Race For Ruby Raises Thousands For Charity

A team of 50 walkers have raised nearly £3000 by recently trekking 10km through the streets of London in memory of Ruby Richards, the daughter of Verity and Dave Richards, who sadly passed away in April from SMA Type 1.

The 'Ruby Racers' raised £2,800 through the fundraising event which saw family and friends of the Richards Family come together to pound the pavements of London. The walk, which was organised by friends of Ruby's parents, was planned when Ruby was initially being treated in Addenbrooke's Hospital's Intensive Care Unit for parainfluenza, pneumonia and a double collapse of both lungs.

During this time, Verity and Dave received support from The Sick Children's Trust's Acorn House – a 'Home from Home' - where they were given a free-of-charge room and access to shared facilities which include a laundry room, kitchen and comfortable living area. Mum Verity says:

"Ruby was very poorly in Addenbrooke's and on the Intensive Care Unit. There is nowhere for parents to stay. Cambridge was over 35 miles from where we were living at the time, a distance too far to travel.

"One of the things the charity does is to provide accommodation for your whole family during your stay. It meant that I could stay with Ruby all the time, have a place to sleep and access facilities including a fantastic play area for her siblings when they came to visit."

Ruby's family were joined by over 50 people of all ages, many of which were from the Ice Hockey Team - The London Haringey Racers that they own and run. Dad Dave says:

"It was a fantastic turnout for Ruby; we were truly overwhelmed by the love and support shown for her. To have more than doubled what our original target was is more than what then we could have hoped for.

"We would like a special mention to go to our dear friend Tina Ball, who despite some very tough disabilities, managed to walk the whole 10km -Tina was amazing and we know Ruby will be so proud of her, as she would have of everyone that joined us on the day. We cannot thank The Sick Children's Trust enough for their help and support."

The monies raised from the walk will be going towards sponsoring a room at Acorn House, where the family stayed, to support more families with children being treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital.

The Sick Children's Trust's 'Homes from Homes' support specialist children's hospitals across the country. Acorn House is one of two houses in Cambridge, the other house, Chestnut, supports The Rosie Hospital.

On average, it costs the charity £28 a night to provide one family with a room for one night in a 'Home from Home'. Last year The Sick Children's Trust supported over 3,500 families across the country in their accommodation, believing that keeping a family together significantly improves the recovery rate of a child. To find out more about the charity, please visit: www.sickchildrenstrust.org

NB. The Richards Family are continuing their fundraising campaign, but more specifically for The SMA Trust who are dedicated in their research for funding a cure for Ruby's disease. For further information, please visit www.haringeyracers.co.uk.