Family rallies for Rosemere with 53.3 charity tasks

Joanne, who is also head of design technology at Preesall’s Saint Aidan’s CE High School, is embarking on a quest to achieve 53.3 tasks to raise funds for Rosemere Cancer Foundation

and Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s Blue Skies charity.

Her .3 will be a .3 of a mile run around the school playing field on her last day of fundraising but in between, Joanne will be learning how to make sausages and do an Irish jig.

She will be running a pop up coffee shop and hosting a driveway cake sale at her Kirkham home, as well as getting wet in a ‘soak the teacher’ challenge among a whole catalogue of other

endeavours.

Joanne said: “Just before the first lockdown last year, my husband Peter was diagnosed with prostate cancer aged just 55.

“In the May, he underwent surgery at Rosemere Cancer Centre.

“The surgeons used the robotic surgical system bought by Rosemere Cancer Foundation as part of its 20 Years Anniversary Appeal in 2017.

“The following month, he developed a kidney infection and became quite ill.

“There came a time when I didn’t think he would survive.

“Thankfully, a year on and Peter is fully recovered and back at work as a self-employed plumber but when he was ill, we would dream of where we would go in the world if we could.

“We both chose Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales.

The thought of the trip really kept us going.

“Hawes is 53.3 miles from the cancer centre so that is why I, Peter, our children, family, friends and my brilliant form, 7D, are all helping me complete 53.3 tasks as a thank you for the

treatment and care Peter received at Rosemere Cancer Centre and my dad received at Blackpool Vic following his diagnosis of cancer.”

Joanne’s dad John Highton, 83, will be her chief coffee shop helper when it pops up at Singleton Church in his home village on June 12.

Son Harry, 22, who is a butcher at Saswick House Farm in Roseacre, will be Joanne’s sausage stringing teacher while his girlfriend Jordan, who plays for Fleetwood Town Wrens Ladies

Reserves FC, will be leading on a 53.3 keepy-uppy challenge.

Daughter Charlotte, 18, who is a German and sociology student at Liverpool University, is planning to make 53.3 laps with friends around the city’s iconic Roman Catholic cathedral as her

contribution.

Peter and Joanne will also be walking 53.3 miles through their beloved Yorkshire Dales, and Peter is also undertaking a 53.3 miles cycle. Joanne’s form group, 7D, will walk 53.3 times

around the school’s perimeter on June 14, as well as helping Joanne organise other school competitions and events as the school year comes to an end.

To support her challenge, Joanne has set up an online fundraising page at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JoanneRossall

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