Press Release - 24th October 2003
Youngsters' Yawns Nod In £1,000 For Christie's
Sara Caldwell (front right) and St Alban's 'stay awakers'
present the £1,000 cheque to Vicky Bissett (front left)
of The Christie's Appeal Macclesfield fundraising team.The
Land of Nod beckoned... But 20 young teenagers managed to keep their
eyes
firmly open for a 12 hour night-long vigil.
Like most youngsters they leaped at the chance to stay up all night - fine in
theory, hard to put into practice. But these Macclesfield children, all aged
about 13, had a good incentive to stay awake. They were sponsored to raise cash
for The Christie, Manchester, and the bleary-eyed troopers brought in a
magnificent £1,000 for the specialist cancer centre.
All are members of St Alban's RC Church, Macclesfield, and the
sponsored stay-awake, from 7am to 7pm, was part of their preparation programme
for Confirmation.
"Every year our Confirmation candidates take on a project for charity and
vote on which cause they would like to support. Christie's was a very popular
choice this time. One of the youngsters nominated Christie's as a thank you for
the care his mother had received during her successful cancer treatment - and
the others were only too keen to take up the suggestion. We are very pleased
with the amount raised," says Sara Caldwell, who helps prepare the children
for Confirmation.
Sara and her fellow catechists stayed awake with them in the parish hall, encouraging
team games and other fun activities as well as more reflective pursuits such
as reading and meditation. A mass was held at the end of the 12 hours, celebrated
by Fr Jonathon Leach, now Director of the Diocese of Shrewsbury Youth service.
"They were flagging a little by morning, but all of them did very well," adds
Sara.
The Christie fundraising officer Sarah Bate agrees: "The
young people were superb. Their lack of sleep will mean a big boost for our
fight against cancer. The £1,000 will support research and equipment projects,
including research into childhood cancers. We are very grateful to them".
For more information please contact:
The Christie in Manchester is one of the leading cancer centres in Europe - registering around 12,500 new patients and treating about 40,000 patients every year.
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