Sara’s Hope Foundation Birthday Ball at the Marriott Gosforth Park,

Around 450 people attended Sara’s Celebrity Birthday Ball at the Marriott Gosforth Park, which featured a 17 piece swing band, fronted by Blue’s Antony Costa and the West end star Jonathan Wilkes, and raised £20,000.

Sara’s parents, Ged and Julie Hoborn, said: ‘What a fantastic night. It really was a party atmosphere and the perfect way to celebrate what would have been Sara’s 25th birthday.’
Following the night, Antony also pledged his support to the charity by becoming a patron.
This follows a meeting with Coleen Nolan and her husband Ray Fensome after the Nolans concert at the Telewest arena in Newcastle, when the couple also accepted an invitation to be Patrons of the Foundation - and then things got even better when Coleen was invited to go on Celebrity Millionaire with her sister Maureen, with Coleen’s share of the winnings pledged to Sara’s charity.

Inspired by the courage of Sara Hoburn, who lost a two year battle with a rare form of colon cancer at the age of sixteen in 2001, Sara’s Hope Foundation was formed in June 2007 to raise funds to buy a plot of land and build a holiday retreat on the island of Crete for young cancer patients in the UK and their families.

Further information can be obtained from the foundation website
www.sarashopefoundation.co.uk/