2-year-old Florence Joan Wales from South Tyneside who was supported by the Chronicle Sunshine Fund, pictured with her mum

The North East has some of the highest numbers of children with special educational needs and disability in the country, and families raising disabled children face, on average, additional costs of over £320 per month - some as high as £1,000 per month. Mental health and emotional well-being are at crisis point for children and their families.

The Sunshine Fund is a small North East charity whose mission is to provide specialist and adapted equipment to disabled children and young people living in the region, enriching their quality of life in ways not supported by the NHS or local authorities, and providing an inclusive future for them and their families.

The ch

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