Our Fundraisers In Memory of
Jack Thomas
• June Thomas sent in a donation of £3,000 from “CRY in the Valleys – Remembering Jack Thomas” (Lloyds Bank Community Fund Reward) and an additional donation of £150 from Peter Ken-Marrasts and Taekwondo Wales, making a total raised of £3,150. • June Thomas sent in total donations of £624: Willaston Primary School raised £20 from the CRY Bake Sale; Asda Blackwood raised £98 from collection boxes; £60 was raised from the sale of wrist bands; £35 was raised by staff at Upper Rhymney Valley Area Housing office in lieu of sending Christmas cards; the One Stop Shop in Markham donated £162; Asda Blackwood donated £60 and Huw Jordan sent in £189 from the Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest event. “It was a cool September morning, the sky was clear; it would be the last day of summer. I awoke nervously at 5:30, in the knowledge of the enormity of the challenge that lay ahead, it was time for the Rat Race! Porridge – check, Protein shake – check, Kit – check, Spare pair of pants - double check. The Men’s Health Challenge is an annual event held in Cardiff and throughout the country, where hundreds of men and women take part. It consists of a 10K run and an obstacle every 400 meters. The obstacles included climbing over bails of hay, numerous types of hurdles and climbing frames, monkey bars and climbing an 8ft wall at the end (and many more) it is similar to the Krypton Factor, but without all the brainy stuff! It also included running through the Millennium Stadium, which was a fantastic experience. My team and I were running in memory of Jack Thomas, who died suddenly and tragically. Jack is a lad who I never met, but the legacy he left together with the strength of his family are an inspiration. It was therefore my pleasure to do this in his name.
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I completed the course in about 2 hours. By the end I was soaking wet and muddy (courtesy of the river Taff) I had pulled both my calf muscles halfway round the course so limped/crawled the last 3 miles or so. Quitting wasn’t an option; I finished last and couldn’t walk for 3 days. But with that said it was a really enjoyable day, great fun and I raised £189 for a fantastic cause. Roll on next year!!” Huw Jordan. • Shari Smith sent in a donation of £301, raised by Team Unique, who participated in the Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest event. • Dean Tucker completed the Ironman Wales challenge and raised £1,073.90. • June Thomas sent in donations totalling £1,307: “On Saturday 30th December 2013, Tracey Withers and myself, along with the support of students of Taekwondo Wales, organised a cake bake sale in memory of Jack. We also held a raffle, which included donated prizes. Once again the community came togther and the sales were a huge success – we raised a staggering £653. On 7th December Leigh Gameson, Keith Charles and Bernie Scott held a night of mediumship at Blackwood RFC. The night was a success and we raised a fantastic £554. I would like to say a big thank you to Leigh, Keith and Ernie for donating their time, also to Blackwood RFC for their continuous suport. Markham One Stop Shop emptied their CRY collection box and donated £100. I would like to thank the staff of the One Stop shop and the community of Markham for their support.” • Lucie Brown, Community Life Champion at Asda, Blackwood, sent in a donation of £151.42 raised from the collection box at customer services. • “Last year we heard about the tragic and sudden death of a local teenager, Jack Thomas, from a heart condition. We decided to hold a non-uniform day in February and raised £300.” Daniel Brookman (Head Boy) and Sophie Way (Head Girl), Libanus Primary School, Blackwood.
Issue 63 | January to April 2014