Tiffany Whitter, owner of The Den yoga studio on Westbridge Mews in Wigan, says: “The community we’ve built here at The Den has come together in recent months to support various charities, with food collections for the Brick Christmas appeal and toys and gifts going to The Storehouse project.
"But this was our biggest community event so far! On Sunday, March 23 we set out to see how many sun salutations we could complete and managed an incredible 1500 in just five hours. We also held a raffle and tombola, with studio members donating prizes and giving generously to support this wonderful charity.
"I’m incredibly proud of everyone who took part – we even had three participants complete 175 sun salutations each! There were certainly some aching muscles the next day, but that is nothing compared to what the children supported by Destination Florida go through every day.”
The Den regular Mandy Dunbar is a physiotherapist and group leader with Destination Florida. She says: “It is truly humbling to see the Den family come together to support Destination Florida, I have the privilege of supporting children on the trip and see the real impact of every penny raised.
"To spend time with my yogi family raising money for a charity so close to my heart is rather overwhelming, however feeling the warmth and welcome of the Den community week in week out, I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“We set out to raise £200 and complete 500 sun salutations, so to have smashed that target completing 1500 salutations and raising £1250 completely blows me away. That funding will pay for all park and event tickets for a child to experience the magic that Florida has to offer, covering Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, and Islands of Adventure.
"In addition, we’ve raised spending money for a child for the whole week, enabling children who are often limited by the financial constraints that health challenges can bring to enjoy the freedom of buying souvenirs to remember their magical time. These items come to mean so much and provide inspiration when times get tough.”
The Den yoga studio moved to new premises on Westbridge Mews six months ago to support the ever-growing community and wellbeing offer that the studio provides. Since then, the studio has grown, with new classes, teachers and holistic therapies, complemented by retreats and social gatherings. The yogis fundraising page is https://www.justgiving.com/page/theden-yogathon?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
All proceeds go to Destination Florida Children’s Charity, a specialist charity taking 75 children with life dominating conditions to Florida on the holiday of a lifetime every two years. The charity, supported by volunteer doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and carers provide round the clock specialist care and covers all the costs to support children, many of whom are unable to even experience a sleepover due to their medical needs.
The week spent in Florida, visiting theme parks, facing fears, and finding joy has a huge impact on the children, providing the opportunity to experience a world of possibilities rather than one dominated by medical intervention. Discover more about Destination Florida here https://youtu.be/7KxMfKjj9e4