Brother and sister find every way possible to raise money for a defibrillator for their Rustington primary school

The brother and sister raised £975 through sponsored challenges during lockdown and were delighted to present a cheque to Georgian Gardens Primary School, where they are both pupils.

They worked hard to get the money and when they realised they did not have quite enough for the defibrillator they dreamed of, they created and sold ‘take a break’ boxes in school to reach the total they needed.

Amie Bowers, head teacher, said: “What an amazing achievement, we are so proud of both pupils who have worked really hard to raise this money.”

Stanley and Elsie’s mum Laura said they had all had a discussion about defibrillators while reading Adam Kay’s guide to the human body together.

She explained: “There was a section about defibrillators in there, so I told them that I’d learned how to use one at a first aid course.

“They suggested maybe they could help buy one with the pocket money. They had been earning it walking their nan’s dog during lockdown one, as she was taken ill with a heart problem during this time. They also lost their great grandad, who they were close to, two years ago to heart failure.

“It really made them think and they realised the importance of a defibrillator in an emergency situation. So, after that, the family set them challenges to raise more money during lockdown two. It was 30 days of exercises, tennis drills, splits practice, etc.

“We never expected to be able to raise the whole lot but when we couldn’t then get funding, it just went from there, thinking of ways we could try to get the last bit. Then the coffee and biscuits happened.”