Lunar New Year Dragon celebrations are a roaring success

Celebrations for the Lunar Chinese New Year took over the city from Friday 9^th to Tuesday 13^th February in support of The Children’s Hospital Charity. This year the Sheffield Chinese New Year Festival was bigger and better than ever, and the Charity were proud to be a part of the event.

The Children’s Hospital are delighted to announce that the founder, Jerry Cheung, has now been welcomed to The Children’s Hospital Charity as an ambassador.

Charity ambassadors are people who have committed to raising awareness of Sheffield Children's Hospital in their highly-specialist fields. Ambassadors pledge to utilise their expertise and enthusiasm to support the Charity’s upcoming events and fundraising efforts.

Jerry is the managing director of New Era Development (UK) Ltd and has dedicated much of his time to the development of Sheffield’s New Era Square. Jerry is influential in his community and has already shown his immense commitment to the Charity through the two-year partnership of Lunar New Year celebrations.

The Charity once again marked the Lunar New Year by lighting up Sheffield Children’s Hospital with a 5-meter dragon. The display was part of the wider Sheffield celebrations welcoming the Year of the Dragon, which included a food festival at the Peace Gardens, a celebration evening at the University of Sheffield’s Octagon Centre, and a dinner at local restaurant China Red.

The festival was an inclusive celebration of the diversity in Sheffield. Jerry was assisted by Kelvin Quick of China Red, among others to bring Eastern culture to the heart of Sheffield with food, music and dragon dancing.

The celebrations began with the switch-on of the dragon at Sheffield Children’s Hospital on Friday 9^th February. Supporters gathered to see the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Sheffield begin the weekend by turning on the lights.

This display was possible thanks to the support of generous sponsors from across the region, who came together to mark the New Year and make a difference at Sheffield Children’s.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Peace Gardens were taken over by more than 35 stalls serving food, art, and culture to visitors. On the evening of Saturday the 10^th there was a gala on the stage at the University of Sheffield’s Octagon Centre with dragon dancing, panda performances, and acrobats providing a spectacle for all attendees.

These performers then took to the streets, with a free parade at the Peace Gardens for families on Sunday 11^th February. The celebrations then culminated with an auction and raffle dinner at China Red to boost fundraising for the Charity.

Jerry’s dedication to fundraising through the festival makes him the perfect ambassador for The Children’s Hospital Charity.

Jerry said: “As a father of two, enabling children and young people to receive the best quality medical care is a cause which is very close to my heart. I have a very deep passion for community, and obviously, most of us have children in our lives that hold special places in our hearts.”

So far, the Sheffield Lunar Chinese New Year Festival has raisedover £12,000 for Sheffield Children’s. This incredible amount of money will help to change children’s lives.

Corporate Partnerships Manager, Sophie Coburn said: “We were honoured to be part of the Sheffield Lunar Chinese New Year Festival again this year. The event has grown each year and to be a part of such an important cultural event is so special to us. We are so grateful for all of Jerry’s support, and we are delighted to welcome him on board as a Charity ambassador.”

To find out more about the Lunar New Year celebrations visit their website.

To read more about the Charity’s ambassadors visit the dedicated page here.