Teachers and staff will tackle the Three Welsh Peaks challenge for teenage son battling leukaemia

Teachers and staff at a school are set to tackle the epic Three Welsh Peaks to support a pupil with leukaemia. Sixteen teachers and staff at Mangotsfield School in South Gloucestershire are taking on the challenge for Molly Ollys, a charity which has supported their colleague’s family.

Shelley Humphries’ son Thomas is halfway through two years of intensive treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia after being diagnosed last summer. The 15-year-old, who attends nearby Downend School, was given a Playstation 5, new phones and a FIFA game by the charity so he can keep in touch with his friends while he has to remain in isolation due to treatment or.

Shelley, who is head of geography at the school, said: “Thomas is a mad football fan and loves to play physically but his illness has meant he is unable to do that. This has been so important in allowing him to reconnect with his friends and also gives him something to focus on when he is home alone.

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“It’s improved his mental health and allows him to feel like he’s still a part of his friends’ lives even though he can’t be with them.”

Molly Ollys was established in 2011 by Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw following the death of their eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer. The charity works to support children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families and to help their emotional wellbeing.

The walking challenge, organized by Mangotsfield’s assistant principal and PE teacher Gareth John, will see fundraisers attempt to climb Snowdon, Cadair Idris and Pen y Fan on June 22. its fundraising.

Shelley said: “Receiving this diagnosis was simply devastating for my husband Ben and me. It’s hard to put into words how we felt at that moment as every possible worst case scenario you could imagine ran through your head.

“But it is the most common cancer in children and the most treatable, and Thomas was given a 99% chance of survival.”

Gareth, who has worked alongside Shelley for 14 years, said: “The challenge of the Welsh Three Peaks is to do it in 24 hours, but we aim to do it in 12-18 hours! The thing that worries us the most is the weather and the difference in fitness levels. Snowdon is known to snow at the top of Snowdon all year round.

“But it will never be far from our minds why we do this. We are very aware of the difficult times that Shelley and the family have been through.

“Teen cancer will always be something that is close to all of our hearts and especially when it is brought to our direct attention.

“We all know it exists, but it’s one of those things we all think will never happen to us or someone we know. As a parent, you put yourself in that position and I can’t imagine what they went through as a family, so anything we can do to make that experience easier in any way has a disproportionate impact.”

As well as granting wishes, Molly Ollys donates therapeutic toys and books to both children and hospitals across the UK. The therapeutic toy lion named Olly The Brave who has his own Hickman line and a removable mane that helps explain and normalize the effects of chemotherapy.

They are part of an Olly The Brave pack which has now been distributed to over 70 hospitals or health centres, along with a set of books from the charity’s exclusive Olly The Brave series.

Shelley said: “It’s unbelievable that the school would do something like this. I think Molly Ollys is an amazing charity and we have already done a lot of fundraising for it as a family.

“It’s a very easy charity to support because it’s tangible, it’s actually doing something to change the life of the child going through it. To me, that’s something you can measure, and that’s why I think a lot of people are happy to give.”

Rachel Ollerenshaw said: “It is always incredibly humbling to hear the kind words of thanks from the families we support and to know the difference these simple things can make to the emotional wellbeing of children when they are facing very difficult circumstances .

“While the Charity has grown over the years, it’s really important that we keep the personal element in what we do with both those we help and our donors. A huge thank you to everyone involved at Mangotsfield. Simply incredible and we are very grateful to you all.”

More information about Molly Ollys can be found on their website. To support the Three Welsh Peaks challenge you can donate via this link.