Charity For Kids

Marathons, half marathons, channel crossing swims, triathlons, three-peak challenges and Iron Man competitions are only some of the extreme sports undertaken by Paul Harris and his volunteers in raising £200,000 for his Charity for Kids.

Rotary Club of Senlac welcomed Paul Harris and Heidi Waterhouse to their meeting where Paul spoke about the charity he had set up. After Paul had given up football he started to put on excess weight and began to drink too much. One day he bent down and realised that he was totally unfit and he realised that he needed to take drastic action if he wanted to see his daughters grow up. He decided to reform and made up his mind to run a marathon but he wanted to raise money at the same time. He could not find a charity that met what he wanted so he decided to form his own and “Charity for Kids” was born. Most of the income for the charity comes from sponsored sporting events not only things like kick boxing and six a side tournaments but also physical endurance sports such as a triathlon which included a relay channel swim, the three peaks challenge, a cycle ride to Paris and back, and still  to come, the Iron Man event.

In the four years since it was set up the charity has raised over £200,000. The aim of the charity is to provide respite facilities for parents of disabled and severely ill children. They already have a caravan at Crowhurst Park and are seeking to extend. They have helped a lot of families with practical and financial support and have also purchased a special item of playground equipment in the local Alexandra Park. Applications for support are vetted by the hospital and the committee before help is given. Charity for Kids help is Hastings based and helps children in Hastings, Bexhill and Rother areas. Assistance is generally limited to about £500.

If you see an orange shirt around, it is no doubt the Charity for Kids supporters raising money for the charity!

Rotarian Tim Cook thanked Paul and proposed a toast of thanks and President Christine Folley presented Paul with a cheque for the charity funds.

For more information about the organisation see www.charityforkids.co.uk