A cycling team of Dairygold colleagues are taking on the length of the Leeds Liverpool Canal this weekend to raise funds for CHSF. Their inspiration? Heart warrior, Francis!
Named the “Tour De Francis” Dairygold Cycle Ride 2024, the team will cycle the 127 miles from Liverpool to Leeds on 17-19 May.
The group is made up of Stuart Moore and his son Danny, Matt Lawton, Phil Halliwell, Sean Cotter, Jim Grieve and Nathan Bradshaw.
Francis’ mum and dad, Abbie and Ash, tell us a bit more about their son’s journey so far…
“Francis was born in 2015 with a condition called Heterotaxy. This affects many of his internal organs including his stomach, kidneys, liver and spleen but mainly his heart.
“It was noticed on our 20-week scan that Francis’ stomach was not where it should have been and was poking through a hole in his diaphragm. They also noticed several problems with his heart, meaning he had a single-ventricle heart.
“This was heart-breaking news. Being first time parents, we were thrown into the world of caring for a medically complex child who we were told may not survive.
“As the weeks passed and we attended more scans his chances of survival looked more promising, and plans were made for his arrival by the medical teams.
Heterotaxy syndrome is a rare condition where many organs in the chest and abdomen are formed abnormally, in the wrong position, or are even missing. (The beginning of the word (hetero-) means “different” and the end (–taxy) means “arrangement.)
Many children with Heterotaxy syndrome have complex congenital heart defects (CHD), which often make the condition challenging to treat.
“On the 3rd March 2015 we finally got to meet our gorgeous boy and at 3 days old he had his first of many surgeries, this one to repair his diaphragm and stomach. We were relieved to find out his heart was stable enough for him not to need surgery straight away.
“After 8 weeks on the neonatal ward, we got to take Francis home! He was tube fed through a gastrostomy feeding tube and on many medications.
“When Francis was 5 months old, he was admitted to the LGI for his first open heart surgery. After 6 weeks in hospital Francis was allowed home again.
After his first open heart surgery, Francis had six-monthly echocardiograms (echo’s) and other tests and treatments to keep a close eye on his heart function.
“But his heart was not fixed, and never will be. It is impossible to create a normally functioning heart without a full transplant for children with Francis’ condition.
“Over the next few years Francis underwent kidney and eye surgery, six-monthly cardiac echo’s and other tests and treatments to keep a close eye on his heart and kidney function.
“Francis’ main struggle has been his low oxygen levels due to his blood mixing in his heart. With oxygen levels of around 75%, Francis found most day-to-day tasks difficult, even climbing the stairs was a real challenge.
“When our closest friend asked if he could choose a charity close to us to raise money for, there were no question that Children’s Heart Surgery Fund deserved every penny.”
“But most heartbreakingly for us, was watching him unable to keep up with friends.
“He can’t play outside at school during the colder months and when he can he often finds himself alone as can’t keep up with the others.
“In February 2024, Francis was admitted to Leeds Children’s Hospital once more for his next open heart surgery, the Fontan.
“Throughout our stay on the cardiac ward the whole team were unbelievable in caring for Francis, and us. They supported, cared for and encouraged him every step of his recovery.
“After a long three weeks fighting to have his chest drains removed, he was discharged one day before his 9th birthday!
“Francis now has oxygen levels in the high 80s to low 90s, meaning his quality of life will be improved immeasurably.
“When our closest friend, and Francis’ favourite person, asked if he could choose a charity close to us to raise money for, there were no question that Children’s Heart Surgery Fund deserved every penny.
The Fontan procedure is open heart surgery. Often, it’s done as the third of three surgeries to treat certain congenital heart conditions. Francis had his Fontan surgery in February this year.
“They fund not only life-saving medical equipment but toys, books, games consoles and much more for the children’s cardiac ward. They also support the families of cardiac patients, not only emotionally but also financially during hospital stays.
“Their contributions and care were stand-out throughout our stay.
“We would be so grateful for any contribution to show our thanks and support to this amazing charity that has, and continues to bring hope, love and care to families like ours.”
We’re so grateful to this terrific team for choosing to fundraise for CHSF in this way. What an inspiration you all are!
To get behind the ‘Tour De Francis’ riders, visit their JustGiving page at: www.justgiving.com/page/stuart-moore-1711396942465
Isabelle attends 1st Allerton Bywater Brownies. She wanted to earn her ‘Charity’ badge and so chose to fundraise for Children’s Heart Surgery Fund.
By doing so she would also earn her Gold Award before moving up to Guides.
Isabelle wrote a lovely letter to the charity to tell us all about her ideas for raising money for CHSF. In the letter she said:
“To help raise money, me and the other Brownies are doing a sponsored silence. I have organised the evening in order to earn my Gold award badge as I move to Guides soon.
“We are all dressing up as our favourite book character, and bringing along a book to read. We will try to stay silent for around 15 to 20 minutes. I hope we can do it! After the event we are playing games as a treat.
“I wanted to thank you on behalf of all the Brownies for all of the kind work you do in making sick children better, by mending their hearts. I know it is important for everyone to raise as much money as possible for your fund.”
Isabelle also found out lots of information about heart defects and made a collage of all the facts she found. This helped her to earn the ‘Charities’ badge.
Isabelle organised a sponsored silence at Brownies to earn her ‘Charities’ badge. The Brownies dressed as their favourite book characters – Isabelle chose Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series.
Eagle Owl at the Unit, Nikki, said she would also donate £1 per Brownie herself to their total.
Isabelle and the Brownies picked CHSF as their chosen charity because Nikki’s granddaughter, Olivia, was born with a congenital heart defect.
Pic 1: Isabelle and heart warrior Olivia with Katie Bear. Pic 2: Brownie Unit taking part in their sponsored silence. Pic 3: The Unit playing games afterwards as a reward.
Eagle Owl, Nikki told us a bit more about Olivia and her heart condition:
“When Olivia was born with Turner syndrome in October 2023 our lives became very complicated. She had, and still has, complex heart problems, amongst many other issues.
Turner syndrome (TS) is a female-only genetic disorder that affects about 1 in every 2,000 baby girls. Studies show that 25-50% of patients with TS have some form of congenital heart defect.
“At just 9 weeks old, a couple of days before Christmas, Olivia underwent open heart surgery to recreate her aortic arch. The support the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit and CHSF gave and still gives us is priceless.”
CHSF Fundraising Officer, Keely went along to visit the Brownie Unit, collect their amazing fundraising and celebrate with Isabelle as she moved up to Guides…
“I had so much fun visiting the 1st Allerton Bywater Brownies. They have blown me away with their support and enthusiasm for our charity – raising an incredible £520!
“A huge thank you to Eagle Own Nikki and of course to Isabelle. Good luck and have fun in Guides!”
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Feeling inspired? Check our ‘Get Involved‘ page to see how you can start raising money for CHSF!
Got some questions? The team are on hand to help – email info@chsf.org.uk or call 0113 831 4810
Meet Leeds nurse Sophie Sheard.
By day, she’s caring for critically unwell babies, children and young people. And when she’s off-duty, she’s gearing up for the 2024 London Marathon, all in the name of the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund!
Hiya Sophie! Can you tell us a bit more about your role at Leeds General Infirmary?
“I am a staff nurse, who now primarily works on L47 the Children’s critical care unit, but I did however used to work on L51 the cardiac ward prior to coming to PICU.
“My roles on a day-to-day basis involve; being a bedside nurse, caring for critically unwell babies, children and young people with a wide variety of conditions and illnesses, many of which have a congenital heart defect as we are the regional centre.
Sophie now works on PICU at least but used to be a nurse on the children’s heart ward.
“I provide constant monitoring and care to these patients, which may include administering medicines, managing complex medical equipment, monitoring vital signs but most important giving support to patients and their families.”
“Many children, young people and adults with congenital heart conditions may never be able to run long distances like a marathon so I am wanting to do it for them!”
What do you love most about working within the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit?
“I love meeting and caring for all the incredible children and families we see at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit. In such stressful and emotional periods in these families’ lives, it is an honour to be involved in their care, being able to look after their child, comfort and support them, but also keep their spirits up.
“Highlights include seeing them be discharged home after being so unwell or watching them from being a tiny newborn to then coming back when their older for other interventions, knowing you have been a part of their journey.
“Dealing with those tough moments is never easy, and there’s no way of knowing how you’re going to feel. For me running and exercise is a great way to process your day and de-stress. There are certain patients and their families who have had, and always will have, such an impact on me, that I will never forget.”
Have you ever done anything like running a marathon before?
“I actually only started my running journey back in the pandemic when I was living away from family and friends with no garden or windows in my flat – I needed a way of getting outside in between my shifts for my own mental and physical health.
“Since then I haven’t stopped running! I have never ran a marathon before, I had only ever ran up to a half marathon distance then last year my best friend completed the London marathon and I was like I want to do that!
“It was complete potluck I got a ballot place – I was shocked! I thought ‘I actually have to do this now!’.
“I couldn’t do something like this without raising money for this amazing charity. It gives me so much drive and support knowing I’m doing with all the CHSF patients in mind.”
Why did you decide to run the London Marathon for CHSF?
“As a child I was actually regularly reviewed under the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit myself, as my Dad has hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, a CHD. Obviously, at the time, I didn’t realise the important part CHSF may have played, like providing even the small amount of care we received as outpatients.
“Having previously raised money for CHSF when I did my half marathon back in 2021, I actually got to see the use of the money I fundraised, put into place when it funded a new home INR testing machine for patients to use which was amazing. When I got my place for London Marathon, CHSF sprung to my mind as another opportunity to fundraise for it.
“CHSF do an incredible job at supporting families both in and outside of the hospital, but also in providing the unit with essential equipment and facilities we need to do our jobs easily.
Sophie’s goddaughter was born with a congenital heart condition, Ebstein’s anomaly and will need open heart surgery at Leeds in the future.
“It was only confirmed to me how essential a charity like CHSF are to patients and families with heart conditions when my best friend from University had a baby (my beautiful goddaughter) back in October. She was born with Ebstein’s Anomaly, a congenital heart defect, and will need open heart surgery at some point in her lifetime.
“After seeing first hand the ups and downs of having a child with CHD, from the opposite perspective, it has made me appreciate the need more for charities like CHSF and the fabulous job they do.
“This only inspired me more to fundraise for CHSF, and my drive for the marathon. Training hasn’t been easy as the long hours, nights, weekends etc make the runs challenging at times when you’re completely broken and knackered. However, many children, young people and adults with congenital heart conditions may never be able to run long distances like a marathon so I am wanting to do it for them!”
Why should people should donate to Children’s Heart Surgery Fund?
“Donations are SO important to any charity, but I see first-hand how valued donations to Children’s Heart Surgery Fund are implemented.
“Not only to the hospital, staff and the facilities so we can provide optimal, first-class care for patients with the latest technology but the incredible support they give to families by providing them with accommodation nearby, food/drink vouchers, family support workers, social meet-ups and so much more.
“CHSF work so closely with ourselves at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit to provide our all our children, young people and families with the best possible care that they all deserve. All donations given are extremely appreciated and very well utilised.
“I’m running to raise donations for all those babies, children, teenagers and adults supported by CHSF and living with heart conditions, but also to all those angels we couldn’t save but who with the CHSF’s help made their families experience that little bit more bearable.”
We’re so grateful to Sophie for choosing to run the London Marathon for CHSF. We are behind her every step of the way and are all so very proud of her!
You can get behind her too by dropping a donation on her fundraising page. Donate here.
Fab fundraiser JANE reached new fundraising heights at the end of last year when she climbed the height of Mount Everest over the month of December – completing her second fundraising challenge for CHSF!
Jane told us a bit more about her challenge…
“I did a running fundraising challenge for Children’s Heart Surgery Fund a couple of years ago and thought it was about time I did another one.
“As I live in Otley, Leeds I often walk up the Chevin so I thought about what challenge I could do. I came up with climbing the equivalent height of Mount Everest (8,849m) by just walking up the Chevin (…and back down, and up again!)
“December felt the right time to do my challenge as I know it can be a hard time of year for a lot of people, without the added complication of potentially having a child that may have had to go through heart surgery. So, I set the challenge to be completed in the last month of the year.
The Chevin in Otley provided the perfect setting for Jane’s December fundraising challenge – climbing 8,849m, the incline height of Mount Everest.
“I walked every day in December, come rain, wind, snow, frost or shine and tracked my elevation each day using the app, Strava.
“Some days I had friends walk with me which was lovely. I think the best part of the challenge had to be the last day when a bunch of friends, unbeknown to me, had gathered at the top of the Chevin to cheer and congratulate me on finishing the challenge. They brought flasks of hot chocolate, biscuits and had made banners. This was a really lovely surprise!
Jane’s friends surprise her at the top of the Chevin, to celebrate finishing her challenge on 30th December!
“I completed the height of Everest on 30th December and so added a few extra metres on New Year’s Eve. This took the total height climbed to 10,240m with the hope of getting a few more extra sponsors.
“The hardest part of the challenge was getting myself out and up the hill in the torrential rain and howling winds, but all the sponsors that kept coming in pushed me on. I set an initial target of £750 but ended up raising £1,375 for CHSF.
“If you are wanting to do a fundraising challenge, I would suggest doing something you know that, at a push, you can do it. Telling as many people as you can about your challenge also helps bring in more sponsors. I created a few reels on Instagram too which always helped get more donations in.”
CHSF Community & Events Fundraiser Eve said:
“It was just amazing to see the support that Jane got for her challenge – both in moral support and sponsorship. It was brilliant reading updates through the month on Jane’s JustGiving page, seeing who had joined her that day. And what a fantastic finish for so many friends to join her at the end of an incredible challenge!”
Feeling inspired to take on a fundraising challenge of your own for CHSF? Check out our events page or contcat the team to chat through some ideas info@chsf.org.uk 0113 831 4810
“I will never forget the support that the CHSF gave my family, and I am determined to give something back whenever I can.”
Dedicated supporter JON is tackling four challenging fundraising events this year for CHSF: the Sherwood Forest New Year 10k, Sheffield Half Marathon, Yorkshire Three Peaks, and Midlands Tough Mudder!
In memory of his first child, diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome in 2011, Jon is running, walking, and getting muddy. His son Jacob was born with a heart murmur two years later, and is now 10 years old, thanks to care from Leeds Congenital Heart Unit.
Jon told us a bit more about the reasons why he wanted to fundraise for CHSF this year…
“In 2011 my now ex-partner was pregnant with our first child, and our 20 week scan raised some concerns about the baby’s heart growth/development. We were referred to the heart unit in Leeds for a further scan.
“Unfortunately, it was discovered that the baby was suffering from hypoplastic left heart syndrome and would have been very poorly if we went full term. We made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy, but due to the late stage my ex-partner had to deliver the baby still born. It was a horrible time for everyone but the staff at Leeds, on behalf of the CHSF were absolutely amazing and offered us brilliant support to help us through.
“Due to this history, when my son Jacob was born in 2013 the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit offered us extra scans throughout the pregnancy, to give some reassurance and again the staff and support was fantastic. Jacob was also found to have a small heart murmur when he was younger and the investigations around this were quite distressing as they brought back some troubling memories. But again, staff at Children’s Heart Surgery Fund really looked after us all. Jacob is now 10yrs old and is healthy with the heart murmur causing him no issues at all, which is a massive weight off.
“Obviously, this event was a major one in my life. It has had a great effect on me, from which I have tried to turn negative effects to positive ones over the past decade.
“I will never forget the support that the CHSF gave my family, and I am determined to give something back whenever I can throughout the rest of my life. Children’s Heart surgery Fund will always be my number one choice to raise money for when I get the opportunity to. So when I decided to test myself with all these events I have booked, it was a no-brainer for me to try and help a good cause at the same time.”
“Due to this history, when my son Jacob was born in 2013 the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit offered us extra scans throughout the pregnancy, to give some reassurance and again the staff and support was fantastic. Jacob was also found to have a small heart murmur when he was younger and the investigations around this were quite distressing as they brought back some troubling memories. But again, staff at CHSF really looked after us all. Jacob is now 10yrs old and is healthy with the heart murmur causing him no issues at all, which is a massive weight off.
“Obviously, this event was a major one in my life. It has had a great effect on me, from which I have tried to turn negative effects to positive ones over the past decade.
“I will never forget the support that the CHSF gave my family, and I am determined to give something back whenever I can throughout the rest of my life. Children’s Heart surgery Fund will always be my number one choice to raise money for when I get the opportunity to. So when I decided to test myself with all these events I have booked, it was a no-brainer for me to try and help a good cause at the same time.”
Jon was due to kick off his fundraising in December with the Percy Pud 10K in Sheffield, but it was called off due to snow. Jon still received his celebratory ‘christmas pudding’ but he isn’t keen on the festive dessert so donated it to a local elderly charity!
With over £1,100 already in the pot, Jon is set to have a fab fundraising year for CHSF and we are so grateful. Thank you, Jon!
Inspired? Choose your 2024 challenge!
Do something great this year and choose your challenge to raise funds for our world-class heart unit, it’s amazing patients and their families.
After heart warrior Otis received two life-saving heart surgeries at Leeds, his family and friends knew they wanted to do something to thank CHSF.
‘Otis’ Orsome Walkers’ were formed to take on 1 million steps in March 2023…
“Otis Bryher Knight was born on Christmas Eve with Transposition of the Great Arteries, and he was immediately rushed to the LGI.
“Three weeks later, after two life-saving operations, he came home. Children’s Heart Surgery Fund provided accommodation, practical care, support and advice to Otis’ mum and dad, Mariella Hunt and Tim Knight, during their toughest times.
“It helped both our families to know that the couple’s needs were being recognised, while Otis was under the care of the medical team at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit.
“We soon reached 1 million steps so aimed for 2 million! It was great fun… and the best part was working together as two families!”
“‘Otis’ Orsome Walkers’ are a team of made up of The Hunts, with Cherrelle Wynter, and The Knights with Nicky Wallwork. We all enjoy walking to some degree, so ‘March in March’ last year seemed the best challenge we could do as a team to raise some funds for CHSF.
“We also wanted to thank the charity as soon as possible in 2023 for the awesome care given to Otis and his parents in their time of need.
“We organised ourselves through a WhatsApp group and tallied up our weekly steps. Our motto was ‘Let’s Get Otis treading!‘. We soon reached 1 million steps so aimed for 2 million!
“It was great fun to do, and possibly the best part was working together as two families to promote our walking and get donations. Family and friends were super generous!
“Otis is now doing really well, and we are all reassured to know that the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit and CHSF are there for him and his parents. They do an amazing job, and we are all thrilled that we can help other families who need support through our fundraising efforts.”
Join #TeamCHSF and march 1 million steps in March!
Getting involved couldn’t be simpler – get the family together and between you walk 1,000,000 steps during the month of March, just like Otis’ Orsome Walkers!
Heart warrior Gracie-Mae’s family have been fundraising for Children’s Heart Surgery Fund since she came to Leeds for treatment last year, and in her memory since she sadly passed away in September 2023.
They completed the CHSF Superhero Walk in early September and then held their own fundraising day in November – Banger Racing! Gracie Mae’s Dad, Jordan, is a banger racer, and they got all of their racing supporters to join in with this awesome fundraising day…
Gracie’s Mum Jessica wrote:
“Gracie-Mae Rengger was born on the 30th October 2022. A beautiful little lady, 6lb 4oz and full of life! Little did we know within that week we found out Gracie had Tetralogy of Fallot, a VSD and an ASD of the heart.
“Throughout Gracie’s life we spent an awful lot of time in hospital with a range of illnesses and medical conditions. She had her first heart stent operation in January 2023 followed by her full repair and discovery of an airway issue six months later.
You can read more about Gracie Mae’s story in a full account, beautifully written by mum Jessica here.
We are so grateful to Jessica for writing this and for allowing us to share Gracie’s CHD journey with you.
“In September 2023 we spent time in PICU and through a range of different findings, complications and illnesses, Gracie unfortunately passed away on the 20th September in the arms of her Mum and Dad, in the gardens of Martin House Hospice who provided end of life care.
“Gracie’s story is so big. We had people following her story from all over the world. She came here to change people for the better and she did just that! She fought right until the very end, and she taught us no matter what you do, no matter what situation you are in, NEVER give up!
“We always said we will give back and fundraise for Children’s Heart Surgery Fund who have and still are helping our situation.
“They provided us with accommodation for 16 weeks (working out roughly £700 a week if booked a hotel!), food vouchers, travel expenses so we could go home to see our son due to living 2.5 hours from the hospital…and the list goes on.
“She fought right until the very end, and she taught us no matter what you do, no matter what situation you are in, NEVER give up!”
“We want Gracie, her legacy and her story to live on, as well as to give back, so that is where our fundraising started.
“We did a massive Banger Racing day for Gracie held at Skegness Raceway raising over £2,000. We also took part in the CHSF Superhero Walk raising £350. We provided selection boxes to the children’s heart ward and PICU out of Gracie’s charity money over Christmas, as well as donating ‘Gracie’s box’ sound machines to PICU, which she was well known for.
“Gracie’s story is a tale which will never end, she has her own motto, her own wall. Everyone on Ward L51, PICU, the consultants, the surgeons, the staff nurses and everyone who helped knows her name and knows how much she really did fight!
“Congenital heart disease is real, the effects are real and unfortunately, it just beat our Gracie with all she had. However 2024 has so much to offer, with future fundraising events for CHSF in memory of Gracie. Me, Dad, Nanny Gill, Alfie, Nanny Gill & Grandad Trevor will be helping out in any way we can!
“Whenever you look in the sky and you see a rainbow, that is a sign to say they have made it to heaven. And when we see one, that’s our Gracie showing us to keep going!
Gracie-Mae Rengger
A story to tell, a legacy to carry and a name to never forget.
As well as the Banger Racing, Gracie’s family members have come together to complete sponsored walks, they’ve made generous one-off donations toward the total and lots more. In total the family have raised a phenomenal £2,625.84 in Gracie’s name in just a few short months.
We are blown away and so grateful to this amazing family who have chosen to do something great for CHSF at such a difficult time. Thank you all.
MORE FAB FUNDRAISERS
“16 years ago, on 20th March 2007, my twin daughters were born. While Carrie was perfectly healthy, her twin sister Olivia was born with pulmonary stenosis.
“I chose to fundraise for Children’s Heart Surgery Fund as I know first-hand how important they are to so many families of ‘heart warriors’…”
Kevin continued…
“With the help of CHSF and the doctors and staff at the LGI, Olivia received a balloon angioplasty operation in May 2007 which was a success but had side effects and caused her to have a stroke. Without CHSF this already traumatic experience would have been so much more stressful.
“My wife and Carrie were provided a place to stay at the hospital. This enabled my wife to rest and be at my daughter’s side, while still looking after Carrie. If there was an emergency, she was just minutes away, not miles. My wife and Carrie stayed at the LGI for several weeks while Olivia was in intensive care.
Since our Charity was founded in 1988, we estimate CHSF has provided around 10,000 families with accommodation in the hospital while their child is having heart surgery or receiving other life-saving treatment.
Please consider donating to our Christmas Appeal ‘Stay Another Day’ to ensure more families can benefit from CHSF-funded accommodation in the hospital.
“CHSF did a fantastic job helping look after my daughters and my wife during this difficult time and today does this for 1000’s of children with heart problems and their families every year.
“Back in 2019 I was in the pub with some mates we wanted to start exercising to get in shape, so we booked to run a Tough Mudder. This I raised around £400 for CHSF, and I really enjoyed the experience so this year I wanted something more challenging – as I was turning 40 years old and Olivia was turning 16!
“I wanted to run the London Marathon but unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in getting a place so I thought I’ll look to run the same distance as a marathon but do obstacles along the way. I couldn’t find an OCR that long but I did find that Tough Mudder did an endurance run.
“The challenge was 8 hours to run as many laps of their course as you could but any obstacles you didn’t complete, you had to do a forfeit before you started the next lap.
“I managed to run 46km in just under 8hours 30mins, and was ranked 38th out of nearly 200 runners.”
“When you start to struggle just think of all the heart warriors that you are helping. Without people like you, Children Heart Surgery Fund wouldn’t exist.”
Due to raising money for CHSF, the charity made it possible for me to run the Great North Run in September, this was my first Half Marathon. I only ran 10K at the most while training for the Tough Mudder – taking part in a few races like Pontefract, Leeds and York but never as far as the Great North Run at 21km.
“I not only ran the half marathon, but I beat my 2 hour goal, getting an impressive finish time of 1:56:24. Despite on the day of the run it was really hot, making it even more difficult.
“My favourite thing about taking on these challenges was the feeling of pride – because of me this charity will be able to help people.
“That feeling not only helped me when I was part way along the GNR route and was struggling due to the heat, or when I physically couldn’t pull myself out of the muddy mile at Tough Mudder – but all the hours of training and early morning runs.
“My advice to anyone thinking of fundraising for CHSF – aim high and believe in yourself.”
You can achieve anything you set your mind to, knowing that you are helping this charity will help you get there.
When you start to struggle just think of all the heart warriors that you are helping. Without people like you, Children Heart Surgery Fund wouldn’t exist.
The charity will put any money you raise to good use so be extremely proud of yourself no matter how much you can raise!
A huge thank you to heart dad Kevin for for choosing to fundraise for CHSF and take on these incredible challenges to raise money for our patients and families.
We are so grateful to Kevin’s friends and family and everyone who donated to his fundraising page. A brilliant £1,140 raised!
GREAT NORTH RUN
8th September 2024
TOTAL & JUNIOR WARRIOR
22nd & 23rd June 2024
MORE FAB FUNDRAISERS
This Christmas, let’s turn the season of joy into a season of giving.
Here are five fun and simple but impactful ways you can raise funds for the Children’s Hearts Surgery Fund this festive season…
1. Make your own reindeer food and sell
All you need to make some wildlife-friendly reindeer food is: bird seeds, rolled oats and some edible glitter. Mix it all together and decant into small bags.
Add a little note – “Sprinkle on your lawn at night, the moon will make it sparkle bright. As Santa’s reindeer fly and roam, this will guide them to your home.”
2. Offer a Present Wrapping Service
Are you a nab-hand at wrapping gifts? Lend your services to friends and family who aren’t as skilled with sticky tape and wrap their presents for them.
Be sure to ask them to make a donation for your time, of course and send it to CHSF!
3. Get festive fit!
Join other supporters in our CHSF walking challenge – Step into Christmas! Complete the length of a marathon during the month of December.
You might do a small walk every day or take on the full marathon in one go. We don’t mind, as long as you complete your 26.2 miles!
If you fancy upping the pace, join us for Jingle All the Way 5K on Sunday 17th December. Choose to run, walk or cycle 5K your own way – at home or in your local area, alone or with friends and family.
Want some company? Some of the CHSF Team will be heading to Temple Newsam Leeds to complete their challenge so pop along and say ‘hi!’.
4. ‘Deck Your Desks’ for CHSF!
If you work in an office or school, set up your own ‘Deck your Desk’ competition to raise funds for CHSF. Simply spruce up your desk or workspace in its festive best and invite your colleagues to a friendly decorating competition!
You can contribute individually while decorating or gather a recommended £2 donation per desk, and then declare a winner in the office!
Check out this awesome ‘Polar Express’ themed creation by Holt Doctors in 2018!
5. Get dressed in your festive finery!
A great one for at school, at work or even just with family.
Grab your favourite frock, your sequin tie or your funkiest festive jumper and ‘dress down’ for the day.
Everyone is charged a fee, and the funds are collected and donated to CHSF.
Got another idea for raising vital funds this Christmastime?
The team would love to hear all about it!
Email info@chsf.org.uk, call us on 0113 831 4810 or register to fundraise and we’ll be in touch!
Help our heart parents ‘Stay Another Day’
We’d love it if you did some festive fundraising for CHSF in the run up to Christmas to support our Christmas Appeal for 2023, Stay Another Day.
We are aiming to raise £10,000 to support our vital accommodation at the hospital for heart parents and families.
Find out more about the appeal and donate here
Heart warrior Sophia was born on 10th May 2020 and needed open heart surgery at just 4 days old. Children’s Heart Surgery Fund supported Sophia and her family through this difficult time.
Mark, Sophia’s Grandad, and Justin, Sophia’s Uncle, chose to take part in a sponsored skydive in October to raise vital funds for other heart warriors and their families.
Mark and Justin said:
“Nothing we do can match Sophia being given the gift of life, but we will keep trying to do everything we can to give a little back. That being said…what better way to raise money than throwing ourselves out of plane?!”
Mark continued:
“I wanted to do the skydive to raise money in honour of Sophia, our amazing heart warrior granddaughter.
I enquired and found out I needed to lose 6 stone to be able to go ahead. So, the diet began along with the fundraising! No going back!
We originally had it booked for August, but the great British weather had other ideas. It finally went ahead in October.
I’ve never been happier to eat a huge burger. It was so worth it – the sky dive was a huge buzz! I’ve lost 6 stone and we raised nearly £4,000 for the charity that helped our family so much.”
Justin and Mark, all smiles before the big jump!
It’s a family affair! The whole family turned out to cheer Mark and Justin on as they scaled the 15,000ft and braved the skies for CHSF.
“I’ve lost 6 stone and raised nearly £4,000 for the charity that helped our family so much!”
Justin added:
“What an amazing feeling to be able to complete a charity skydive and raise so much money for a fantastic cause. Yes, jumping out of a plane was really scary but no where, near as scary as what Sophia and others have been through.
Our brave little princess Sophia is so strong and brave and I love the fact we have been able to support Children’s Heart Surgery fund to help other families who really need it.“
Events Fundraiser, Eve said:
“Mark and Justin have taken on an amazing challenge to support CHSF, and we cannot thank them enough. Not only did they brave the 15,000ft jump, but they raised above and beyond their fundraising pledge of £345 each.
“To all their friends, family and colleagues and everyone in between that supported Mark and Justin – thank you from all of us here at CHSF!
Oh and Mark, we hope you enjoyed that burger, you certainly earned it!”
Mark and Justin worked incredibly hard to raise an amazing £3,978 for Children’s Heart Surgery Fund.
Well done Mark and Justin and thank you so much every one who donated and contributed towards this incredible total!
SKYDIVE FOR CHSF
6th July 2024
Jumping from 15,000ft, you will enjoy one whole adrenaline-fuelled minute of freefall while raising vital funds for CHSF!