Sparkling Gems dig deep to reach £250,000 target
WELDERS, college students, and convenience store staff are among the fundraisers who have been digging deep to support the GEM Appeal.
The Rochdale-based charity is trying to raise £250,000 for the Willink Unit at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
And over the last few weeks groups have been pulling out all the stops to help the cause, which raises money for research and treatment for incurable genetic diseases in children.
Staff from Nisa on Shawclough Road donated a cheque for £101 to the charity.
Wendy Mills ran the Great Manchester Run on behalf of the appeal and has currently raised £125 but money is still coming in.
A group of students from Hopwood Hall College did a sponsored walk around Hollingworth Lake after GEM Appeal founder Karen Johnson gave a talk about her work at the college.
To date they have raised £200 with more to come.
Roger and Cath Sherlock together with friends from Rochdale and Anderton Masonic lodges recently climbed Ben Nevis on behalf of the charity. They have raised £570. And eight pals from a welding firm met GEM Appeal patron Tim Healy, star of the smash hit comedy show Benidorm, as they set off for Spain in a charity banger rally.
Tim, who plays the cross dressing barman Les in the show, met up with one of the teams from Graham Engineering in Nelson, Lancashire, after they set off on the 1,400 mile Benidorm or Bust charity challenge drive.
The pals were among hundreds taking part in the rally which sets the challenge to complete the drive in a banger car costing no more than £500.
GEM Appeal treasurer Garry Whitworth said: “Everybody at the GEM appeal would like to say a massive thank you for the efforts of all the participants.” The GEM Appeal was launched in 1993 by Karen Johnson, of Bamford, after she lost her two sons to the rare Hunter syndrome.
So far it has raised more than £2.7m.
For more information visit gemappeal.org.uk.