Kids raise £83K for UK’s largest children’s fundraiser
A group of kids managed to raise a whopping £83,000 in what is believed to be the UK’s largest children’s fundraiser on Sunday.
The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the 853 school children who came together at Royal Russell School in Croydon from 29 nearby schools last weekend to take part in the Knight Frank Schools Triathlon.
In teams of four, the children swam, cycled and ran over 1,600km combined, equivalent to the distance from London to Barcelona, to raise money for youth charity Restless Development.
Albane Duhil de Benaze, 10, from Falkner House school in Chelsea raised over £1,700 with her team, Flying Falcons.
She said: “I signed up with my team to take part in the Knight Frank Schools Triathlon because we wanted to make a difference and do something fun at the same time.
“I enjoyed all three sports, but the swim was my favourite, I really love being in water. The cycling was especially tricky due to the amount of rain.”
The Schools Triathlon is an annual series of events that encourages children of all abilities to participate in a day of swimming, running and cycling.
More than 100 schools across the country use the event to build confidence in children by developing their fundraising skills and sporting abilities.
Royal Russell School has hosted the event since it began in 2015. It is a community centred day, with local businesses and over 2,000 attendees coming together for the event.
Volunteers and Royal Russell pupils also gave up their Sunday to ensure the event ran smoothly.
Essah Hassanali, 9, from Dulwich Prep school, raised £83 by writing handwritten letters to his friends and family asking for support.
“I asked people to sponsor me and explained the cause.
“As it was Ramadan, we were meeting a lot of family and friends.
“I wrote a letter explaining the cause and let them sign it to support me.
“I believe that no matter how young or old you are, if you really want to help you can do it by supporting each other.”
Pictured top: Essah Hassanali holding his sponsor sheet at the event on Sunday (Picture: Restless Development)
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