A celebratory dinner to mark the 10th anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be a major fundraiser for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity’s helipad appeal.

Up to a thousand guests – including Olympians and Paralympians from 2012, 2016 and 2020 made and trained in Sheffield – are expected to attend the celebratory event at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park on Friday, September 9.

The gala dinner is supporting The Children’s Hospital Charity’s £6m Helipad Appeal for Sheffield Children’s Hospital. It will feature a live auction sponsored by Westfield Health and hosted by well-known Sheffield auctioneer Lucy Crapper, director of Residential Sales at ASG Estates.

The new Helipad means patients from across South Yorkshire, East Midlands, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire will be able to access treatment at the hospital as quickly as possible with dignity.

Currently, air ambulances land in Weston Park opposite the Emergency Department where critically ill patients are then transported across a busy road before entering Sheffield Children’s Hospital. At the moment, air ambulances can only land during daytime hours in the park, restricting access for a helicopter to land in winter months.

Having a helipad on the roof of the hospital would mean patients can land and be transferred anytime with floodlighting and specialist heating to ensure continued use of the facility during periods of inclement weather.

Tchad Western, chief fun officer at The Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We are really excited to be celebrating Sheffield’s outstanding contribution to the Olympics and Paralympics at the upcoming Olympic Legacy in Action gala dinner, which promises to be a fantastic event not to be missed!

“We are truly honoured that the event will also be supporting Sheffield Children’s Hospital, which plays such an important part in the health and wellbeing of children not only in our city but across the wider region and the country too.”

The gala dinner will take place in the centre of the indoor athletics arena at the English Institute of Sport on the Park. Sporting stars attending include British taekwondo athlete Sarah Stevenson MBE, who read the Olympic oath at the London Games opening ceremony in 2012.

Sheffield’s Britain’s Got Talent 2022 finalist and Maxwell Thorpe will sing at the event which will celebrate the London 2012 Olympic legacy being delivered in the city through transformational economic, health, sporting and environmental change.

That change is being driven and delivered by Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, spearheaded by Legacy Park Ltd Chair and former Sports Minister Richard Caborn, who was a key figure in the London 2012 bid.

Richard said: “After the closing ceremony of the Paralympics on 9 September 2012, Sheffield picked up the baton to become the world’s only Olympic legacy site outside a host city anywhere in the world.

“A strong public-private sector partnership has delivered the first £100m development phase, creating an unrivalled cluster of life sciences assets, uniquely delivering a real levelling-up legacy to the whole population.

“And as we mark the 10th anniversary of London 2012, we have embarked on the next £200m-plus development phase which will ensure a real sporting, educational, health, economic, education and skills legacy for generations to come.”

That next phase of the Park is being delivered by development partner Scarborough Group International (SGI), who is also the dinner’s headline sponsor.

Kevin McCabe, chairman at Scarborough Group International, said: “While Scarborough Group International is very much at the start of its journey at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, it’s important we take the time to reflect on why the vision was established in the first place, particularly as we reach the 10th anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We’re delighted to support this magnificent event and look forward to celebrating the fantastic achievements this place and this city has helped to facilitate and those yet to come.”

Alongside renowned sporting names from the last decade, some of the key names behind the successful London 2012 bid are expected to attend the dinner. These include Sir Keith Mills, Chair of the Bid Team, and Lord Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee for the Games and current President of World Athletics.

Tables of 10 cost £1,500 + VAT for a Standard table and £2,500 + VAT for a Legacy table, which includes a contribution to the 10th Anniversary Legacy Fund – a grant fund being launched later this year to support the health and wellbeing of the local community.

Fifty tables have already been booked and you can make your reservation by emailing info@olympiclegacypark.co.uk or calling 0114 261 9604.

Further sponsorship opportunities are also available and enquiries are welcomed from organisations interested in supporting the event.