Schoolchildren and solicitors were in the red last week to raise cash for research and awareness of congenital heart disease.
The playground at St Werburgh’s and St Columba’s RC Primary School turned into a sea of colour as the youngsters donned red tights, shirts, nail varnish and ties and have so far collected £250 for the charity Little Hearts Matter.
The charity is very close to the hearts of the school community as staff member Anna Gresty’s own son Jake, nine, has undergone three open heart surgeries and lives with a single ventricle heart condition.
Little Hearts Matters has helped Anna and her family and every year supports families who are living with congenital heart disease.
It helps families to understand their children’s conditions, support them through stressful times, link families who are in similar situations and help them through what can be a very frightening and anxious journey.
Anna said: “Little Hearts Matters are there to support all children and their families through what can be a very stressful time and have given Jake and my family a huge support in our lives.
“I am delighted at how generous the families at St Werburgh’s and St Columba’s Primary School have been and say a huge thank you to them for supporting Little Hearts and let them know that the money raised is so vital for this charity to continue to support and help children and their families who are born with heart problems.”
A seven-year-old from Tarvin Primary School also organised a ‘wear red’ day at her school to support the British Heart Foundation’s Wear It Beat It campaign.
Tasmin Dodd’s cousin Oren was born with transposition of the main arteries and had to have open heart surgery as soon as he was born otherwise he would have died. The Year 3 pupil wrote to all her peers at the school to wear red on Friday, February 6, and they raised £202.
Tamsin’s mum Kim said: “Considering her young age I am very proud of her for doing this.”
Children at St Oswald’s Primary School in Mollington were asked to substitute one piece of school uniform for something red and many chose red socks, hairbands, coats and T-shirts to raise more than £140 for the charity. They also held a special assembly and watched the British Heart Foundation TV advert. so that children understood why they were raising the money for the charity.
Solicitors from Hillyer McKeown and Mercury Legal Online also ramped up the red for charity on Friday as did staff at the Frodsham Street British Heart Foundation charity shop.
Group communications executive of Hillyer McKeown Sarah Lowe said: “A number of staff have experienced the effects of heart disease first hand with family members and loved ones.
“It was really the campaign as a whole that inspired us to take part.”
The firms raised almost £100.
Children and staff of St. Winefride’s Catholic Primary School in Little Neston paid £1 to go to school dressed in red, with faces painted red, wearing red curly wigs, moustaches, ribbons and bows, and someone even sported a red onesie.
Given that the day after saw the fiercely competitive Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool, there were many Liverpool tops in evidence (and the odd Manchester United shirt), even the Everton supporters fans entered into the spirit, wearing just a hint of red!
The children enjoyed showing their support and raised a fantastic £210.
