A fundraiser to raise money to help support a local school girl diagnosed with bone cancer has seen a magnificent £10,500 raised to help assist the Pembrokeshire youngster retain her independence.
Nine months ago fourteen-year-old Maddie Jervis was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of cancer which affects growing bones.
She has since endured a number of operations and months of chemotherapy, and recently had to have her leg amputated.
Maddie who loves riding ponies and sport in general, now faces the challenges of learning to walk again, and her parents have converted their home so she can move around, shower and go back to being a teenager again.
Family friend and local Tenby Aces member Emma Richards wanted to do her bit to help raise funds to enable Maddie to be independent, enabling her to tend to her horses and other animals, by buying a Gator vehicle to get around her land.
Despite a planned 150km swimathon ‘Miles for Maddie’ challenge at Tenby Leisure Centre in March by Emma and her friends being put on hold due to the lockdown, she wanted to continue with some form of fundraising, so set about taking on a mammoth ‘virtual’ run of Lands End to John O’groats, completing the 875 miles in less than 10 weeks on Saturday in Amroth.
“As a family friend I wanted to help support Maddie, so in March myself and four other friends decided to swim 150km over seven days, but unfortunately that challenge was put on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic, so I decided to participate in this new ‘Lejog’ challenge,” explained Emma.
“I started my final run from my house in Llanteg on Saturday and we ran to Amroth and then on to Saundersfoot with some friends. Officially I finished my Lejog challenge (875 miles) in Saundersfoot but we obviously had not achieved our challenge for that day, which was to run a metric marathon 26.2km.
“So, on we went to Stepaside, Ludchurch and then back to Colby Gardens to pick up Maddie’s mum, Rachael for a jog to Amroth, where Maddie was waiting for us with her dad, my family and a friend from Ludchurch Farm with his decorated John Deere Tractor.
“Maddie, her mum and I then walked round to the seafront and to a finish line in front of the Pirates Cafe.
“Tallis Amos were on the sea front with a demonstrator model of a brand new Gator which will enable Maddie to get about and look after her horse and other animals.
“It was great to get so much support and see some key figures who came to watch us finish the 880 mile journey, such as - Nick Roch of Simply Milk, Sam Atkinson commercial director at Princes Gate Water, rugby Internationals Gareth Davies, who has donated a signed rugby shirt to be auctioned off and Ian Gough.
“It was a very emotional finish for us all!” added Emma.
Anyone wishing to donate to Emma’s cause to raise funds for Maddie can head to the fundraising webpage at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/emma-richards-369?utm_term=4JmdeY5dk