Students raise over £9,000 for NHS

Students raise over £9,000 for NHS!

Kind-hearted students ran 170 miles in a 24 hour challenge to support babies being cared for at New Cross Hospital’s Neonatal Unit.
 
Eleven determined fundraisers took part in the Coast 2 Coast Challenge 2025 which saw them start in St Bees in Cumbria and finish in Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire. They trained for four months and continued a tradition that the school has taken part in for the last 25 years. The team completed the challenge in just over 27 hours ; battling not only the distance but also the elements, facing some of the wettest weather the challenge has ever seen. 

To help focus their efforts, earlier in the term the students visited the Neonatal Unit to gain a better understanding of the care and support given to families and to talk to parents of premature babies.
 
 “To be able to visit and speak to the parents of Arthur, one of the babies being looked after, really focused me. It makes me determined to do what I can to help the unit.” GabriellE, C2C Team member   The group has set itself a target of £3,000 but that amount was smashed, the total currently stands at more than £9,000. 

“We are very grateful to the students for choosing to support us in their fundraising. To be able to welcome them on a visit too will hopefully inspire them to succeed in their challenge which is certainly a tough one. One in eight babies born here will need Neonatal care so on behalf of our babies and their families we say good luck and thank you!” Katie Haywood, Matron of Neonatal Services at The Royal Wolverhampton Trust.
“We really appreciated the visit to Neonatal because it really brought home to us all just how important the unit is and the range of support it offers to people in our communities. 
The staff do an incredible job there – we saw that for ourselves – and it was a privilege to be able to speak to some of the parents too. We wanted to inspire and motivate the team, showing them the tangible difference their efforts can make and reinforcing the idea that nothing is impossible when approached with determination.  Mr French, Coast2Coast Lead at Wolverhampton Grammar SchoolThe students efforts will help the unit buy items above and beyond what the NHS provides such as slip on covers for the incubators.

A huge thank you to our incredible staff support team and to the friends and family members who supported the team through to the finish line.