Sunderland kids loving the Gentoo fun day at the Beacon of Light
A free family fun day, run by run by housing association Gentoo at the Beacon of Light, has been a huge success with kids and adults hoping for another one.
A host of activities took place including bouncy castles, soft play, lots of sports, a UV dance party, arts and crafts, face painting and much more.
There was a guest appearance from SAFC mascot Samson the Cat, who took part in a penalty shoot-out competition.
The event was available to Gentoo customers and a help to those who might struggle financially. Free school uniforms were issued and mobile food club The Bread and Butter Thing was there providing food.
The event also gave tenants a chance to offer feedback to teams from various Gentoo departments, while RE:GEN Academy was there to talk about their jobs and skills opportunities.
Speaking on the day, Zara Kelly, Gentoo's financial inclusion manager, said: "The event was for around 2,000 of our customers.
"It's summer holidays and the kids need to be entertained. It can be really difficult for parents, so we decided to put the fun day on.
"We've got face painting, bouncy castles and all sorts of different sports.
“We're also trying to get some feedback about the services we provide in order to involve customers in producing our financial inclusion and wellbeing strategy.
"The feedback has been amazing so far. We've got customers who are saying they've never been to the Beacon before. They're amazed that everything we've put on is free and that's thanks to our partners."
Chris Roberts, director of Customer at Gentoo, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of our recent family fun day.
“We’ve had some fantastic feedback from customers who enjoyed a day of fun, diverse activities with their children.
“We wanted to give families the opportunity to enjoy a fun day for people of all ages without having to worry about the cost.”
Lesley Spuhler, CEO of the Foundation of Light, said: "We are delighted to strengthen our long term partnership with Gentoo today by hosting this family fun day.
"This is exactly what the Beacon was designed to do, bring all sectors of our communities together, to learn, try new things and leave with smiles on their faces."