What a weekend it’s been. Tobias, our amazing Paces School pupil, has completed his 26.2 mile Marathon Challenge over 70 days.
And the amount of money he’s raised keeps going up – currently (as of 11am on Monday morning) it’s at £81,000. You can still donate here >>
Watch a video of the weekend that saw Captain Tobias capture the nation’s hearts:
On Wednesday 27 May, our Paces School superstar Captain Tobias was on ITV1’s This Morning with Eamonn and Ruth talking about his Marathon Challenge.
Our Chief Executive Spencer Pitfield and Abdou Sidibe, Head of Funding for Yorkshire and Humber at The National Lottery Community Fund, were interviewed on BBC Radio Sheffield on Tuesday 26 May about the organisation’s amazing support for Paces.
Listen to the interview here:
Our amazing Lennie, who has been spending lockdown learning songs to play on the piano, has now raised over £5,000 for Paces.
The eight-year old from Leeds, who has Cerebral Palsy and Hydrocephalus, isn’t able to stand or walk independently but he loves music and wanted to challenge himself to improve by playing 100 songs with the tunes chosen by those who donate.
He set himself a fundraising target of £750 for Paces and has now smashed that target, raising seven times as much – over £5,000 from over 200 supporters.
Lennie said:
“What a huge amount of money. I never dreamed I would be able to raise so much just by playing the piano. Thank you to everyone who has supported me!”
Lennie’s mum, Sally Street, said:
“I am so proud of Lennie. His efforts and the amount he’s raised are staggering and he amazes me every day. Paces is a school that deserves our support and I am excited by what the money will mean for Lennie and all the other amazing pupils who achieve their potential thanks to the amazing care and support they provide.”
You can listen to Lennie’s Tunes on his Facebook page at www.bit.ly/ListenToLennie and donate at his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/campaign/Lenniestunes.
Yorkshire-based law firm Switalskis Solicitors has pledged its support for Paces by naming it as its charity partner.
We were chosen due to a close affiliation with the work the charity carries out and the families it helps. The Switalskis team will raise funds through a variety of activities to support the work the Paces team is doing across the region.
Dr Spencer Pitfield OBE, Chief Executive of Paces, says:
“Switalskis has been a supporter of Paces for many years and we are hugely excited and grateful to be named their charity partner across Yorkshire.
“Every penny raised is important to us, especially in these difficult times. We support young people, adults and families to reach their potential and fulfil their dreams, but we can only do that with the support of companies like Switalskis and the amazing individuals in their team. We look forward to working together even more closely in the weeks and months ahead.”
Janet Baker, solicitor and director at Switalskis who specialises in complex, high-severity birth injury cases, says:
“Switalskis has worked closely with Paces professionally and I am a trustee, alongside two fellow directors. We have seen first-hand the dedication they have and the difference the Paces team makes to families.
“Their values of focussing on the specific needs and quality of life of children with Cerebral Palsy are closely aligned with our own approach of assisting with whole-life support for children and their families. Paces and their staff at all levels do fantastic work to raise funds and we are delighted to do all we can to support them.”
Thank you to everyone at Switalskis for their amazing continued support of Paces.