Theo's Egg Run returns to help our hospital!
A staple of the city’s calendar, the annual Egg Run in aid of Sheffield Children’s Hospital is set to return on Easter Sunday, April 21st.
For 20 years, hundreds of bikers have revved across the city on Easter Sunday, ending their route at Weston Park before delivering Easter eggs to grateful children on the hospital’s wards. The procession, led by two-time World Superbike Champion and patron of The Children’s Hospital Charity, James Toseland, has raised over £68,000 to help change lives at the hospital.
For new event organiser Michael Peat, 38, from Totley, the love affair with the Egg Run began when he first and his family first attended ten years ago. They have joined the annual motorbike meeting ever since.
“The people who turn up make the event so special, everyone who comes wants to support The Children’s Hospital Charity. You always meet so many amazing people. Over the years, I became more involved in organising the event and I began to feel a responsibility to get as many people there to enjoy it as I could.”
The cause also has special significance for Michael, after his son Theo was treated for serious burns at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in November 2016.
Theo was 9-years-old when he accidentally tipped a bowl of boiling water over himself, which spread over a wide area down his chest. He was immediately placed in a bath of cold water, before he was taken to the Emergency Department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
The staff quickly dressed the wound and Theo was subsequently admitted to the hospital’s Burns Unit, where he spent the next week recovering.
Mum Adele, 38, recalls: “The dressings they used were amazing, they did exactly what they were supposed to do. The way they reduced the scarring is incredible, it’s very difficult to notice now. We’re so grateful for the care we received and the Egg Run is just our way of saying thank you.”
This combined love of the Egg Run and Sheffield Children’s Hospital prompted Michael to step in a short-notice to ensure it continued. This year’s event is named after Theo, in joint recognition of the care his son received and The Children’s Hospital Charity’s mascot, Theo Bear.
“You never know if it misses a year whether it will start up again and it’s been a great tradition for many years now. I’ve taken it on quite last-minute and it’s been a steep learning curve but thankfully I’m not alone.
“There’s a big group of people who very kindly lend their time and expertise to make the Egg Run a success. Without everyone else, it wouldn’t happen.”
These groups and associations include South Yorkshire Police, Red Knights, Blue Knights, Motorcycle Action Group, Safer Roads Partnership, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists and Rotherham Advanced Motorcyclists.
The money raised from ‘Theo’s Egg Run’ will fittingly help build a new Emergency Department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Find out how you can support the appeal by clicking here.