Fundraiser ‘exceeded expectations’ as Northampton students raise almost £8,000 to support prostate cancer

Daisy Barnard and Louis Horton, who are year 12 students at Quinton House School, organised the fundraiser at the end of March – and 60 pupils took part in a full 24 hours of sport.

From 9am one morning until 9am the next, they all took part in football, volleyball and badminton in the ‘sport marathon’ in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.

Daisy and Louis spoke to the Chronicle & Echo about how proud they are to have pulled the fundraiser off, and the difference they hope it will make to those fighting prostate cancer.

Louis says that his family has recently been impacted by prostate cancer, and he was passionate about giving back to the community for the support they have shown to his school. Daisy seconded what Louis had to say, praising the charity for the important impact they have.

The students raised a total of £7,980.64 and they hope this will contribute to the introduction of a prostate cancer screening process for men in the UK.

The pair described the fundraiser as “absolutely great” and expressed their gratitude to teaching staff at Quinton House for their support and use of the sports hall facilities.

“We are awfully proud,” said Louis. “The amount raised exceeded expectations massively, and we didn’t expect the amount we raised.”

Having also fundraised for The Lewis Foundation in the past, these students look forward to doing more of this important charity work in the future.

Louis and Daisy emphasised the amount of time and effort put in by everybody involved, and that other students can make a difference with the support of their schools.

Seren Evans, head of events and community fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, issued a “huge thank you” from the charity to everyone at Quinton House School.

“One in eight men will get prostate cancer,” said Seren. “It’s the most common cancer in men and recently became the most common cancer in England. But there is still no national screening programme.

“Prostate cancer is curable if found early, and fundraising like this helps us not only spread awareness of the disease and tell more men about their risk, but it also funds lifesaving research – like our groundbreaking TRANSFORM trial, which will find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer and save thousands of lives every year.”