Charity celebrates 15 years with £38,000 fundraising boost

Charity founder and Ilkley resident Mike Davies MBE [Photo: FKB Photography]

The Principle Trust Children’s Charity has raised £38,000 at a special 15th anniversary celebration – helping it continue its work supporting children and families across Yorkshire.

The charity, founded in 2011 by Ilkley resident Mike Davies MBE, marked the milestone with A Night at the Seaside at the Queens Hotel in Leeds on Saturday 26 September.

More than 200 guests, including Yorkshire businesses, charity representatives and community figures, came together for an evening of seaside-themed entertainment and fundraising.

The event featured performances from Strawberry Cirque CIC and ABBA tribute act Planet ABBA, alongside live saxophone and DJ entertainment. Guests also took part in seaside games, a raffle and live auction hosted by Yorkshire Auctioneer Angus Ashworth.

Poppy Strawberry Cirque [Photo: FKB Photography]

Since its launch 15 years ago, The Principle Trust has provided free respite breaks for more than 6,300 children facing challenges including trauma, abuse, poverty, serious illness, disability and mental health difficulties.

The £38,000 raised will support the charity as it enters the next stage of its work. In late 2025, it launched a three-year plan to support an additional 100 families each year by 2028, bringing its total to more than 400 respite breaks annually.

[Photo: FKB Photography]

Mike Davies MBE, founder of The Principle Trust, said: “The evening was such a special opportunity for us to reflect on the amazing work the charity has carried out over the past 15 years. It was a real honour to see a room filled with so much support, love and genuine interest in the work we do.

“I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who attended and made the evening such a success. Over the past 15 years, we have seen how important a break away can be for families going through such incredibly challenging times. To know that, thanks to the support of everyone who attended our 15th anniversary event, further families will now have that opportunity is truly amazing. It means so much to us and, most importantly, to the families whose lives we can help.”