A DETERMINED fundraiser is going the extra mile – in fact nearly 1,000 miles – to raise money to help a special little girl and her family.
Sarah Tate, from Lees, set herself a challenge of cycling the equivalent of Land’s End to John O Groats throughout February to raise funds for 11-year-old Tehyah.
The youngster suffers from rare genetic disorder General Arterial Calcification in Infancy (GACI) and can no longer talk, eat, walk, or go to the toilet.
So Sarah, whose partner John is related to the family, decided to raise £500 to go towards a comfortable wheelchair so Tehyah can enjoy family days out and make more memories together.
After a staggering response from friends and the community she had amassed £1,000 before she had even put her foot on the pedal!
Sarah explained: “Initially I just set myself a challenge as a way to lose weight but I decided to raise money for Tehyah at the same time to keep myself accountable and not give up.
“I set up a Just Giving page and ordered an exercise bike to use in my lounge and told people what I was doing – and it just snowballed so quickly!
“By January 31, before I started the challenge, I had already raised £1,000!”
Sarah completed the challenge, fitting in cycling sessions at home and in local gyms around her busy home life with John and two children as well as working.
Tehyah’s dad Aaron joined in from day eight and also completed the challenge – despite taking some days off while Tehyah was in hospital.
Sarah added: “I never thought the cycle would be a breeze but on day three I was really struggling and was in tears, ready to give up.
“But I dusted myself off, got back up and carried on for Tehyah. She is the hero in all this. The family has been through the mill and I just want to help make their life easier.”
Sarah is now adding to the miles she has already completed as she is hosting a sponsored walk on Saturday, March 19 to add to the £3,190 already raised for Tehyah.
All are welcome to join in, with the 26-mile walk starting at Fairview Inn, going through Oldham, Lees and finishing at Donkeystone Brewery on Wellington Road in Greenfield, which is Tehyah’s home village.
Other people have stepped forward to also raise funds by taking on their own sponsored walks, organising raffles and selling crafts.
Support has also been flooding in in the form of donations, raffle prizes and offers of help from friends, businesses and organisations, including Saddleworth Round Table.
So Sarah is hosting a fundraising event on Saturday, March 26 at Boarshurst Band Club in Greenfield from 12noon-5pm, to be opened by the Mayor of Oldham Cllr Jenny Harrison (entry £1 for adults, 50p for children).
The event will offer fun for all the family including live music, a raffle, a tombola, bric-a-brac, tuck shop, stalls from local businesses and much more.
And there will be fabulous sporting memorabilia up for grabs at an auction (3pm) including a signed Latics shirt, the match ball from Roughyeds’ first game of the new season, a signed photo of Henry Cooper and Mohammed Ali, and boxing tickets.
Sarah said: “The community has really pulled together and supported me and Tehyah and the whole family. The support and donations have been overwhelming.
“I’ve had three or four friends helping me all the way and I couldn’t have done it without them, whether that was cheering me on while I was on the bike or helping with donations.”
Sarah has now set herself the task of completing a different physical challenge each month, under the slogan ‘Trials for Tehyah’ and is open to suggestions for the tasks.
Read more about Sarah’s challenges and Tehyah online: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sarah-tate
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