34 tcf.org.uk TCF NEWS | FUNDRAISING ROUND-UP A warm thank you to all our fundraisers and donors - large and small. Fundraising Round-up On 4 April the amazing Harry Perks and his friend and RAF colleague Toddy ran 26 laps of the Naples navy base on the hour every hour – each lap was around a mile – to raise funds for bereaved parents and siblings. Thank you to both these amazing young men, and to all their supporters and donors. Harry’s mum Sue is a TCF Helpline volunteer and she told us: “Harry and his older brother James grew up following the death of my then only child, Jonathan. My grief was still raw and there were times when they saw me have what we named “moments.” They would see me in tears and ask why, and I said that I was thinking of their brother who was ‘with the stars.’ They kissed and hugged and loved me better, and those moments passed and then became part of their lives that they accepted without fear. At the time I didn’t know what else to do. I have immense pride and gratitude that my boys turned out to be the compassionate and considerate young men that they are. Unbeknown to me, Harry decided to fundraise for TCF in memory of a brother that he loves but never knew, and involved the whole NATO base in Naples, Italy where he is currently posted representing the Royal Navy. His best friend Toddy has a similar role for the RAF, and together they devised a tortuous Naples Endurance Marathon plan to raise both funds and awareness. Just two best mates running a total of 26 miles, one mile an hour, every hour, continuously for 26 hours with no sleep. But the purpose of TCF touched the hearts of the whole base, and ratings and officers of all ranks and nations along with their wives and children took turns to run alongside Harry and Toddy to show solidarity throughout that day and night. The goal was £1000 but they raised nearly £3000. I wanted to let you know that Harry and Toddy said that “enduring the pain and exhaustion of those 26 hours must have been nothing compared to what our bereaved parents have had to bear since their loss.” Incredible Naples Endurance Marathon Challenge Harry & Todd
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