This is the first time George Mills, 20 and Luke Gill, 20 have fundraised for charity and so far have raised £1,175 for Little Havens – Essex’s only children’s hospice – beating their original target of £500.
Little Havens provides palliative nursing and supportive care to children and young people living with complex or incurable conditions across Essex.
George and Luke decided to raise funds after recognising that local charities have seen a fall in their fundraising income due to the pandemic. George said: “I was thinking of how charities must be struggling – especially local ones – so I asked my best mate Luke if he wanted to do a fundraiser with me and he was all in. We have been just motivating each other ever since not to miss a day of running!
“The challenge has been great so far – it’s a good distance – our legs are definitely sore but we are finding the whole thing very rewarding. We are raising money for a great cause and all the cheers and beeps we get from cars driving past us when we are running just makes it all worth doing. It’s nice to see people smile, especially during these times.”
George added: “We have smashed our target and it’s kind of surreal especially as this is our first time raising money. The generosity of people has really taken us back – people we don’t even know have been donating and it has just made us realise that people do want to help each other out and we live amongst a great local community!”
Lauren Eagle-Allen, Community Fundraiser at Havens Hospices says: “We can’t thank George and Luke enough for their brilliant fundraising. Not only have they raised vital funds for our hospice care but they have also been putting smiles of the faces of their local community with their brilliant fancy dress which is much needed during these difficult times.
“The support we have had from our supporters since the pandemic outbreak has been nothing short of overwhelming. On average, the charity has experienced a 41% decrease in fundraising income but it’s thanks to supporters like George and Luke that we are able to continue providing our free specialist care to everyone who needs hospice care.”
To support George and Luke on their quest to completing their ‘5K a day’ challenge visit www.justgiving.com/georgeandluke to make a donation.
Little Havens is part of Havens Hospices, which includes Fair Havens in Southend and The J’s – a community-based hospice service for young adults. All of the charity’s care is free of charge. Find out more about how you can fundraise for Havens Hospices visit www.havenshospices.org.uk/fundraising.
Published 29th March 2021
