Whilst all eyes might be on Pudsey Bear this Children in Need, a staff member from Maidstone Grammar School will have another furry-friend in his mind on the big day (15 November) as he tackles a 24-hour sporting challenge for dogs in need.
Rhys Williams, Student Services Manager at the school, is taking on non-stop PE lessons, followed by rugby, football and twelve hours of badminton before ending with a lap of the school grounds accompanied by the inspiration for his epic fundraiser – his rescue dog, two-year-old Border Collie, Remus.
26-year-old Rhys, says: “I adopted Remus last year from Dogs Trust Canterbury and I can’t thank Dogs Trust enough. He was really poorly and needed scans and tests, which included the involvement of a specialist vet, before he was diagnosed with a liver condition. The team was amazing, and luckily, Remus is now doing really well, which wouldn’t have been the case if it hadn’t been for their commitment to him.
“I now want to give something back to help other dogs in their care. As lots of pupils and staff are taking part in activities for Children in Need, I decided I’d do the full 24-hours alongside them, but for dogs in need!”
Rhys, a former pupil at the school, will start at 9am on Friday 15 November, taking part in PE lessons until 3.20pm, then until 5pm he’ll be tackling rugby at the senior teams training session, before playing football with the upper sixth form for four hours. At 9pm he will be joined by a relay of colleagues for twelve-hours of badminton in the school sports hall.
Rhys says: “I used to be a police officer so am used to doing 24-hour shifts which I hope will help! The pupils and staff have been incredibly supportive and I’m sure they’ll help me keep going when I’m finding it difficult, but my main motivation will definitely be Remus. He’s a gorgeous dog who loves life and has lots of energy. His story could have been so different if it wasn’t for Dogs Trust.
“I’m planning for Remus to join me for the lap of the school grounds at 9am to finish the challenge and I’m pretty sure that despite the fact that I’ll have been on my feet for 24-hours by then, he’ll get all the attention and lap up all the applause, but that’s fine with me.”
Tristan Lathey, Community Fundraising Officer at Dogs Trust, says: “What Rhys is doing is incredible. 24-hours of doing any activity would be exhausting but for him to be doing so many high-energy sports for the full challenge is jaw dropping.
“We are so delighted that Remus found his forever home with Rhys and every penny Rhys raises will help us give all the dogs that come into our care everything they need whilst they are with us, whether that’s toys, treats or training or, as was the case with Remus, life-saving treatment.”
If you would like to support Rhys and the dogs at Dogs Trust, please visit Rhys’s fundraising page at Dogs Trust – Rhys Williams
