We’ve been fundraising for over two years, and so far we’re amazed by the progress we’ve made.

We’re hugely indebted to our wonderful fundraisers across the UK and the world who have donated, or helped support us in any other way, and this page is a little update to thank the people who’ve gone out of their way to raise funds for us.

Below is a summary of all of the people or organisations that have helped us reach where we are now!

August 2011

HSBC’s Sports Association was the first fundraiser we received money from – a £750 donation from their Summer Ball. This was hugely important, in allowing us to set up for our first organised fundraiser – the Dragon Boat Festival 2011.

September 2011

The Dragon Boat Festival! We have to say a huge thank you to all the volunteers, participants, and sponsors of our launch event, which helped us raise another £13,000 for research. To see how it went, click here.

Dragon Boat Racing – It was harder than it looks!

October-December 2011

Berry Gardens, from Five Oak Green, Kent, completed a Sponsored Jaffa Cake eating contest, raising more money for us during this period.

January 2012

Newport Girls High School Academy Trust raised £427 for us through a number of activities in the run up to Christmas.

Edenbridge School also made a very generous donation in January 2012.

February 2012

University of Leicester Boat Club undertook a sponsored 24-hour row, where they rowed the equivalent of Leicester to Geneva, and raised in the region of £1500! It was a long night, and hard work, but was great fun and raised a great amount of money! To find out more, click here.

Ben Wilson, Dan Devitt and Sean Beard also completed the Tunbridge Wells half marathon for ESRT!

March 2012

Jarvis Investment made a very generous donation, from some fundraising in the office, including a dress down day.

April 2012

Matt Parsons completed a sponsored 24-hour row for ESRT in February of this year, at Nizels Health Club, where he works.

Daren Wilson completed one of the most challenging sponsored challenges for us (the most challenging is below!), completing the Brighton Marathon and London Marathon on consecutive weekends – finishing both with times around the 4 hour mark, raising £1400 in the process!

Victoria Elmer completed, without doubt, the most extreme challenge! She completed an Ironman Triathlon, swimming 2.5km, cycling 112km and then running 26 miles! She finished in a great time and managed to raise £576!

Mariselle Harrison, Lizzie Harrison and Laura Whiteley rounded off a trio of extreme challenges, by completing the YOMP Fell Run, raising another £430!

Lucy Russell completed a sponsored cycle for ESRT in this month.

Callum McDonald also raised money for us in April.

May

Pavneet Singh completed her first skydive, raising in the region of £500 for ESRT!

Morag Love and Catriona Campbell raised around £600 for us too!

Pauline and Jim Hughes became involved with ESRT in May 2012, and, through a combination of donations online and in the aftermath of their son Mark’s death, donated £5,000. To read Mark’s story, click here.

June

Steve Gill completed the Three Peaks Challenge in June,  raising a fantastic £350!

July

North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club completed a sponsored swim in July, as the swimming club of Mark Hughes, and they raised an amazing £1700!

August

NHS County Durham made a kind donation in August 2012.

September

Dragon Boat Racing came back round again, and we managed to raise another £11,000 – click here to find out how we got on!

Coutts Bank made a generous donation of £250.

October

Alison Hughes with the two teams – the Dads won!

Billy & Harvey Clifford (and Dad) completed a sponsored run for Ewing’s Sarcoma Research Trust, once again in memory of Mark Hughes. Billy and dad finished the 10 and a quarter mile run in 1 hour 40 minutes, whilst Mum and Harvey cycled round behind them – encouraging the two runners in wet and windy weather! They raised a fantastic £565!

Alison Hughes also hosted a charity football match in memory of her brother Mark, raising a further £1400.

November

Vernon Craig Norris

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Vernon Craig Norris earlier this month, having received an e-mail from his parents-in-law, Sue and Peter Chew.

Vernon unfortunately passed away after a second fight with Ewing’s Sarcoma, and it was his wife Phillippa’s wish that donations were made in his memory. Described as a very clever, knowledgeable and brave person, Vernon will be sorely missed by those he leaves behind.

Phillippa, Peter, Sue and Vernon’s parents Mel and Patsy have asked us to thank everyone who has contributed such kind donations.

We are hugely grateful for the number of generous donations.

Blemain Finance also raised £451 for ESRT this month, through a sponsored dress down day.

December 2012

Yorkshire Building Society completed a sponsored Walk, Run and Cycle around Millport, raising £697 for ESRT.

We also received a kind donation from St Palladius Primary School, North Ayrshire, of £150.

Another donation was made in memory of Vernon Norris, of £175.

University of Leicester Law Society raised £202 through a more unusual fundraising method, donating £1 of every ticket sold to a “Shot Showdown” to ESRT.

January 2013

Ashurst LLP kindly chose ESRT as their charity of the year for their annual Trainee Ball in London, and through a raffle raised over £1860 for ESRT, getting us off to 2013 in a great way! This was supplemented by a very kind donation from a partner within the firm of £750.

Scottish Widows also held an event late in 2012, raising £350.

Finally, Billy Gilmour, Kevin O’Neill and Jess Barrow raised a whopping £694 for ESRT.

January was a fantastic month for the charity, with the very kind fundraising efforts of these people getting 2013 off to a great start.

February 2013

Sherbourne Police Station made a donation of £100 in memory of Vernon Norris.

Further fundraising efforts by the family and friends of Mark Hughes raised the fantastic amount of £2,220.

March 2013

Rivington Primary School donated £245, after being inspired by the story of Katie Dodd, a four-year old Ewing’s Sarcoma patient from Bolton, who was given the opportunity of life-saving treatment in the USA this year. An ex-pupil has also suffered from Ewing’s. As Katie loves “Barbie and Ken” they held a cake sale, guess the name of the teddy, and asked the pupils to dress up as either Barbie or Ken!

1^st Acton Brownie Pack raised £270, after the leader’s great niece was diagnosed with Ewing’s, by putting on a play and show before Christmas, with stalls and a raffle.

April 2013

In February we were sorry to hear of the passing away of Tim Woollcott, whose family asked for a retiring collection to be held for ESRT in his memory. Over the past couple of months we have received over £1,000 in Tim’s memory by his family and friends.

Yorkshire Building Society also made a further donation of £100.

Also in April, Garnoc Sharks Swimming Club, which Mark Hughes joined as a seven year old, donated £520 raised at their annual gala.

A further £520 was donated from a collection at the funeral of prominent Scottish politician James Jennings JP OBE, who was related to Mark Hughes.

We’re hugely indebted to each and every one of you – as well as to all the sponsors, donors and supporters we’ve met along the way.

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