In this interview, we speak with Amanda Hetherington, Head of Fundraising & Partnerships at Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, about her work supporting children and families across Sussex. She shares insights into building strong community and business partnerships, the impact of local fundraising, and how hospitality venues can play a vital role in helping the charity continue its life-changing work.
Tell us a bit about Rockinghorse and the vital work you do for children across Sussex?
Well, we began in 1967, when Dr Trevor Mann decided to raise funds to bring the first neonatal incubator outside London to Brighton. He wanted to avoid families having to travel all the way to London for their baby to get the treatment they needed.
Since then, we have continued to work on making our local children’s hospitals the best they can be for the thousands of babies, children and young people who need hospital treatment each year.
Whilst we’re the official fundraising arm of The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital (The Alex), in Brighton, we also support children’s wards in Eastbourne, Haywards Health, Worthing and Chichester, as well as many smaller community settings across East and West Sussex.
We are lucky to have a hugely passionate team of 12, and together we have a mighty presence across Sussex and the work we do directly supports more than 190,000 children every year.
We’ve heard about the new Wellbeing youth group sessions you’re launching; why is this emotional support so important for young patients?
Yes, our Rockinghorse Wellbeing Service is doing great things for so many young people. It provides a range of activities and resources for children, young people, families and our wonderful NHS staff during their time in the hospital.
A big part of this service in our Youth Voice Group, made up of a group of young people who we meet with regularly and help us shape the way the hospital responds to the wellbeing needs of their young patients.
Our aim with this service is to help reduce stress and anxiety for young patients, helping them to manage and engage with their treatment, which can help speed up their recovery and improve how they manage their conditions in the longer term.
For children who need months or years of hospital treatment, it can be so difficult for them to manage the impact on their mental health. They have to be brave in ways no child should have to be. And that’s where this service can help.
The Brighton hospitality scene is famous for its heart; how have local restaurants and pubs been getting involved with the charity recently?
We’re really fortunate that restaurants in Brighton and around Sussex have, over nearly 60 years, supported us by providing prizes for our events, so that we can ensure 100% of donations from our raffles and auctions can go directly to supporting children and families when they need it most. Local businesses play a vital part in ensuring we can continue to raise funds to support our community.
We’re lucky to have such a dynamic and caring community here. Restaurants and other local businesses in Brighton and throughout Sussex have supported us for nearly 60 years which is incredible.
But our job is never done and the continual support from the local community is so appreciated. Whether that’s with donations, prizes for raffles, fundraising pub quizzes, or special dishes that sit on the menu – we’re looking at ways to make it easy for restaurants and pubs to get involved.
The “£1 on the bill” initiative is such a simple way to give back—which local venues are currently championing this?
The wonderful ‘Il Bistro’ are supporting us by generously including a £1 donation on a dish from their menu. The Grand Hotel have also created their special Rockinghorse cocktail with a £2 donation to Rockinghorse.
The Ivy in Brighton also regularly supports us by sponsoring our annual ‘Rockinghorse Beach Clean’ along with providing a space and lunch for our supporter events.
But we would love more local restaurants to sign up to our ‘£1 on the bill’ initiative to help us raise vital funds for children and families in our community.
Pub quizzes are a Brighton staple; are there any specific pubs using their trivia nights to raise funds for Rockinghorse?
Yes! The Caxton Arms are huge supporters of Rockinghorse, holding quizzes, ‘Toad’ competitions and football matches. The French Horn have also been long standing charity partners, and we get a huge amount of support from the ‘Lion Group’ pub chain.
But we have lots of other pubs throughout the city and surrounding areas that also kindly support us – the more the merrier!
We love a creative collaboration—can you tell us about the special charity cocktail currently being shaken up at The Grand?
Yes, it’s a really great idea. Head barman Niall and Senior Guest Relations Manager Sandra Flanagan came up with the idea of a delicious new summer cocktail, called The Rockinghorse, to add to their bar menu with £2 from every sale being donated to Rockinghorse.
The cocktail is made with rum, pineapple, lime and passion fruit and is a really delicious drink, perfect for a sunny afternoon, but what makes it even more special is the design.
But the best bit is that The Grand have a fantastic bit of kit, called a Ripple Maker, that ‘prints’ images on the top of drinks using edible food dye. So, not only do customers get a tasty drink, but with the Rockinghorse logo ‘printed’ on the top, they can really see who they are supporting.
Food is a great way to connect people to a cause; which local spots like Abe at Il Bistro have created a dedicated “Rockinghorse Dish”?
It really is a great way to support and we are looking for more restaurants in the local area to take up this fantastic idea.
Rockinghorse also organises a “Thank You” meal for the NHS staff at the Royal Alex—how does that partnership between the charity and local restaurants work?
Every quarter we work with local food providers, such as Higgidy, and restaurants like Nostos in Hove, to provide staff at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital a delicious, free lunch.
We really want to make sure we thank all the wonderful doctors and nurses at The Alex for the work they do, and this lunch is a way of doing this.
A £250 sponsorship, as a one off donation, would pay for one of these Staff Wellbeing Lunches to help make sure we can continue to look after the wonderful NHS workers who take care of our children.
This is a lovely way to give back to frontline workers; which restaurants have laid on a spread for the doctors and nurses recently?
This is a new initiative and so far, Higgidy and Nostos have kindly provided these lunches. But of course, we’re always on the lookout for any other cafes or restaurants who would also like to help.
We hear Il Bistro and Malmaison have meals coming up; how often do these “thank you” events take place?
They happen quarterly, so the staff at The Alex always have something to look forward to. Il Bistro and Malmaison are still yet to 100% confirm please don’t include.
You have some high-energy events on the horizon—what can you tell us about the Sea Lanes Relay and how hospitality teams can enter?
Of course, our Rockinghorse Relay is a 12-hour overnight swimathon to help raise funds for our Wellbeing Service will be happening at Sea Lanes outdoor swimming pool in Brighton on the 24 – 25 September.
And we would love hospitality teams across the city to take part. It’s a really fantastic event and we often have teams from local businesses taking part – it’s a great team-building challenge too.
All people have to do is commit to raise £100, or more of course! This amount could fund a six-week sea swimming course for a young person to help them come to terms with, and manage, a long-term health condition. Here is how you sign up – Swimming Relay link
Are there any other upcoming events specifically tailored for the food and drink community?
Yes, we have our Rockinghorse Pub Quizzes that happen throughout the year. If anyone is interested, they just have to get in touch with one of our Fundraising Managers Jules at Jules@Rockinghorse.org.uk, who can send you the Quiz and instructions on how to set this up.
We also have our ‘Rockinghorse Beach Clean’ on Wednesday 24 June between 12-2pm, meeting outside Brighton Pier. This is another great team building event where groups from local businesses can come along, help keep our beach beautiful and clean, and compete for the prize for the most rubbish collected. Just head to our website for more info: https://www.rockinghorse.org.uk/event/beach-clean/
If a local restaurant or cafe owner wants to start supporting Rockinghorse today, what are the first steps they should take?
The easiest thing is to just get in touch for us for a chat. One of the team would be more than happy to come along and meet you to talk about the ways they can get involved.
We always available to share information on all our projects and campaigns and how their support can make a huge difference to so many. They can contact me at Amanda@Rockinghorse.org.uk or Jules@Rockinghorse.org.uk
Why do you think it is so important for Brighton-grown businesses to support a Brighton-grown charity?
As a Brighton institution, we have been part of the fabric of our wonderful city for so long. We have supported generations of families since 1967, and we want to continue to do this for as long as possible.
We also know that when a local business supports a local charity, this can be beneficial for both sides.
Supporting a local charity can strengthen your brand and make your customers more likely to choose the services of your business. It also shows that the cause they choose aligns with their customers’ values.
It really is an easy and practical way for local businesses to strengthen the community that they depend on and of course makes a vital difference in improve the lives of children and families in the community they serve.
Finally, Amanda—when you aren’t busy building partnerships, where are your personal favourite spots in the city to grab a bite or a drink?
I love the Black Lion and The Cricketers, both pubs are very near our Rockinghorse office in the centre of Brighton. Chilli Pickle is one of my favourite places to eat for a great spicy curry. For a quick lunch during the day, you can’t go wrong with Donatellos and Pinocchios and for a more romantic meal I love Riddle and Finns.
My family are all from Brighton and The Regency has always been a family favourite and my son really likes sushi, so Moshimo is also top on our list.
