Sixth form student raises hundreds in lockdown challenge
King’s Ely sixth form student Molly Whymark raised hundreds of pounds for the Duke of Edinburgh Award after completing the 2.6 challenge. Picture: KING’S ELY - Credit: Archant
An Ely student has decided to put her best foot forward to raise hundreds of pounds for a heartfelt cause.
Molly Whymark, who studies at King’s Ely Sixth Form, decided to take part in the 2.6 challenge to raise funds for the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DoE), which she is an ambassador of for the Central England area.
Molly’s initial fundraising target was just £260, but now, she has raised well over double that to reach close to £600 by walking 2.6km every day for two weeks and six days.
By taking part in the challenge, the 17-year-old who lives in the city has made the most out of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions which, at the time, only allowed around an hour of outdoor exercise each day.
“Walking for half an hour or so each day was not only great fun, but also a simple way to support a fantastic cause – my dogs enjoyed it too!” Molly said.
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“I am so pleased with the amount I have raised; everyone has been so generous.”
Having completed the challenge on May 13, Molly has raised over £590 for the DoE Award, which will be able to support a further 20 gold awards.
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But despite her time with the DoE Award coming to an end, she still wants to encourage more people to follow in her footsteps.
“I have learnt so much already and I am continuing to learn from taking part in the DofE Award,” Molly said.
“One statistic that stands out to me about the DofE Award is that out of the 280,000 participants each year, 68,000 of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and it takes up to £29 to start someone’s DofE journey.
“Even though my DofE journey is coming to an end shortly, I can’t wait to see more people starting their journey soon with everyone’s help.”
Inspired by the organisers of the London Marathon, the 2.6 challenge asks people to do something to keep active and help save the UK’s charities.
Participants are required to think of an activity which relates to the numbers 26 or 2.6 and you can complete it anytime from Sunday, April 26, when the London Marathon was due to take place.
To donate to Molly’s fundraiser, visit her JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/molly-whymark.
