Team of six to take on London Marathon as fundraising challenge for eight-year-old Banburyshire boy's cancer charity

Six people have come together to help Freddie Croft, aged eight, and his special fund within the Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT).
A team of six people will take on the London Marathon as a fundraising challenge to help the charity Freddie's Future, which is named after Eight-year-old Freddie Croft is battling a rare childhood cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma (photo from the Freddie's Future website)A team of six people will take on the London Marathon as a fundraising challenge to help the charity Freddie's Future, which is named after Eight-year-old Freddie Croft is battling a rare childhood cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma (photo from the Freddie's Future website)
A team of six people will take on the London Marathon as a fundraising challenge to help the charity Freddie's Future, which is named after Eight-year-old Freddie Croft is battling a rare childhood cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma (photo from the Freddie's Future website)

A team of six people are training to take on the London Marathon as a fundraising challenge to help an eight-year-old Banburyshire boy's special fund and the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

The six people, who do not know each other, are all unified in their aim to help Freddie Croft, aged eight, and his special fund within the Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT). At the age of six Freddie was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma in November 2019.

To read more about the Croft family's story, or to donate to the Croft's fund - Freddie's Future - see the web page on the BCRT site here: https://www.bcrt.org.uk/get-involved/tribute-funds/freddies-future

Croft family photo: William and Nicole Croft, and children Albert, Stanley and Freddie (photo from the family)Croft family photo: William and Nicole Croft, and children Albert, Stanley and Freddie (photo from the family)
Croft family photo: William and Nicole Croft, and children Albert, Stanley and Freddie (photo from the family)

The family said: "We want to raise money for the development of more treatment, immunotherapy, and allow children like Freddie to have a chance at fighting this awful disease.

"The Bone Cancer Research Trust have some promising projects, they’ve been so supportive, and that is why we have set up this special fund, Freddie's Future. Help us help children like Freddie by funding the amazing work."

You can join the Freddie's Future Facebook Group to follow Freddie's progress here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/369902953987685

Freddie's mother, Nicole Croft who worked to form the team of six runners, said: "I am absolutely over the moon. I did not expect to fill our full six spaces and am just so grateful to each of them.

Freddie Croft with a family dog (photo from the family)Freddie Croft with a family dog (photo from the family)
Freddie Croft with a family dog (photo from the family)

"Running the marathon means a lot of training and a huge challenge physically. But it is also a challenge to each hit a £2,500 fundraising target, and takes up even more time for them.

"What they are doing is just amazing, and a huge challenge and makes such a difference to a small charity like us."

All six of the runners have set a fundraising target of £2,500 for the Bone Cancer Research Trust through Freddie’s future, which specifically raises money for research into Ewing’s sarcoma.

Freddie Croft, aged eight, with some of the family dogs. A team of six people are taking on the London Marathon this year to raise money for Freddie's Future, a special fund within the Bone Cancer Research Trust. (photo from the Freddie's Future website)Freddie Croft, aged eight, with some of the family dogs. A team of six people are taking on the London Marathon this year to raise money for Freddie's Future, a special fund within the Bone Cancer Research Trust. (photo from the Freddie's Future website)
Freddie Croft, aged eight, with some of the family dogs. A team of six people are taking on the London Marathon this year to raise money for Freddie's Future, a special fund within the Bone Cancer Research Trust. (photo from the Freddie's Future website)

All six people applied separately, but some of them are hoping to train together for the London Marathon, which is in October 2022.

The six member team of runners aiming to help the Freddie's Future fund are: Karen Ellis, Emma Fisher, Tammy Woodcock, Mark Leddy, Jannine Paxton-Timms and Kirsty Sims.

Each runner has set up a JustGiving fundraising web page to help them reach their target. Some of the runners have held other fundraisers within the community from table top sales to raffles to help them reach their target.

Jannine Paxton-Timms, a Banbury area photographer taking on the challenge of running a marathon for the first time, said: "I have been following Freddie’s story for some time now, so when I saw there was a space in the London Marathon I put myself forward for the challenge.

"After spending a few days thinking there’s no way I can do that I had confirmation of a place. Since then I have been focusing on ways to raise money for Freddie’s future and getting a plan together to train for such a mammoth task."

Jannine has launched an online raffle to help her reach her fundraising target. Some of the raffle prizes include: a mini portrait session worth £50 JPT Photographic (Jannine's photography business), Lighthouse Cleaning have kindly donated a free gutter clean, William Croft & Nicole Croft from Croft Pet Foods Ltd have donated a pet food voucher and Cherylee Scarsbrook at Just Paint is giving away a welly/animal portrait.

For more information on how to buy raffle tickets see Jannine's Facebook post here: https://www.facebook.com/jannine.timms/posts/10161438079152646

Mark Leddy said this on fundraising page: "We first met Freddie when he joined the same school as our son. We have been so touched by Freddie and how his amazing parents (seem to) cope with such a difficult situation. When we heard that his mum was looking for people to run and raise money for bone cancer research I knew I had to put my running shoes back on and go for it."

You can donate to the JustGiving web page for Mark Leddy here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/markleddy

You can donate to the JustGiving web page for Tammy Woodcock here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tammy-green2

You can donate to the JustGiving web page for Karen Ellis here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Karen-Ellis26

You can donate to the JustGiving web page for Emma Fisher here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Emma-Fisher53

You can donate to the JustGiving web page for Jannine Paxton-Timms here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teambonestcslm22

You can donate to the Just Giving web page for Kirsty Sims here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kirsty-Sims22