This week, students and staff at Northampton Academy joined together to take part in a special fundraising challenge in aid of Sarcoma UK, inspired by one of the academy’s very own Year 9 students, Ella Benjamin.
Ella was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, at the age of 12. Since then, she and her family have shown tremendous courage and resilience. Inspired by Ella’s strength, students and staff are rallying to raise both awareness and funds for Sarcoma UK, a charity dedicated to supporting those affected by the disease and funding vital research.
On Tuesday, the academy hosted a continuous fitness challenge – ‘24 Hours for Ella’ – in the school courtyard, starting at 12:45pm. Throughout the 24-hour period, staff and Year 12 students walked, ran, or cycled in relay style, with participants signing up for intervals of 15 minutes or more, enabling everyone to contribute as best they could. Over the 24-hour period, the participants covered 764 km on the bikes and 279km on the treadmills – equivalent to 6.6 marathons!
In addition to the main endurance challenge, the wider school community took part in a range of fundraising and awareness activities. In exchange for donations to Sarcoma UK, students were invited to attend school in PE kit and request songs to be played during breaktime, lunchtime or after school for participants in the challenge to enjoy. Throughout the week, students have also been engaging in a PE-based challenge linked to the number 15, reflecting the fact that 15 people in the UK are diagnosed with sarcoma each day.
So far, the school has raised over £7000 for Sarcoma UK, which is a testament to the generosity and hard work of the entire school community.
Principal at Northampton Academy, Owen Jones, said:
“As a school community, we are incredibly proud to be supporting 24 Hours for Ella, 24 Hours for Sarcoma UK. Ella, one of our own, has been living with sarcoma for the past couple of years, and we wanted to come together to help raise awareness and vital funds for a charity that means so much to her and her family. The response from our school community has been truly inspiring, with students, staff and families all getting behind this important cause. We hope this event not only raises significant funds for Sarcoma UK, but also shines a light on the challenges faced by those living with sarcoma.”
Ella’s parents, Clive and Lorraine, added:
“Thank you so very, very much to everyone involved over the two days in supporting Ella and our family in raising awareness and funds for the Sarcoma UK charity. As parents, it is impossible to put into words how much Ella means to us. She has shown incredible courage, strength, kindness, and love for others in the same situation throughout her journey, and continues to inspire us every single day, never once complaining about anything.
We are deeply grateful to the teachers, staff, classmates, and everyone at the school for the love, care, and support they have given to Ella. This kindness has been incredibly precious to us all during this very difficult time. Whilst truly heartbroken, we are also filled with pride at the amazingly selfless, caring, and loving person she is for putting others first and wanting to support the sarcoma charity, all of which were her own idea.
We hope this event is a celebration of her true spirit, beautiful smile, and the positive impact she has on everyone she meets. Thank you to everyone for standing with and supporting Ella during this event, if the going gets tough keep Ella in your thoughts and make every moment count. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone involved.”
Ella is also engaging in her own phenomenal fundraising efforts, attending a 5km run in July, with members of her family participating in aid of the charity.
To support Ella’s fundraising, please visit her JustGiving page - https://www.justgiving.com/page/ellas-sarcoma
Photo gallery of the event below: