Cleo Smith and Emma-Jayne Thomas from Age UK are going to complete the Everest Base Camp Trek Challenge along with Sam Bunting, an Age UK volunteer recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's
“It was Sam’s idea to do the trek,” Age UK’s chief officer, Cleo, says of the challenge, which is to raise money for Age UK Hythe, Lyminge and Ashford’s dementia support.
“He has done a climb before and he wanted to go to Everest Base Camp, so Emma and I said we would go with him; we then decided we would do it for the dementia hub we have in Lyminge, which is a bespoke service for people living with dementia at every stage.”
Seventy-nine-year-old Sam is a veteran of HM Armed Forces and, with the help of Cleo, 47, and Age UK team leader Emma-Jayne, 47, he aims to raise a year’s salary for one person in the hub of support workers, who’ve gone through a vast training programme to be able to support people with dementia.
“It’s a cause close to all our hearts and we don’t get any funding for dementia services,” explains Cleo. “We also want to remove the stigma of dementia and help people understand it. Sam is doing the trek, so it’s getting the message across that life doesn’t end with dementia; it goes on and there’s still so much you can do.”
The target is £30,000 – the annual cost of one person’s salary in the dementia hub – and they have already raised almost £15,000.
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“It would be amazing if we could reach this target,” says Cleo. “We have all paid for the expedition ourselves so any money raised will go to the fundraiser.
“To know that we can continue to fund services going forward to the next year is a lot for us.”
Add to Cleo, Emma-Jayne and Sam’s GoFundMe here
10-year-old Ruaridh Fordie’s Socks in a Box is an annual fundraiser, aiming to raise money to buy socks for the homeless
The youngster has already handed out around 4,000 pairs (before this latest fundraiser) through Simon Community Scotland (SCS), as well as other gifts at Christmas, like hats, food vouchers and chocolate. Ruaridh smashed his latest fundraiser target of £150, raising £770.
His latest fundraiser has so far raised £710 out of a £500 target.
Ruaridh’s GoFundMe page was set up by his mum, Emma, 39, a nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children & Young People in Edinburgh.
“It’s been going for a few years now, and started when Ruaridh was about eight,” says Emma.
“There was a homeless man outside a shop near Ruaridh’s school, and one day he asked why some people don’t have a home. We had a conversation about homelessness, and by the time we had driven home Ruaridh asked, ‘Well, what about clean clothes?’
“He was concerned about socks and having wet feet, and asked if we could buy socks for this gentleman. I said, of course. We asked grandads and family, and it took off from there.”
The family connected with SCS in Holyrood, which does street work, and took the donation of socks to them. Ruaridh has now done three collections and completed a 2k junior Edinburgh Marathon to increase donations through sponsorship.
“Ruaridh is so passionate about this,” says his proud mum. “At a young age, he’s felt that happiness that giving brings you and he loves it.”
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Add to Ruaridh’s GoFundMe here
Paul Conway, 53, from Wrexham, founded the Candy and Tibby Trust, a rescue service for stray and feral cats that would otherwise face a bleak future. Now he wants to do even more
When Paul, a former mechanic, found a half-dead tabby cat by the side of his car repair garage about eight years ago, it led to a new mission in life.
“I tried to find her owners on social ‘lost and found’ sites, and saw more cats like her in need,” he recalls. “That was my inspiration to help other cats, and what started as a little thing has grown into a big passion.
“For three years I paid for it all out of my own pocket, but I couldn’t sustain that, so I set up the Candy and Tibby Trust, named for two cats I’d found that were too poorly to save.”
Two years ago the Trust became a registered charity, and with a small group of volunteers, it has rescued over 3,000 cats and kittens.
“We’re doing the same level of rescue work as larger organisations, but on a shoestring,” says Paul. “My passion is to help sick, injured, abandoned, stray and feral cats that other rescues overlook.”
Every night he and his volunteers go out to help colonies of cats in the Wrexham area. They feed, de-flea and worm them, and set up traps so that cats can be neutered where necessary. “Ultimately we try to find good homes for them,” Paul says.
“So far we’ve raised £3,400 out of a £6,000 target for neutering and treating injured cats. Eventually, we would like to get our own premises so we can continue to help more of them.”
Add to Paul’s GoFundMe here
Charli Parvin wants to help her friend Bea Wood get a special wheelchair that will enhance her life by allowing her to take part in her favourite sport
Thirty-five-year-old Bea, from Scunthorpe, has functional neurological disorder, which means she doesn’t have the use of her lower legs. She also has other challenges, including Tourette syndrome, which leads to tics and seizures. But none of this stops her from leading a very active life.
“Bea recently got into obstacle course racing (OCR), but her normal wheelchair isn’t suitable for these courses,” explains Charlie, 31, from Manchester. “It’s something she thrives at; it also gives her a bit of freedom, and she can show that people with a disability can do these things.
“I met Bea at a Tough Mudder event and to see the way she has absolutely thrived in getting around the courses, and come on leaps and bounds in her confidence, is great.”
The two friends heard about a man in America called Mike Box, who designs wheelchairs for OCR participants. He said he could make Bea one for £5,000, including everything to her specifications.
“So far we’ve raised £1,840,” says Charli. “To get to our target would mean the world. It would give Bea that extra bit of independence, and let her go head-first into these obstacle courses without the risk of damaging her wheelchair – or herself.
“It would make her cry – and it would make me cry.”
Add to Charli’s GoFundMe here
Kaleigh Mason, 35, and her husband Ian, 39, are hoping to arrange the trip of a lifetime to World Disney World in Florida for their four-year-old son Oliver, who is recovering from cancer
“In 2022 Oliver was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer – Langerhans cell histiocytosis – and spent a lot of time going in and out of hospital,” says Kaleigh, from Lancaster. “He had to have chemo once a week for 12 weeks, and once every three weeks for two years. Then there was all the steroids and other medications that try to balance everything out.”
Because the cancer damaged his pituitary gland, Oliver also suffers from diabetes insipidus, which means his body struggles to absorb enough water.
“Oliver has just finished his treatment, and throughout it all he has been amazing – he just gets on with it,” says Kaleigh. “They hope the cancer doesn’t return, but there’s about a one-in-three risk that it might in some form, so we’re on high alert.
“Because he spent so much time in hospital, we missed out on all the trips we wanted to do. So we’d love to take him to Disney World in November next year. So far we’ve raised £4,350 out of £6,000. After all Oliver’s been through, to see him happy and have that family time together would be incredible. It’ll be so emotional and exciting.
Add to Kaleigh’s GoFundMe here
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