By Leah Conway –
This weekend the Cleckheaton Fire Crews will endure a 48-hour physical challenge to raise money for local children who need cancer treatment.
The stories of local girls Beau, five, from Liversedge and Eden, even, from Holmfirth, motivated the staff at the station to raise money.
Read more: Eden’s Army: A local family fights against rare cancer
Both Beau and Eden’s families have been raising money to help them pay for treatment in the USA for neuroblastoma, which is a rare form of children’s cancer.
The David Goggins Challenge
The crew will take on the David Goggins Challenge. A gruelling challenge named after an American ex-Navy seal and ultramarathon runner.
The challenge involved running four miles every four hours for over 48 hours. 26 staff from the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are taking part, with an aim to raise £10,000 for Solving Kids Cancer. The charity specifically supports those who suffer from neuroblastoma.
So far, members of Cleckheaton’s White Watch, Green Watch and Blue Watch have completed the 48-hour mission over the last week.
The Red Watch will embark on the challenge at 8am on Friday 1 April, following their night shift.
Firefighter, John Hutchinson, with urban search rescue dog Jessie. John also completed the David Goggin Challenge
“Overwhelming response”
Cleckheaton Station Commander John Bates said, “When the David Goggins challenge was suggested, there was an overwhelming response, as there has been from the rest of the wider community, with the majority of our station volunteering to take part.”
“The three shifts that have already run have really pushed through the pain barrier and are pretty battered and bruised!” he said. “This really has been a sterling effort by them and a massive team effort. We just wanted to do something that was particularly difficult to try and raise as much money as possible for the girls and other children with neuroblastoma.”
Further fundraising
On Saturday 2 April, the station will host a car wash outside the station from 10am to 4pm. The proceeds are being directly donated to Eden, who has yet to reach her target for the treatment.
Recently, a local care home in Newsome also raised funds for Eden with a ‘Pink Party’.
Read more: Pink party for Eden at Kirklees care home
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