A DETERMINED fundraiser who smashed her £10,000 target in just 10 weeks has even more challenges and events in the pipeline as she looks to raise more money.
Sarah Tate, from Lees, decided to tackle ‘a year of hell’ to raise funds
for 11-year-old Tehyah, who is related to her partner John, for equipment and support.
The youngster from Greenfield suffers from rare genetic disorder General Arterial Calcification in Infancy (GACI) and can no longer talk, eat, walk, or go to the toilet.
Sarah started her fundraising under the slogan ‘Trials for Tehyah’ in February, cycling 1,000 miles – the equivalent of Land’s End to John O Groats – throughout the month and was joined by Tehyah’s dad Aaron.
After a staggering response from friends and the community she amassed £1,000 before she had even put her foot on the pedal and had reached £3,190 when she finished.
Next up was a sponsored 26-mile walk starting at The Fairview Inn in Shaw, stopping at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice in Royton, then onto Oldham Athletic’s football ground where they did a lap of honour on the pitch.
Armed with collection buckets, they headed through Lees, with more walkers joining along the way including staff from Lees Co-op who donated £770 from the Co-op network.
Their route took them down Lees High Street, past The Three Crowns, The Old Bell Inn at Delph, up to Saddleworth Hotel, back down to The Navigation at Dobcross and then to Dovestone Reservoir in Greenfield.
The extreme heat eventually took its toll – with three walkers suffering from sunstroke – so they drove the final distance to Donkeystone Brewery on Wellington Road.
“I was disappointed we didn’t quite finish but I think 25.5miles in ten hours was a fantastic effort – and exhausting!” said Sarah.
Money from the walk, as well as funds from raffles, football cards, teddy cards and donations that Sarah is running on Facebook, saw the figure jump closer to the target.
The total topped £5,000 ahead of their family fun day at Boarshurst Band Club in Greenfield, which added another £2,570.
The event included live music, a raffle, a tombola, bric-a-brac, tuck shop, stalls from local businesses and much more.
There was an auction of sporting memorabilia including a signed Oldham Athletic shirt, the match ball from Roughyeds’ first game of this season, a signed Britain’s Strongman programme, signed photos including Fury v Wilder, Cooper v Clay, Barry McDermott, Bryan Robson and Aymeric Laporte, and signed boxing gloves by Callum Smith and Liam Smith.
The Mayor of Oldham Cllr Jenny Harrison, who officially opened the event, said: “It is an absolute pleasure to be here to support Tehyah.
“I have been reading about Sarah’s challenges and the support she has had and it is obvious this has touched everybody.
“Dig deep and show your support to help get the right equipment to enrich this young lady’s life.”
Further funds kept pouring in from individuals and businesses across Oldham and beyond who have been completing their own challenges and fundraising for Tehyah.
And as 10 weeks of hard work approached, Sarah was delighted to reach the target she had hoped to achieve in 12 months.
“The kindness and generosity of everyone has been overwhelming,” she said. “I’ve not even had the time to sit down and think about what we have achieved in such a short amount of time.
“But just because I’ve reached my target doesn’t mean we’re going to stop. The more we raise, the more we can do to help Tehyah.
“People keep asking me what is the next challenge! I promised to do a ‘year of hell’ for Tehyah so I will keep going until January 31 next year.”
During April, Sarah is focusing on nutrition and trying a different diet plan each week, ending the month by taking part in Ramadan. She is also doing a physical challenge of 100 squats a day.
She is open to suggestions for her next challenges, and hopes to also host a Zumbathon, family fun day and charity ball so the community can get involved too.
Read more about Sarah’s challenges and Tehyah online: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sarah-tate
You can contact Sarah to get involved or with donations at: 07788 255927.
You must be logged in to post a comment.