Seven-year-old twins raise £8,000 for hospital charity

SEVEN-year-old twins have raised a staggering £8,000 by completing a 100k running challenge to raise money for an outdoor children’s play area at Warrington Hospital.
Ruben and Elena Evans-Guillen, from Padgate, started running last year as a way to combat ADHD.
When their father, Mark Evans, heard about Warrington and Halton Hospitals Charity appeal for the play area he thought it would be a great idea to combine the twins’ challenge with the appeal and do something that would benefit them and also the local community.
Since the beginning of the year, thee twins have taken part in an astonishing 43 running events, ranging from fun runs to obstacle courses, which have taken place around the UK and even overseas.
Mr Evans said:  “‘We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks for everyone who has supported us on this incredible journey; we have been truly humbled by the amount of donations we have received from our family, friends, WHH staff and corporate partners.
“In essence the 100Km challenge was created in the spirit of it being a momentous challenge that was very befitting of the venture. The core values of the project have always been about, kids helping kids and really trying to do something positive for the community which is why I believe it really resonated with so many people.”
To date, the twins have raised – a sum that is still rising – and will be going towards Warrington and Halton Hospitals Charity’s “Making Waves” appeal.
The play area will include interactive games, all weather flooring, teenage area, covered area and wheelchair access to give bed-ridden patients the opportunity to join in and have fun beyond the four walls of the ward. National research has shown that providing poorly children with the opportunity to interact and play with others aids recovery.
The charity is more than 70 per cent of the way to hitting their ambitious £100,000 target and phase one of construction is underway, which involves installing the bright and colourful all-weather flooring.
However, the charity still needs support from the public to make their dreams of having a safe and fun play area for young patients a reality.
Helen Higginson, head of fundraising at WHH Charity, said: “We have been incredibly fortunate to have had such amazing support throughout this campaign. From inspirational community events to residents fundraising specifically aimed to the cause, the response has been overwhelming.
“However, when our two young 7-year-old ambassadors Ruben and Elena – along with the amazing support from mum and dad, Mercedes and Mark – chose our Making Waves campaign, it really did mark the beginning of a journey that nobody could have ever imagined. “
Donations can still be made by sponsoring Ruben and Elena at whhcharity.org.uk/Running4DrOzzy