Three sixth form students at Yarm School are celebrating after raising almost £10,000 for charity.
Beth Robert, and twins James and Michael Lister, exceeded their initial £1,500 target set for completing the Great North Run.
The trio continued their fundraising efforts for Children with Cancer by organising two charity concerts and a silly sock run at the Prep School. These events raised in excess of £6,000 for the charity, bringing the total amount raised to nearly £10,000 with gift aid.
At the minimum required age to enter of 17, Beth, James and Michael were some of the youngest runners to compete in the Great North Run. The group chose to support Children with Cancer, as they have lost loved ones to cancer and wanted to help people their own age with the disease.
Since 1987, Children with Cancer has raised more than £220 million to aid research into the causes and treatment for children aged 1-15, and to support their families. The charity was founded by the O’Gorman family, whose son Paul’s life was cut short by childhood leukaemia.
Beth said: “It’s always inspiring to hear about other people’s fundraising stories but we wanted to make our own contribution, and Children with Cancer is an amazing charity.
“I am overjoyed at the support we have received from our families, friends and fellow pupils and have been encouraged to continue fundraising. The raffle which is on-going will hopefully get the total value raised to £10,000.”
James added: “We all put a lot of effort into training to compete in the Great North run and it really paid off. Completing the challenge was a great achievement, and we have been able to raise a fantastic amount for an important charity.”
Michael said: “Children with Cancer is a charity that’s close to our hearts. Charities rely on the contributions of their communities, so I feel very proud of the part everyone has had to play in this donation.”
Yarm School Headmaster, David Dunn said: “We have a strong community ethos at Yarm School. Our pupils show great initiative and get involved with important projects that they feel strongly about and we are proud to support them along the way.
“The dedication and hard work that Beth, James and Michael have shown over the past year has been amazing, and it has been reflected in the astounding amount that the three have managed to raise. They deserve a huge round of applause.”
Gemma Parker, Sports and Community Fundraising Coordinator at Children with Cancer UK said: “Thank you so much to the pupils of Yarm School who have raised just under £10,000 for Children with Cancer UK! Without fundraisers like them, our vital specialist research would otherwise go unfunded. We are so grateful for all of their support!”