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Our care servicesVirtual event with bestselling children’s author M.G. Leonard
Tuesday 16 March 2021
A team of Brighton University students have enlisted the help of bestselling children’s author, M.G. Leonard to raise money for Chestnut Tree House, by organising a virtual book reading event.
Taking place at 11am on Saturday 20 March, the hour-long charity event with M.G. Leonard features an introduction to her books, a reading and a Q&A session.
Family tickets for the virtual author event cost from £5 and all proceeds are being donated to Chestnut Tree House, to support children with life-shortening conditions and their families across Sussex. As well as raising vital funds for the charity, the event – from conception to delivery – will be assessed as part of the Brighton University students’ coursework for their International Event Management degree.
‘Elaborate Events 2021’ was set up by the team of second year university students after they were given a brief to create and hold a virtual event. Deciding on an online children’s book reading to support a local children’s charity, they approached Brighton-based author, M.G. Leonard (Maya) who kindly agreed to get involved.
Local to both the university and Chestnut Tree House, Maya lives in Brighton with her husband, two sons and pet beetles. After bursting onto the literary scene in 2016 with her quirky debut ‘Beetle Boy’, Maya’s books have been translated into over 40 languages and a TV series based on the ‘Beetle Boy’ books is currently in development. She is currently writing the ‘Adventures on Trains’ series.
Chestnut Tree House fundraiser, Grant Phillips will also be online during the virtual event to talk about the charity and the importance of local community support. “People show their support for Chestnut Tree House in so many ways and it’s always exciting to hear about the new and innovative fundraising ideas people come up with,” said Grant.
“I was thrilled when Chloe – one of the students in the ‘Elaborate Events 2021’ team got in touch to tell me about their plans, and we’re so grateful to Maya for getting involved and supporting the initiative.
“Fundraising has been challenging during the pandemic and we’ve been relying on support from our local community more than ever. But events like this are about more than just raising vital funds. We hope it will also help to raise awareness of Chestnut Tree House and the importance of children’s hospice care to local families.”