On Wednesday, 14 June, the 23-storey Grenfell Tower, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, caught fire devastating the lives of many families and damaging the surrounding community in the process.

Since the disaster, a number of fundraising activities and pages have been set up by large organisations including JustGiving and the British Red Cross, who have coordinated an official appeal to help those affected.

 

Over the summer, Year 5 pupil, Reuben, has been contributing to the British Red Cross Grenfell Tower Relief Fund by taking part in an aquathlon at his local pool, the Sandford Parks Lido in Cheltenham, and baking and selling cupcakes and brownies. While not a regular swimmer, Reuben swam a total of 100m and ran 1300m raising a grand total of £367 for the charity, exceeding his target of £300.

Speaking about the event, Reuben said: “It was really fun but really tough but when I got stuck I just swapped to backstroke and I was fine!”

When asked if he would do it again Reuben said: “I’d love to do it again! I’m sure I’ll plan something else in the future.”

Gavin Roberts, Head of Juniors at Rendcomb College, said: “Reuben has shown great compassion and determination to achieve his fundraising goals. At Rendcomb College our mission is for our pupils to be thoughtful, adventurous and ambitious both in and out of the classroom and Reuben has shown all of these characteristics in his charitable activities. Well done!”  

 

Reuben’s mother, Sarah, has been working directly with the families and communities affected by the fire, including setting up the family and friends rest centres for bereaved families, which has provided much needed emotional support and counselling to Grenfell residents' families who suffered the loss of loved ones.

 

Sarah said of her sons achievements: “Reuben has seen me at home in tears on a few occasions, so his motivation was very genuine.

“It was his first event and he’s not the strongest of swimmers so it was quite an achievement for him.”

 

Sarah’s charitable streak has clearly influenced Reuben as he is a regular fundraiser raising money for the plight of Bees within the UK.

Reuben’s birthdays are often at the centre of his causes, each year being focused on a different subject. Each year he asks for donations to his JustGiving page in lieu of presents with the aim of raising as much money for his given charity that year.

This year Reuben aims to raise £200 for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in aid of the protection of Hedgehogs.

 

Donations

If you wish to contribute to the aid efforts for the victims of the Grenfell fire you can donate here: 

 

https://beta.redcross.org.uk/appeal/london-fire-relief-fund

Or if you would like to help Reuben protect the Hedgehogs visit his JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Reuben-Parker1