Over £20,000 was raised in a huge fundraising effort in memory of Kieran ‘Lally’ McColl, who died after falling into the canal in Stone following an epileptic fit earlier this year.
The amazing effort saw £2,500 raised for a memorial bench (more on that HERE), £16,512 go to epilepsy charity Gemma’s Ray of Hope and a £1,000 donation from Barclays Bank took the total past the £20,000 barrier. Barclays employee Gemma Haslam raised £1,000 at the family fun day, with the bank matching that amount as part of their charity grant scheme.
As well as the big family day at Stone Cricket Club (photos HERE), hundreds – if not thousands – of local people got involved through charity football matches, car washes, a ladies’ night, bungee jumps, a 24-hour tennisathon, Three Peaks Challenge and more.
The huge donation to Gemma’s Ray of Hope was made recently on the day that would have been Gemma’s 21st birthday.
As well as raising money for Gemma’s Ray of Hope, the fundraising mission was also about the other young adults – Connan McLeod and Phil James – who have tragically lost their lives in the town this year. A Stoke City shirt emblazoned with their names is on display in The Red Lion.
For Sharon Turner, who has spearheaded the fundraising over the last five months, the involvement of Stone’s young people has been remarkable as they united in a positive effort.
She said: “The youngsters have been incredible and I’m so proud of them all. They’ve had a lot to cope with this year but all of the fundraising really gave them a channel to do something positive and to really remember their friends who have so sadly died this year.”
Stu Jarvie was friends with Kieran and Connan and got involved in the fundraising, taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge. He said: “The general mindset of the young people in the town was very demoralised but Sharon brought everyone a purpose to help with grief. A number of us completed the Three Peaks Challenge for charity, with continuous encouragement and assistance from Sharon, who even became a designated driver when the trip looked to be off due to unforeseen circumstances.
“I had felt very low after the events of the year and training for the challenge helped channel grief for me and a number of other young adults. Whilst our group trained for that, numerous events were cropping up in Stone including sponsored walks, skydives and a football tournament, which involved a huge number of young males from the area. After every event was completed it was clear to see how much it had helped the people involved.”
People of all ages got involved, though. Sharon added: “So many people have got involved and helped to raise the £20,000, so many individuals, businesses, schools and nurseries. They’ve all been so generous. It shows what this little town is all about and I can’t thank everyone enough.”
And for Sharon, this is the latest in a long line of fundraising. She’s helped to raise almost £5,000 for the Douglas Macmillan Hospice, almost £10,000 for the hospice and Chernobyl Children’s Project, as well as numerous smaller fundraising totals.
But the £20,000 raised in memory of Kieran tops the lot and obviously means so much to Sharon. Kieran, her godson, asked Sharon two years ago to do her next fundraising mission for an epilepsy charity, and Sharon agreed.
Tragically, Kieran wasn’t here to see such a momentous effort but, as Sharon says: “I kept my promise.”
Related Posts:
