NCS teens organise and hold fundraiser within a week
A DETERMINED group of teens planned and carried out a walking marathon for Primrose Hospice in just five days.
The 16-year-olds, who are taking part in the NCS Summer Challenge, visited the hospice in St Godwald’s Road on Monday (July 22) for a tour of its facilities.
By Wednesday they decided to hold a walking marathon and on Friday they walked 26 miles between Bromsgrove and Birmingham during the heatwave.
Tom Jones, Alice Yarnold, Tori Kemp, Nathaniel Philp, Owain Thorp, Mackenzie Walla, Molly Lewis, Amina Nessa and Alistair Cook set out at 8am from the town and arrived in Birmingham at 7pm.
They were inspired to raise money for Primrose after finding out about the services it offers for people with life-limiting conditions and their families.
A joyous place to be
Amina Nessa, group leader, said: “The atmosphere from the moment you walk in, it’s not a melancholy, gloomy environment, but joyous place to be and a peaceful place.
“The hospice plays such an important role in so many peoples’ lives and is a fantastic cause to support.
“It runs mainly on the generosity of the public and needs to raise £1.75 million every year in donations and fundraising, just to run the remarkable services.
“The marathon we walked was not only to raise money for the charity but raise awareness too.
“The more people that know about it, the more likely the general public are to donate to such a vital part of our society.”
The teenagers, who are from four schools in Bromsgrove, were introduced to NCS during school assembly which sparked their interest.
They have so far raised over £750 for the hospice on their GoFundMe page.
Determined
Amina added: “In the beginning we were determined, excited and happy to be able to raise awareness for Primrose Hospice, a charity we knew we always wanted to support.
“At the half marathon point we were feeling the pain but we were still full of determination to complete the marathon and raise awareness.
“At the end we were exhausted but we also knew that what we had done would have raised awareness for a far greater cause than anyone could have imagined.”
Sarah Harris, community fundraiser at Primrose Hospice, said the NCS team had worked incredibly hard throughout the week.
“It was amazing to see how quickly after their tour the team organised and took part in the marathon.
“They were really interested in the services we offer at Primrose and we hope that encouraged them a little when the going got tough on the marathon walk.”
Anyone wanting to organise their own fundraising event for Primrose Hospice can call Sarah on 01527 871051 or log on to https://primrosehospice.org/support-us/fundraising/get-inspired.
