Charity fundraising usually features culinary skills, performances or walkathons. However, three girls in Poole do it in an old dauntless manner.
Instead of organising run-of-the-mill activities, Diana Blankson, 25, and her two friends trained themselves throughout September, an hour per day, for a five-kilometre Spartan Race in Windsor on 1 October.
They have posted pictures of training online since the beginning of September, where they set a target of raising £600 for Dreams Come True, a charity group aiming to help enrich the lives of children and young people with serious and life-limiting conditions across the country.
The race not only involves running, climbing and crawling across natural terrain, but also requires the girls to splash through mud and tackle twenty obstacles.
“It requires a lot of physical preparation and even with months of training it was still super tough,” Diana said.
Diana, leader of the Poole and Bournemouth Team of Dreams Come True, joined the main charity in 2016. Her team had cycled 300 kilometres to raise money for a local diseased young man a couple of months ago.
“We often try and come up with ideas to do as much fundraising as possible every year,” Diana said. “This time we put ourselves to the test physically because some of the children and young people that we fundraise for aren’t able to do sole of the things that we can.”
In 48 hours after they finished the sprint on 1 October, donation increases 29%. By Thursday (5 October) they got near to the target as 39 supporters contributed £553, 92% of the total amount.
People were wishing them good luck while some commented online that it “looks tough” and “sounds like a nightmare” .
“We have a big surprise happening in Bournemouth Square in the next few weeks but it’s a secret for now,” Diana replied when asked about future going, “hopefully it goes to plan!”
