12-Hour Basketball Marathon

OVER 700 students and staff at FitzWimarc School in Rayleigh are taking on the challenge of a twelve-hour basketball marathon to raise vital funds to support local children and young people fighting cancer.

The event, taking place from 7am – 7pm on February 9, will see students and teachers keeping a single basketball game going for the full twelve hours, to fundraise for the charity Gold Geese.

The school’s students, aged between 11-18 years-old, are hoping to raise a minimum of £1000 for local charity Gold Geese, which provides practical and emotional support to local families of children and young people fighting cancer.

Across the UK 1,900 children are diagnosed with cancer every year, and it causes a huge upheaval for everyone in the family – emotionally, physically and often financially.

Gold Geese’s support is tailored to each family’s needs and ranges from funding for mental health therapy and food shop vouchers to toys, weekend trips away and practical help with travel to and from hospital.

The event is also fundraising for mental health charity YoungMinds and The FitzWimarc School registered charity.

Head of Year Seven and PE teacher at FitzWimarc School, Jason Ox, said: “Childhood cancer is a very close cause to our school community, and after reading up on the fantastic work Gold Geese does for local families it was an absolute certainty that we wanted to select this charity to support.”

Katie Southgate, CEO and founder of Gold Geese, said: “We’re hugely grateful to all the student and staff at The FitzWimarc School for taking on this epic basketball marathon – such superstars.

“Community fundraising events like this mean we can be there every step of the way for local families affected by childhood cancer. Our slogan is ‘We Fly Together’, because geese are a team and no one is left behind. We receive no Government funding and rely on the generosity of our amazing community.”

You can sponsor The FitzWimarc school by visiting: shorturl.at/uGOVX .

A donation of £20 could provide toys or comfy new pyjamas for a child with cancer staying in hospital. £45 funds an hour’s counselling session for a bereaved family. £280 funds a memorial bench for a child who has passed away. £400 funds a big end of treatment celebration for friends and family. £700 covers the cost of a weekend away for a family to offer respite.

You can also donate to Gold Geese via text. Text GOLD followed by the amount you wish to donate to 70580 (for example, GOLD 50 to donate £50). Texts cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.

For more information about the charity or to learn the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer visit: goldgeese.org.

Read more.

Visit: https://leigh-on-sea.news

Contact us. Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighonsea.news

Twitter: @leighonsea_news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leighonsea.news