Bassetlaw school hosts charity fun run after two pupils survive major heart surgery

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, in Babworth Road, Retford, held a charity fun run for the Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) after two pupils underwent major heart surgery.

The fun run, which took place on Friday, June 24 on the school’s field, raised over £1,200 for the charity thanks to generous sponsorship from the families of the school’s pupils.

Kit Matthews, in Foundation 2, was just four-years-old when he received a heart transplant last year, and Cole Allingham-Charles, in Year 4, was six-years-old when he underwent valve heart surgery.

Kit’s parents Joe and Hannah Matthews found out their son had heart failure in April 2021. Kit was soon transferred to Freeman Hospital in Newcastle where he starred in the first episode of a new Channel 4 series, Geordie Hospital.

Kit was fitted with an artificial heart device called a Berlin heart while he waited for a transplant, which he received in August 2021.

He has since made an amazing recovery and continues to move from ‘strength to strength’, said dad Joe.

Joe said the CHUF charity will forever mean ‘a great deal’ to his family after it supported them while they lived in parent accommodation at the Freeman Hospital, as well as providing the children’s ward with funds and vital equipment.

Richard Hilton, head teacher at St Joseph’s, said it was a ‘great’ event.

He said: "Over the past weeks children have been raising money to support the charity to say thank you to those who work for the charity, for all their care, dedication and resources.

“During the afternoon the sun shone and the children were accompanied by their parents and family and gave it their all coming together in unity as one family raising over £1200 – what a wonderful achievement.

"Many thanks to everyone involved and the parents and children for taking part.”