Heroes join forces to raise hospice funds
PUPILS and teachers from four local schools have joined forces and taken on some incredible fundraising challenges to raise money for St. Joseph’s Hospice.
Sacred Heart Catholic College, St. Edmund’s and St. Thomas’, Great Crosby and Ursuline Primary Schools all set their pupils the challenge of coming up with exciting ways to support the hospice and fund patient care throughout the coronavirus crisis.
Donations are still flooding in but, so far, they have raised over £5,300, which will be split between St. Joseph’s Hospice in Thornton and Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The schools started by launching a competition to see who could come up with the best rainbow design using whatever medium they wanted.
The winner was Nate, a reception pupil at Great Crosby, and his younger sister Trixie who came up with a brilliant face paint design.
Charlotte Gee, the after school manager at Ursuline and former pupil of St Edmunds and Sacred Heart College, has completed a 10-mile bike ride from Sacred Heart College to Ursuline wearing a rainbow costume made by pupils.
The schools then took on the national 2.6 fundraising challenge and set their pupils and teachers the task of coming up with a way of fundraising involving the number 2.6.
Six speedy children – siblings Millie (9), Harry (7) and Poppy Strange (4), along with siblings Izzy (9), Jess (8) and Max Faraday (5) – from St. Edmund’s and St. Thomas’, ran 26 miles between them, an impressive 7km each, and raised over £1,700.
Some pupils even built ‘2.6 skyscrapers’ using any combinations of the number 2.6 – such as containing 26 blocks or being 26cm high.
Other impressive fundraising feats have included Maisie Edwards, nine, from St. Edmunds and St. Thomas’, who took on an incredible 30-mile cycle ride from Waterloo to Southport on Sunday, May 10.
She set herself the goal of raising £500 but smashed it and raised over £1,000!
Casandra Samuel, a year 7 pupil at Sacred Heart College, and her sister Rhiannon, from Ursuline Primary, camped out in a den for 24 hours and raised £250.
Sacred Heart staff and families are also completing the 5k or 5,662 step challenge.
On top of all of this, there have been quizzes and bonus balls and even a Virtual Grand National Day.
Ian Walker, head teacher at Sacred Heart Catholic College, said: “We are delighted to be able to help at these moments of great need.
“We are all acutely conscious of the conditions the brilliant hospice team have to work in and our group of schools wants to play its part in doing everything possible to help.
“Staff, parents and pupils at Ursuline, Gt Crosby, St Edmund and St Thomas,’ and Sacred Heart are all used to working together and this really feels like the right way to play our part at the moment.
“Supported by their families, pupils have been raising funds in lots of different ways and parents and staff have also rallied round by taking part in quizzes and online activities.
“We all wish St. Joseph’s Hospice well in its inspiring mission and we will stay with them on the journey.”
Maxine Armstrong, head of fundraising at St. Joseph’s, said: “These are truly inspiring young people who have completed some incredible challenges for which they should all be extremely proud. They are a real credit to our local community.’’
There are lots of ways to support the hospice at this challenging time.
Please visit www.jospice.org.uk and look at the fundraising page for more details.
Alternatively, call the fundraising team on 0151 932 6044 or email fundraising@jospice.org.uk.