Two schoolgirls from Berkshire organised a cake sale to support their daddy who is running the London Marathon for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Poppy Kelly, aged six, and Mollie Kelly, aged 9, from Ascot, wanted to support their father Will Kelly with his fundraising efforts ahead of running the London Marathon on 21 April.
The girls worked hard to advertise their cake sale, putting flyers through their neighbours’ doors which invited them to come along on the day or bake cakes to be sold.
They then spent three hours on a Saturday afternoon in March set up outside their home running the stall and welcoming neighbours, raising just under £400.
Will says:
“I am incredibly proud of the girls for supporting me and raising such a fantastic amount of money. We were overwhelmed with the number of people who turned out on the day; we ended up running out of cakes much quicker than we’d anticipated.
“We even caused a bit of a traffic jam as passing cars from neighbouring roads pulled over to buy a cake or to ask about Blind Veterans UK.”
Will has been busy training for the upcoming London Marathon and is hoping to run in under four hours on the day.
He says:
“I decided to run the London Marathon to support Blind Veterans UK as my brother serves in the Army with the Royal Duke of Lancaster Regiment and therefore it was pertinent to me that I would run for a military charity, to honour those who sacrifice so much for us all.
“The idea of losing my sight terrifies me; the work of this charity to rehabilitate those who have served their country and assist them in rebuilding their lives after sight loss struck a chord with me.
“I love running and there is nothing quite like the experience of the London Marathon. I also really enjoy my training runs; I go out on a Saturday morning for around three hours, and it is great for my mental health, giving me a space of tranquillity. To be able to do something I love and to raise money to support blind veterans at the same time is an honour and to have my daughters and my wife by my side giving their support with my fundraising efforts is even more special.”
Will has already raised £1,855. If you would like to support Will and help him reach his fundraising target of £2,000 for Blind Veterans UK please visit his Just Giving page: justgiving.com/page/will-kelly-london2024-blind-veterans-uk
If you and your own family or youth group would like to support our blind veterans why not take a look at our Armed Forces Month campaign, with lots of simple ideas for younger supporters to get involved blindveterans.org.uk/afm
Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country, but knows there are many thousands more who still need its support to rebuild their lives after sight loss.
If you, or someone you know, served in the Armed Forces, including National Service, and are now struggling with sight loss, then please get in touch. Call 0800 389 7979 or visit blindveterans.org.uk/support
