Tat’s fantastic! Devoted fundraiser raiser gets inked after daring skydive
An Abedare restaurant worker has raised over £15,000 in a solo skydive for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH), before getting a tattoo in honour of the amazing work of the doctors and nurses
Caroline Garland, who works for the Brewers Fayre in the town as a restaurant team member committed to a daring skydive, raising an incredible £16,150. Later, even tattooing herself in tribute to GOSH to mark the occasion and the great work they do.
Caroline, mum to Victoria, has spent the last 6 years of her life committed to fundraising for GOSH, thanks to a very special connection to the hospital. The 61-year-old from Bargoed, South Wales has a personal connection to GOSH, saying that without them her daughter, Victoria, now aged 34 wouldn’t be with her today. As a baby Victoria was diagnosed with a rare condition called Hypomyelination.
In Victoria’s case, it meant she has had to have numerous surgeries, starting with heart surgery at the age of 5. Thanks to the incredible work of the team at GOSH, who treat young people from all over the UK, Victoria is able to live as independently as possible.
For this reason, Caroline puts a lot of work and effort into fundraising for GOSH, and took on a daring challenge to skydive for GOSH when two friends suggested they were going to as well. After both friends dropped out, Caroline was left with a solo challenge, one which she took on with full force, raising a massive £16,150 for GOSH.
This was one part of her many years of dedication to GOSH, which is also restaurant owner Whitbread’s longstanding charity partner. She participates in the Race for Kids in Hyde Park each year and organises regular workplace raffles, raising roughly £800.00 each time. Her tattoo is of the GOSH logo on her arm along with writing saying, “I did it for GOSH.”
Caroline has no plans of stopping. She said: “I’m passionate about GOSH and as long as I have breath in my body I will raise money for them” she added “For me personally, if it wasn’t for them, she wouldn’t be here, I believe I can never repay that debt, because of them I still have my daughter”
Whitbread is a long-standing partner of GOSH Charity since 2012 and is currently raising funds towards the building of a new world-leading Children’s Cancer Centre at the hospital, which will treat children from all over the UK, including from throughout Wales.
ENDS
About Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity)
Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity) stops at nothing to help give seriously ill children childhoods that are fuller, funner and longer. For the hundreds of children from all over the UK who are treated by Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) every day, for children with rare or complex illnesses everywhere, for this generation and all those to come.
GOSH has been transforming the lives of seriously ill children since opening its doors in 1852 and has always depended on charitable support. GOSH Charity funds groundbreaking research into children’s health, cutting-edge medical equipment, child-centred medical facilities and the support services children and families going through the toughest journey of their lives urgently need. But there is so much more we need to do.
Together with our supporters, we can give seriously ill children the best chance, and the best childhoods, possible. Because we believe no childhood should be lost to serious illness.
Join us, visit gosh.org today.
