Kind-hearted Brother And Sister Smash Target In Marathon Effort For Bluebell Wood

An inspirational brother and sister have raised an incredible £2,420 for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice by running a marathon in just eight days.

Initially hoping to cover the 26.2 miles in a single outing, the ambitious young duo eventually agreed to do it over eight days after dad Gary pointed out just how challenging it would be.

Sophia Mizler, 11, from Ridgeway, was inspired after seeing the remarkable fundraising feats people have been taking on during lockdown. Her brother Luca, 7, quickly got on board.

After eight days of grinding out the miles around their local streets, the intrepid siblings crossed the finish line on April 30th to the cheers of socially distanced friends and neighbours.

Mum Louise, 35, who’s a Neonatal Nurse at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, said it all began with a chat with her daughter.

“A family friend visits Bluebell Wood for respite care and I was chatting to Sophia about just how much they help people,” she said.

“Then, after hearing many charities are struggling with fundraising in lockdown and realising just how much it costs to run Bluebell Wood, she really wanted to do something to help.”

Initially they started out with a £250 target, but the siblings quickly surpassed their target with the support of their community.

“We live on an estate and everyone really enjoyed watching them out of their windows each day,” said Louise.

“Everyone got behind them and when they did their final leg we mentioned it to a few neighbours – and the whole estate came out to cheer them on! It was amazing and the kids absolutely loved it.

“Their school, Ridgeway Primary has also been fantastic and really supportive.”

As well as raising much-needed funds to support Bluebell Wood, their efforts gave the family to something to focus on in lockdown – and a welcome break from home schooling!

“They both absolutely smashed it and I’m so proud of them,” said Louise.

“We have two other children aged two and ten months so it’s been challenging at times in lockdown, but this gave us something to focus on as a family.”

The dedicated duo enjoyed it so much that they’re already planning to do a similar challenge next year, so watch this space.

Sally Baker, Community Fundraising Manager at Bluebell Wood, said: “We’d like to give a huge thank you to Sophia, Luca and the whole family for their incredible efforts. It’s nothing short of inspirational and you should be so proud of what you’ve achieved.

“The amazing sum they have raised will help us continue to look after some of the most vulnerable children and families in our communities when they need our help more than ever.”

If you want to fundraise for Bluebell Wood, however you are able and when the time’s right for you, you can join the charity’s #Let’sPledge campaign here https://www.bluebellwood.org/letspledge or by calling 01909 517 360.