Sheffield parents create fundraising challenge in aid of charities which supported family after son's cancer diagnosis

Big-hearted parents have launched a charity challenge to benefit three good causes who supported the family after their son was diagnosed with cancer.
Joshua CollinsJoshua Collins
Joshua Collins

Harriet Clark and Ben Collins’ son Josh, 5, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in June 2020 whilst they were staying close to Harriet’s Father in Dorset.

At the time Harriet’s father had been suffering from prostate cancer for three years and died peacefully at home two days before Josh’s diagnosis.

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Since his diagnosis, Josh has been having treatment at Sheffield Children’s Hospital and has responded well to treatment so far. Josh will continue his treatment plan until August 2023, including daily chemotherapy and fortnightly blood checks.

Harriet ClarkHarriet Clark
Harriet Clark

Since diagnosis, Josh’s family has been supported by three charities; Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent), Cavendish Cancer Care and Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.

The family was inspired to fundraise for the charities and created ‘Challenge 230’. ‘Challenge 230’ was inspired by the distance in miles Josh had to travel in an ambulance from Dorset to receive treatment at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, close to his family home in Sheffield.

Mum Harriet will be running 230 miles over two months, starting at the end of June.

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The culmination of this will be the Sheffield Half Marathon on Sunday, September 26.

As part of the challenge, Harriet and Ben are also inviting other people to get involved by organising their own Challenge 230 event between now and September 26.

Family and friends have already started to get involved with sponsored walks, runs, cycles and hair cuts including Josh’s Granny who will be cycling an incredible 230 miles across the country.

Mum, Harriet, said: “It has been a tough year and at various points Josh has been very unwell but he has responded well to the treatment and his prognosis is very good. His resilience and determination to get on with life are remarkable.

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“So many people have said that they would like to help and support and so rather than just complete the challenge myself, we thought we would open it up so others can get involved as well.

"The concept is that anyone can participate on any level they would like as long as their challenge has 230 element to it. It could be doing something 230 times, doing something for 230 minutes or covering a distance of 230 somethings. We are inviting anyone who would like to either support or get involved and do something themselves to raise money for these three causes.”

Jenny Dixon, Young Lives vs Cancer Fundraising Engagement Manager for Yorkshire, said: “When cancer strikes young lives we step in to help families find the strength to face cancer.

"We rely entirely on donations to fund our vital work and so we can’t thank Harriet and everyone organising their own Challenge 230 events enough for their fantastic efforts. Challenge 230 will make a massive difference for young people with cancer by helping us ensure they are getting the right support they need.”

To sponsor Harriet and to find out more about Challenge 230 and how you can get involved, go to challenge230.com.

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