Watch as 1,500 Sunderland children revel in family fun day at the Beacon of Light

Over a thousand of the city’s children have been to the Beacon of Light to enjoy a fun-filled day of family activities and sports.

For a donation of just £2 towards SAFC’s official charity, The Foundation of Light, children from toddlers to teenagers were able to take part in coaching sessions in a range of sports including football, cricket, basketball, badminton and table tennis.

There were also giant inflatables to burn off some energy as well as a soft play area for the toddlers to enjoy. 

Children and parents could also take part in cooking, dance and arts and crafts sessions as well as meeting SAFC mascot Samson.

Jordan Fent, 37, from Moorside, attended the fun day with his children Harry, 6, and Oscar, 4.

He said: “The event has been really good. It’s a chance to introduce them to new sports which is really helpful for us to see what they are interested in.

“It’s obviously useful to have things for the children to do during the holidays and the fact it’s only a donation of £2 means it’s a cheap day out for families.”

Michael Robinson, 38, had travelled across from Kendal in Cumbria with his children to visit their grandparents and decided to bring Ella, 3, and William, 8, along to the Beacon of Light.

He said: “We are in the North East and looking for things to do and I knew Sunderland AFC would have something on and so I thought I would head along.

“The event has been excellent. I’m really impressed with the pitches and the facilities. My son is out there playing football at the moment and he is really enjoying it.

“It’s vital to have these sorts of events during the school holiday periods.”

The Beacon of Light’s communications manager Kate Smith said they were “delighted” with the turn-out.

She added: “We’ve got 1,500 people with tickets for today’s fun day. We had to ask families to book tickets to try and manage numbers as there has been such a big demand.

“It’s important for children to try different sports and activities during the school holiday periods and this gets them off their computers and being active.”

The Beacon will be running holiday coaching courses during the rest of the Easter holidays and details can be found on their website.

They will also be running further fund days in the summer holidays.