Nantwich-based students have donated more than £9,000 to raise awareness of a life-threatening condition affecting young people.
Proceeds from Reaseheath College’s RAG (Raising and Giving) activities were handed to the Oliver King Foundation at the students’ summer graduation ball.
Oliver died aged 12 from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) – a condition which commonly affects people between the ages of 12 and 35.
His parents Mark and Joanne King set up the charity to raise awareness of SADS, which claims the lives of 12 young people every week.
Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch earlier this year from the condition.
The charity’s aim is to install defibrillators in schools, sports centres and public buildings, and to give young people over 14 the chance of having a simple heart check-up.
Reaseheath’s students have run major fundraising events including a Three Peaks challenge, a four-day triathlon of biking, kayaking and climbing, a RAG ball and town centre collections throughout the region.
Mark King said: “We are very touched that Reaseheath’s young people care enough to support our charity. We didn’t envisage the college would raise this much money and we are very grateful.
“This money alone is sufficient to install defibrillators into ten schools. We lose 1,000 young people a year through SADS, yet it can be picked up easily through tests and treated.”
RAG chair Sophie Pegg said: “When we realised how SADS can affect people of our age we just had to support this charity.
“We hope the money will go some way towards helping to prevent deaths from SADS in the future.”
The college has also raised over £4,000 for other charities including North West Air Ambulance, MacMillan Cancer Support, Poppy Appeal and Sport Relief.
(Pic: Sophie Pegg with Mark and Joanne King, and Reaseheath Student Association members Douglas Powley, Abigail Brown, Ben Lloyd, Amy Knight, Adrianne Grant, Eliza Waldron, Harriet Foale, Harriet Lane and Sabbatical Student President Lionel Smith)
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