Mexborough boy raises over £1,000 to support lifesaving children’s charity

Oliver Ginn recently discovered a love for the great outdoors and wanted to put his newfound interest in hiking to use to support a charity, so he chose the lifesaving Children’s Air Ambulance.

The Children’s Air Ambulance is a national service which is changing the face of paediatric and neonatal care through the high-speed transfer of critically ill babies and children – flying them from one hospital to another for specialist care.

Together with his Mum Tracy, Oliver chose to take part in the Three Peaks Challenge, covering 26 miles in under 12 hours.

On 2 June, the impressive duo completed their challenge which was a 38km route from Horton-Ribblesdale, ticking off the summits of Ingleborough, Whernside and finally Pen Y Ghent, and so far have raised over £1,000 – with donations still coming in.

“I really enjoyed the challenge and knowing that the money we raised is going to help poorly children is really special. The sense of achievement that I had at the top of the last peak was massive and it’s made me think about my challenge for next year – the national three peaks,” said Oliver Ginn.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has sponsored us, it really spurred us on to complete the challenge for this lifesaving service,” he added.

His Mum, Tracy said: “I’m incredibly proud of Oliver. It was a very hot day which presented us with some additional challenges, but we pushed through and with lots of perseverance, and a few tears, we completed all 26 miles at over 6,000 metres of elevation.”

The charity receives no government funding so relies on dedicated fundraisers like Oliver to keep the helicopters flying and saving lives.

Oliver began his fundraising journey by signing up to become a member of #TheCrew – an exciting children’s club linked to the Children’s Air Ambulance, where children can learn about saving lives, helicopters, medicine, fundraising and how a charity works.

It is completely free to join #TheCrew and once signed up members receive a fabulous welcome pack.

“We would like to say a big thank you to both Oliver and his mum for completing this amazing challenge to help to raise vital funds for the lifesaving children’s charity,” said TCAA Youth Development Manager, Anoushka Brown.

“We are so pleased to see our #TheCrew members continuing to raise vital funds and we rely on dedicated fundraisers just like him to keep the helicopters flying and saving lives,” she added.

Coinciding with its 10th anniversary, the charity has just launched its Superhero Challenge this summer until 23 July, and is encouraging the local community to take part and have fun whilst raising money individually or with family, friends, school, or workplace.

To get involved please visit: Be Our Superhero - The Air Ambulance Service – https://theairambulanceservice.org.uk/be-our-superhero/

To find out more about the charity please visit www.childrensairambulance.org.uk or call 0300 3045 999.