Students raise £10,204 for children's hospice

STUDENTS at Ripon Grammar School have raised more than £10,000 for a children’s hospice in Yorkshire.

Following a series of fundraising events, sixth formers handed over a cheque for £10,204.90 to Martin House, which cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions.

It’s a cause which is particularly close to the heart of one student, whose baby cousin died at just 26 days old after being cared for by the hospice.

William Jarvis, 17, who praised the loving care baby Emma and her family received, urged students to pick Martin House as the beneficiary of the school’s annual charity week this year.

Regional fundraiser for the hospice, Becki Taylor, said the money would make a real difference to Martin House families: “It is such an incredible amount of money you have all raised, thank you so much for your support.”

Head girl Eva Joussemet and head boy Edward Murray headed up the student fundraising team, which visited Martin House to discover more about the work it does, before launching school fundraising events, including a staff pantomime, sumo wrestling, cake sales and live music performances.

Edward said: “We were delighted to be able to help organise each and every event knowing donations raised are going to help children and families in the most difficult circumstances imaginable.”

Eva added: “We are all extremely proud to have raised this amount, and we would not have been able to do it without the help of the whole school and their commitment to raising money for such a worthy cause. Thank you to everyone who got involved.”

Deputy head boy Will pointed out that the hospice costs £9million a year to run: “Every year the hospice cares for and supports 425 children and 118 bereaved families within Yorkshire thanks to the efforts of supporters. It is hugely important to support it, we can really make a difference to the lives of children.”

Pupils and staff at RGS throw themselves into raising thousands of pounds for a good cause during Charity Week every year, with past beneficiaries including WaterAid, St Michael’s Hospice, Surfers Against Sewage and Blueprint for All.

*To discover more about Martin House, which provides respite, emergency, symptom control and end-of-life care to children and their families from across West, North and East Yorkshire, along with bereavement support, visit Home - Martin House

Students are pictured handing over the cheque to Martin House regional fundraiser Duncan Brownnutt . Edward and Eva pictured centre, Will, far left