Westbury children recognised for their energetic fundraising efforts for Bath Cancer Unit

Three children at Bitham Brook Primary School in Westbury, have been presented with special certificates in recognition of their outstanding fundraising activities for the Bath Cancer Unit Support Group. 

Theo and Rosie White, aged nine and six, completed a 30-mile walk for the charity last summer, when they walked a mile a day for a month, after their grandmother was successfully treated for cervical cancer at the cancer unit  at Bath’s Royal United Hospital.  

The siblings found time to walk every day, no matter what they were doing, and their challenge took them to many lovely areas including Lacock, Stourhead, Bradford on Avon,  Heaven’s Gate and Sidmouth.  Theo also completed a special mile within the RUH itself following a check-up with his grandmother, where he also visited the oncology department.

Fellow schoolfriend, 10-year-old Lucas Wint, decided to support the same charity after his best friend Jack told him that his grandmother was also being treated for cancer in Bath.  

A keen sportsman, Lucas set himself a challenge to run a distance of 5k – however, the Red Fish Bowerhill Bomber event which he had entered was cancelled due to the unexpected snowfall in February. 

Undeterred by this, Lucas asked a family friend to join him for their own race around Westbury in the snow, where he actually completed 6.5k! But on hearing about Lucas’s determination, the organisers of the Bowerhill Bomber arranged to run the actual 5k route with him, a week later, when the conditions improved. 

To acknowledge their fantastic efforts, which have raised a combined total of £1,750 for the charity, the children were presented with certificates by the deputy mayor of Westbury, cllr Sheila Kimmins, during a special celebration assembly organised by Bitham Brook School.  Cllr Kimmins was delighted to meet the children and to hear the stories of what had inspired them to take on such energetic challenges.

Headteacher David Ross said, “It is lovely to hear how they independently chose to raise money for a local charity that supports people when they are very ill.  Lucas, Theo and Rosie are a real inspiration to their school friends – not just in terms of their fundraising, but in their determination to achieve such challenging goals. I am very proud of them.”

Mike Taylor, chairman of the BCUSG, (Bath Cancer Unit Support Group), who also attended the presentation said, “We’d like to say a big thank you to Theo, Rosie and Lucas for their tremendous efforts which have raised hundreds of pounds for the Bath Cancer Unit – all three of them were inspirational to us all”.

The BCUSG, which is run entirely by volunteers, works tirelessly to raise funds to buy equipment for the cancer unit that would otherwise not be available, and to date has raised almost £5million.  For more information about the charity, please visit www. bcusg.org, or email the local fundraising committee via TrowbridgeFundraising@bcusg.org.  You can also follow the charity on Facebook @BathCancerUnitSupport Group for news and event listings.