Parents and pupils spin their way to £3,300 in memory of Mobberley mum

Eleanor, from Mobberley, died in July, aged 34, from breast cancer, leaving husband Guy and children Rupert, five and Amelia, six.

Rupert is in year 1 at Mobberley Primary School, which held a series of events in Eleanor’s memory called Ellie’s Star Week, including a week-long spin.

The fundraisers were organised by parents Lucinda Peoples, Petrona Clayton and Caroline Booker to raise £1,000 for a buddy bench for the infant playground suggested by Eleanor.

Eleanor Shipton's husband Guy is cheered on in the week-long spin

The mums were stunned by the support from the school and community, and the week of events has so far raised £3,300.

The additional money over and above that needed for the bench will be presented to The Christie, where Eleanor was treated.

Parents and pupils from years 5 and 6 paid to have a go on the spin bike, covering 480 miles, the distance between Mobberley and Paris, and more than 100 items were donated for a pink cake sale.

Wood carver Mike Burgess donated a wooden owl to be raffled off, and ‘Strong’ T-shirts created by PersonaliTee and designed by Ellie in her final months are boosting the total, with £10 from the £25 cost of each going to The Christie.

There was also a charity netball match with adults after school on Thursday.

From left, fundraising week organisers Lucinda Peoples, Petrona Clayton and Caroline Booker

Lucinda said: “Our dear friend Eleanor passed away in July after a long struggle with breast cancer.

“She had spoken about a buddy bench for the infant playground, so when the school restarted after the summer break we decided we would like to honour that and raise the funds for the bench in memory of her.

“Eleanor's attitude was always towards fun, love and positivity, so the bench seemed the perfect addition for the playground in her honour and memory.

“I created a justgiving page and shared it on the Year 1 What’s App page, and within 24 hours the target of £1,000 was raised from the generosity of the parents.

“So we extended the target to £2,000, and Ellie’s Star Week was born, with all surplus money being donated to The Christie.

“We decided to do a week-long spin, where the wheels of a spin bike had to keep turning from morning bell to afternoon bell.

Scores of cakes were donated for a fundraising sale

“We offered to stay on the bike initially; however so many parents came forward and we quickly filled the spaces with volunteers.

“The response from the school has been so overwhelming. I could never have imagined we would raise this much from a little village school; it’s just phenomenal.

“It was very emotional when the headteacher Damien Stenson read out the amount we had raised. You could see everybody gasp.”

To order a T-shirt visit personalitee.co.uk/charitee/strong-red-foil-tee, and donations can be made at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/elliesbuddybench