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History
When Joanne was being recognised as a child
of courage, among those present at the award ceremony was Robin Alexander,
a member of Hexham Round Table about to start his year as Community
Service Committee Chairman.
Robin was so inspired by Joanne's story that he sought to make the
cornerstone of his year an appeal to establish recognition and reward
for other children with similar stories.
The fundraising effort proved a great success, culminating in the
autumn of 1989 with a gala charity dinner held at the Mayfair Ballroom
(a venue where "The Gate" now stands) at which the cabaret
for the evening was headlined by Dire Straits. Over £35,000
was raised.
As a consequence of the fundraising effort, it was possible to send
22 children to Disney World in Florida. Other children whose illness
or handicap prevented them from travelling received computers, videos,
or other equipment intended to enhance their lives.
All the children attended a presentation at the ITV (then Tyne Tees
TV) and received the distinctive Brave Hearts award – the cherished
Crystal Pyramid.
It soon became apparent that the undertaking had grown beyond anyone's
wildest dreams, and it was decided that it was too big to remain simply
as part of Hexham Round Table's community service effort. Consequently
Brave Hearts was registered as a Charity in its own right. This is
now known as "Brave Hearts of the North East", and the Round
Table link remains through the Charity's Trustees, most of whom have
been members of Hexham Round Table. |
