Youngsters from across York raised over £10,000 in memory of a Dunnington schoolboy, who died from a brain tumour aged nine.
They took part in a five kilometre run filled with obstacles on Saturday, June 10, at Harewood House, near Leeds, to raise funds for OSCAR’s Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity.
The charity was set up by Marie and Ian Hughes in memory of their son Oscar, who died in 2014.
In 2020, Ian also died of a brain tumour and a few days after Ian’s funeral his son, four-year-old Milo, was diagnosed with the same disease and died a year later.
Nine years after Oscar’s death pupils from Wilberfoss Primary and Bootham School, who both chose OSCAR’s as their charity to support this year, joined forces with players from Wigginton Grasshoppers Girls and Bedale Juniors in his memory.
Phil Martinez, who now manages the charity, used to be Oscar’s teacher.
He said the group raised just over £10,000 with the event.
One runner, a 12-year-old pupil at Bootham School, raised nearly £950 himself.
The money raised will help fund support and care for children with brain tumours, raise awareness of the disease amongst other schoolchildren and health professionals to help improve diagnosis, as well as continue to fund research.
“The day was incredibly hot (nearly 30C) and the race was tough,” said Phil.
“Even though it was tough everyone had a smile on their face throughout.
“Every single runner kept going in the difficult conditions, determined to finish.
Read past stories about OSCAR's:
- Oscar Hughes' brother Lucas climbs Three Peaks in his memory
- 'I had to help' - former teacher steps in to manage Oscar Hughes charity
- Five York schools go orange to raise thousands for Oscar's charity
“Determination is something we see from the families we help and it was great to see it from our fundraisers.”
Speaking prior to the event, Phil said he had visited schools to chat about OSCAR’s work and said he had been “blown away” by the support.
“Children helping other children is a cornerstone of what we are about,” he said.
“When Oscar was undergoing treatment for his brain tumour, he organised a marathon relay at school to raise money for a charity that was supporting him.
"Oscar’s determination to help others is what inspired his parents to set up this charity after he died.
“To see so many new and young faces taking part in this event is a real testament to the legacy he has left us.
"It makes you proud to see these youngsters going out of their way to help others of the same age – it is the sort of attitude what we want to see in our children.”
The charity’s future events include a celebrity football match in September at the LNER Community Stadium and the Yorkshire Marathon, where it is looking for people to join relay teams.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to OSCAR’s can head to their general JustGiving Page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/oscars2022
To find out more about the charity visit: www.oscarspbtc.org
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