Sheffield Wednesday raffle to be held by school children as part of fundraiser for Killamarsh victims
and live on Freeview channel 276
The jacket is from the semi-final of the Coca-Cola Cup when Wednesday beat Blackburn. The raffle will be drawn up on January 29, 2022 at halftime during the Owls home game.
Fans can donate a pound to the Sheffield’s Children’s Hospital bucket for a ticket.
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Hide AdThis is part of a series of campaigns launched by a group of school children to remember John Paul Bennett, his sister Lacey Bennett, their mum Terri Harris and Lacey’s friend Connie Gent.
Friends of John Paul have teamed up to raise money for a memorial bench and a snowflake at the Children’s Hospital.
The seven boys are planning to set up sponsored and charity events such as football matches, charity nights and 100 mile runs in October.
Another boy born with just half a heart had volunteered to do a 5K walk around Rother Valley alongside the boys and family members of the victims.
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Hide AdOne of the boy’s mum set up a GoFundMe campaign for the community to sponsor and give them a ‘bit of a boost to what they’re doing’.
Helen O’Neill, who organized the campaign, said: “I think it’s incredible with the community and the people pulling together. I feel an immense sense of pride because it supports the boys and what they are doing.
“It was a way to keep them focused in the midst of everything that was going on. It was trying to make them feel like they were doing something in a helpless situation and it was a way for them to channel the grief.”
The fundraiser was an instant success and reached its £1,500 goal within 24 hours. It has now raised over £4,000 in two months.
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Hide AdAnother mum, Shely Barton, said she was ‘overwhelmed’ by the amount of support from others.
With the extra money, the group decided to give £1,000 to Outwood Academy and another £1,000 to Woodhouse West Primary school, where memorials will be placed.
The surplus money will be donated to Sheffield’s Children Hospital, where two snowflakes will be granted – one at Crystal Peaks and another at the Hospital.
The boys decided to support the Children’s Hospital’s campaign to build a new cancer leukemia ward.
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Hide AdAbbie Whiting, Regional Fundraising assistant at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, added: “We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the families of Terri, John Paul, Lacey and Connie for remembering their loved ones by supporting our snowflake appeal.
“The fundraising in their honor has been incredibly moving and will be felt by the young patients, families, and staff at Sheffield Children’s Hospital for years to come.”
You can donate to the GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/f/memorial-bench-and-childrens-hospital-snowflake?qid=a93628c60d8e288c58a1a6a32ada8093