Last year, we raised just under £15,000 for Nelson’s Journey. This was in memory of a special woman called Lisa Ducker and a very special boy called Rian, who needed a defibrillator which wasn't funded by the NHS.
This year, we will continue to support Rian and Lisa’s memory by raising funds for GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital) and the Mulbarton Ward N&N, each receiving 20% of the total amount raised.
20% of the remaining funds will go to a very special local family this year: the Dallas family. Jaxson Dallas was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at just 6 years old. The family needs to travel for treatment on a regular basis, which means they have had to work less, causing financial uncertainty for the foreseeable future.
Wymondham Youth Basketball, and the 389th Bombardment Memorial Museum, which will include a memorial room for our dear friend Fred Squires who has recently died.
People can get involved raising these funds in one of the following ways:
~A half-marathon run
~A half-marathon cycle
~A 10K walk
Please contact Ryan on 07901973593 for more information, or pop into the Wymondham Sports Bar at any time.
If you cannot do any of the above but would still like to get involved, thank you very much; there are still plenty of ways, so please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Entry is £5 and 100% of the proceeds go to the above-mentioned charities.
The families have chosen these charities and written a few words to explain.
The Dallas Family
Jaxson is 6 years old and was very recently diagnosed with leukaemia. Jaxson has now started his chemotherapy and has a very long road ahead. Laura, his mum, Daryl, his dad and Delilah, his 4-year-old sister, have not once left his side. Jaxson is a brave young man with an incredibly large heart, going through an exceptionally difficult treatment set to last for 2 and a half years. This period will undoubtedly be extremely difficult for the whole family, so any support you can give will go a long way.
Justine and James, Rian’s parents
Rian was born with a very complex heart condition, which will require a lifetime of surgery and monitoring.
Last January, he had his pacemaker surgery and recovered well. He will now have this for life. The pacemaker monitors Rian's heart rate constantly.
Last May, his heart rate went extremely high. This meant a trip to Great Ormond Street and some difficult conversations about how dangerous things could be for Rian. If this episode were any longer, this could have put him in a life-threatening situation. This came with no warning and could happen again. With such a complex heart condition, things often change.
We are truly touched that the Wymondham Sports Bar is helping us raise some funds.
Fundraising for Great Ormond Street Hospital helps families in all aspects of their journey: whether it's accommodation while a child is an inpatient, food vouchers for new mothers while their baby receives care/treatment, research into new medicines/treatments for complex diseases, new facilities, new medical equipment, and many other resources!
We really appreciate all donations to help support families like ours. Knowing that the funds contribute towards groundbreaking research gives us hope with Rian's complex condition.
Medicine has evolved tremendously over the last 10 years, and your fundraising could help GOSH research complex conditions like Rian's.
Steve and Val, Lisa’s parents
As some of you will know, we lost our daughter Lisa in February 2024. She left two daughters aged 11 and 8. Lisa had bowel cancer which spread to her liver. She was told in December 2023 that her chemotherapy didn't help and that she had only 3 months to live.
We have decided to donate the money this year to Mulbarton Ward at the N&NUH. Lisa was there for approximately four weeks, and they looked after her with great care and dignity, as well as taking good care of the extended family, especially Elli and Mollie, Lisa and Matt’s daughters.
