A PAIR of schoolgirls raised more than £1,000 by organising a sponsored run on behalf of their cousin who suffers from a debilitating condition.
Elly, 11, and Izzy, 9, Stonebridge who attend North Ealing Primary School and 18 of their classmates ran laps around a section of nearby Pitshanger Park last Monday (November 12).
Their cousin Jamie has had severe ME, or chronic fatigue syndrome, for almost six years.
The 23-year-old, of Kingston, developed the condition after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and then Addison's Disease. Despite his efforts to beat ME, the fatigue, muscle pain and other symptoms has forced him to be almost housebound in the past three years.
Elly and Izzy, of Princes Gardens were keen to help their cousin, which made the ME Association the perfect choice to benefit from their fundraising.
Their mother Jane who works as a teaching assistant at the school, in Pitshanger Lane, said: "Me and my husband were thinking of doing something as a family to raise money.
"North Ealing Primary were encouraging children to organise events and a lot were holding cake sales. My elder daughter Elly thought she wanted to do something different and stood up in front of her class and said 'I'm going to organise a sponsored run, who is interested?'
"Her younger sister did the same thing and on a cold wet horrible Monday after school 20 kids took part.
"It was incredible. They were so determined. Even when it got dark and we couldn't see anymore they were asking to do one more lap. I thought they would make a few hundred but to bring in nearly £1,000 is amazing. They're very proud of themselves and I'm very proud of them too."
