A local record-holding athlete, Andy Stone has fundraised for charity – Caudwell Youth, which raised £17,000 this Autumn Winter through a fun ‘globe challenge’ as the charity turns two. These past few months Caudwell Youth which offers services including mentoring for at-risk youths organised a fundraising challenge for anyone wanting to get involved to help raise money for the charity to help mark its second birthday and Andy Stone from Stafford challenged himself to swim across the channel.
Caudwell Youth welcomed athletes such as Andy Stone, who swam across much of the English Channel until the weather turned and it became too dangerous for him to continue; in order to join the challenge and help raise donations for the charity. Plus one of the charity’s young people mentored even took part in the challenge and helped raise money for them.
Andy is a neurodiversity mentor with ADHD and Autism who has suffered from addiction. Hence his involvement in the charity in order to help at-risk young people. The 11–24-year-olds Caudwell Youth works with come from a wide variety of backgrounds, being referred for risks they face around offending, mental health, exploitation and leaving care, with most facing at least two of these risks.
The charity started an initiative to collectively travel the distance around the globe – in 38 days to raise money for young people’s mentoring services in the Torchrunners Globe Challenge and succeeded in raising £17,000 for the charity and travelled 13,350 km.
The Torchrunners Globe Challenge was about running, walking, riding, swimming, skating – moving however one can – to go the distance around the globe. Anyone was invited to join the cause to help fundraise for the charity no matter the distance with every kilometre counting with over 40 people taking part.
The money raised has gone towards funding places for young people for a year, providing one to one weekly mentoring sessions and specialist support and guidance from Caudwell Youth’s youth support workers.
For every £1 raised, John Caudwell added 33p and some donations were also matched by corporate partners.
Caudwell Youth will continue to organise fundraising events periodically over the course of the next year and beyond to help more youths at risk in need of mentoring services.
