tunnel. Spectators are welcome, and refreshments will be available at the Yard Nine café.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pride concert will 'pull out the stops'
A free concert to celebrate Pride in Sunderland will bring together a whole host of top entertainment, organisers say. It is the culmination of a the month-long festival in June, which includes film screenings, a family picnic, and a tennis tournament. Following the Pride march on Saturday 28 June, the free event in Keel Square is sponsored by Sunderland AFC and the Foundation of Light. Organisers Out North East said their support would allow the concert to "pull out all the stops". The concert will be hosted by Elijah Young, best known for playing Stuart on the hit TV show, Smoggie Queens, and the line up includes '90s icon Tina Cousins, London LGBTQ+ dance company Homoparody and showcase entertainers The Future Is Queer. Peter Darrant, chair of Out North East said: "The support of Foundation of Light and SAFC means we can pull out all the stops, while ensuring that the concert is absolutely free and open to everyone. "Pride in not just important for the LGBTQ+ community to show their visibility, it's also about us showing pride in our allies and their support. "It is a really vital event to ensure that the voice of the community is heard, along with those invaluable individuals and organisations who stand with us!" Foundation of Light CEO Lesley Spuhler said: "This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a welcoming, supportive community for everyone." Sunderland AFC's chief business officer David Bruce said that as a club deeply rooted in the community, it was incredibly proud to be supporting Pride in Sunderland. He added: "Football is for everyone, and we're privileged to play our part in making this event a vibrant and welcoming celebration for all." Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. North East welcomes a summer of Pride celebrations Pride artists 'can be totally free in a safe space' Out North East Foundation of Light Sunderland AFC
BBC News
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sunderland Pride concert will 'pull out the stops'
A free concert to celebrate Pride in Sunderland will bring together a whole host of top entertainment, organisers is the culmination of a the month-long festival in June, which includes film screenings, a family picnic, and a tennis the Pride march on Saturday 28 June, the free event in Keel Square is sponsored by Sunderland AFC and the Foundation of Out North East said their support would allow the concert to "pull out all the stops". The concert will be hosted by Elijah Young, best known for playing Stuart on the hit TV show, Smoggie Queens, and the line up includes '90s icon Tina Cousins, London LGBTQ+ dance company Homoparody and showcase entertainers The Future Is Queer. Peter Darrant, chair of Out North East said: "The support of Foundation of Light and SAFC means we can pull out all the stops, while ensuring that the concert is absolutely free and open to everyone. "Pride in not just important for the LGBTQ+ community to show their visibility, it's also about us showing pride in our allies and their support."It is a really vital event to ensure that the voice of the community is heard, along with those invaluable individuals and organisations who stand with us!" Foundation of Light CEO Lesley Spuhler said: "This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a welcoming, supportive community for everyone."Sunderland AFC's chief business officer David Bruce said that as a club deeply rooted in the community, it was incredibly proud to be supporting Pride in added: "Football is for everyone, and we're privileged to play our part in making this event a vibrant and welcoming celebration for all." Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
31-01-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Sunderland's Jill Scott says women's football is in 'a better place'
Former Lioness Jill Scott said she does not think she would be able to "survive nowadays" due to the technical level of girls' returned to Sunderland alongside former referee Rebecca Welch and said the provision for girls in her home city was now far better than when she was pair attended an Emerging Talent Centre (ETC) session and presented coach Sophie Gibson with a Community Captain Award to acknowledge the time she has volunteered, which Scott said "often goes unnoticed".The former midfielder said she cannot remember playing on flood-lit pitches when she was growing up but, after retiring in 2022, has "left the game in a better place". Ms Gibson, a sports development officer at the Foundation of Light, has coached the girls at Sunderland Downhill for two years and said the award was a "massive surprise"."When we were kids, sometimes we wouldn't even get 11 players for the pitch, and now you look behind me and you've got so many girls here just wanting to play football," said the 24-year-old."The standard just gets better and better every year." ETC's across England are funded by the Premier League to support the next generation of female who is from Washington, Sunderland, was the first woman to referee a Premier League fixture in pair also took part in a skills session with the young footballers."Obviously our journey was a lot different," said Scott."We had a dream that didn't exist because there were no female professional footballers."It's so fun to be back here and see so many girls playing football."I feel very lucky that I grew up in Sunderland."Last year, Scott, 37, joined the Foundation of Light's board of trustees in the hope of supporting women's football Gibson said the girls coming through are "so passionate these days about football"."They're just always 100%, you never have to get after them," she added.
