Pupils hand over cash to kids heart surgery fund

Young patients with heart conditions across Yorkshire will receive a boost after pupils, parents and teachers at a school raised almost £7,000 for charity.

Birstwith-based Belmont Grosvenor School handed over a cheque for £6,746 to the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF) at Leeds after choosing to support the charity during 2016.

Pupils, parents and staff at the school took part in a wide range of fundraising throughout the year, including a sponsored Race to Rio, which saw youngsters swim and run the 5,761 miles to Brazil in time for the Olympic Games, and a black-tie Summer Ball.

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CHSF regional fundraiser Myriam Barker dropped into the school to pick up the cheque and thank pupils, staff and parents for choosing to collect cash for the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

Each year, the school picks a charity to support – parents chose the CHSF after drama teacher Catherine Fearn’s two-year-old nephew Jack Hartley and former Belmont Grosvenor nursery assistant Lottie Haggas both underwent life-saving surgery at the Yorkshire Heart Unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

During the past two years, the school has raised almost £11,000 for CHSF.

Myriam said: “It has been another year of excellent fundraising, and a total breeze working with such kind and motivated pupils, staff and parents.”

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“The money raised will go towards our Keeping The Beat Appeal to fund a revolutionary children’s heart theatre, based at the Leeds Congenital Heart for the Unit at Leeds General Infirmary.”

She added: “Belmont Grosvenor School will be directly supporting the 10,000 babies and children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) who pass through the Unit each year, covering the whole of the Yorkshire region and beyond.

“The school will also help Leeds remain at the fore of specialist cardiac surgical facilities and ensure the unit continues to provide excellent care to all CHD babies and children in the region for generations to come. “

Angela Fothergill, past chairman of the Belmont Grovenor School PTA said the entire school community had got involved with the fund-raising for CHSF – and had been able to see the work of the charity first-hand through the school’s connection with young heart patients.