Oz Kid Experience Inspires Teenager Tom
Issued on behalf of The Joshua Foundation
A teenager from Tytherington in Macclesfield has returned from his Australian trip of a lifetime brimming with inspiration, after raising money to help terminally ill children have the holiday of their dreams.
Tom Brockington, 18, a former pupil of Tytherington School in Macclesfield took part in ‘The Oz Experience’- a project organised by the charity The Joshua Foundation after his family lost his older brother to Leukemia before he was born.
Tom said: “From a young age I have been involved in raising awareness of Leukemia because my family lost my brother Nicholas to the disease when he was only three. So when I had the chance to be involved with The Joshua Foundation I was really excited.”
By raising £2,400 in sponsorship money, Tom gained his place as a Joshua Foundation ‘Oz Kid’ and travelled to Australia for three weeks this summer. The money raised by Tom and his fellow ‘Oz Kids’ has helped to pay for dream holidays and experiences for children suffering with terminal cancer and their families.
The rest of the money then went towards his three-week adventure, where Tom and his team carried out vital conservation work in the Chicola region of Australia, as well as seeing the sights in Sydney and Melbourne.
During his trip, Tom and his new found Oz friends leant their hands to vital conservation projects, helping to prepare the Mangrove Forests that line coastal and estuary areas of Australia from future flood damage.
Tom, who is due to start a Conservation and Countryside Management degree at Aberystwyth University later this month said: “The whole experience from fundraising to actually being in Australia was mind blowing.
“When I was presented with the opportunity to not only raise money for a great cause, travel to Australia and also to get involved in conservation work I couldn’t wait to get started.
“In the few weeks that we were in Australia I learnt many valuable lessons and now I feel more than ready to take the big step of moving away to University.
The Joshua Foundation was set up by Sarah Cornelius from Caerphilly in 1998, in memory of her son, Joshua, who died from abdominal cancer at the age of just 7. During his illness Joshua underwent 23 months of treatment, during which he travelled around the world to the places that he longed to visit.
Through its fundraising, The Joshua Foundation provides other terminally ill children with the opportunities that Joshua had and endeavors to help terminally ill children live their lives to the full.
Founder of the Joshua Foundation, Sarah Cornelius said: “The effort and spirit put into fundraising by our Oz Kids is truly inspiring.
“No matter how hard the fundraising gets or how excited the kids are to be travelling to Australia, they never forget the real reason behind their efforts-which is the helping to provide great experiences to terminally ill children and their families.”
