Over the last six years of running this business, we’ve supported several wonderful children’s charities by offering speaker slots, free stands at our events and social media coverage to raise awareness.

We’ve worked with Chestnut Tree House, Martlets Hospice, Kangaroos Children’s Disability Charity, Demelza, Golden Lion Children’s Trust and The Children’s Respite Trust, to name but a few.

We have loved helping each of these unique charities. Choosing a new partnership was always going to be hard, with so many deserving options. This year, however, I was temporarily transported back to 2013 during one very special conversation…

It was the 27th of June, 2013, around 10am, when my wife, Andrea, gave birth to twins. My gorgeous pair of kids, Jack and Charlotte, were born at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. Jack was born two minutes earlier than Charlotte, and wow, oh wow, does he like to remind her! Charlotte was smaller than Jack and had a few complications with fingers and toes, so we were referred to a specialist hospital in East Grinstead to help.

She was referred to the children’s ward, named the Peanut Ward, at Queen Victoria Hospital. They supported us every step of the way, preparing us for Charlotte’s trauma admission. I’m forever indebted to the NHS Foundation for what they did for my little girl. Whilst it was an incredibly anxious time for us and Charlotte, she went in a hero, and came out a superhero.

I’m in awe of her and Jack every single day, and to the staff of Peanut Ward in East Grinstead for caring and looking after my little one when she needed it most. I’m especially thankful to the doctor and their full support triage that helped keep her safe and smiling.

The Peanut Ward was brought up recently in a meeting I had with Donna Holland, the CEO of Rockinghorse Children’s Charity. It turns out they support Peanut Ward at the Queen Victoria Hospital as well as all the children’s wards and baby units across Sussex, and Donna was treated at the Peanut Ward herself as a child, so it felt like fate to choose the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity for our two-year charity partnership programme.

“We are so excited to be working with the Sussex Business Show team for this two year partnership. Through our support of children’s wards and baby units across Sussex we care for thousands of babies, children, teenagers and their families all over Sussex, every year. A massive thank you to Sonny and the team, to Gav and his team at Search Seven for being the charity sponsor for the Sussex Business Show and to Sam Thomas for his ongoing support of the charity.”

From a fateful path crossing in 2013 to nearly a decade later, we can’t wait to support this charity, and all their hard work, for their efforts that transform children’s lives.