The Mirza family joined forces with Holy Cross college to further increase their fundraising efforts for Cancer Research UK.
The family which include Nabila, Zain, Zakir are headed up by inspirational breast cancer survivor Shamilla Mirza have been raising money for Cancer Research UK and the Manchester campaign, with their total now standing at over £9000.
This June saw their fundraising efforts increase by joining forces with Holy Cross college where Shamilla’s son, Zakir studies. Zakir came up with the idea of doing a raffle for the college (students and teachers) and set about contacting local businesses for prizes.
Zakir had planned to launch his fundraising idea back in 2020 but had to postpone it due to the pandemic and then when he could finally launch it he had to navigate his way through social distancing measures and COVID 19 guidance, so its great to see his hard work pay off as the total from ticket sales stands at £865.
Bec Hyndman, Holy Cross College’s RE Curriculim Leader, said: “It's absolutely amazing to see how much Zakir has raised with the raffle, especially since it was so disappointing to be on the verge of a big launch last year that was postponed due to covid. It is down to his sheer determination, hard work and commitment that we've been able to sell so many raffle tickets in a socially distanced and safe way over a period of weeks.
"Charitable work is an incredibly important part of being a Catholic College and Zakir has been the walking embodiment of many of our college values of Service, Humility, Compassion, Vision, Daring and most obviously, Joy. Thank you for all you've done Zakir and Shamilla, you should both be incredibly proud of yourselves for what you've achieved despite the set back”
Sarah Hunter, Cancer Research UK’s local Relationship manager ,said: “ Zakir and the Mirza family are an absolute inspiration and we can’t thank them enough for their continued commitment to helping Cancer Research UK beat cancer.
“One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.
“However, Cancer Research UK has been hit hard by COVID-19. Almost every way we raise money to fund our research was impacted by the pandemic, with our shops temporarily closed, and events cancelled.
"We now have a clearer picture of the financial impact of COVID-19, and expect to see a reduction in our fundraising income of £250m over three years (2020-2023) compared with our pre-COVID budget.
"It is thanks to the dedication and commitment of volunteers and supporters, like the Mirza’s and Holy Cross College that we are able to fund our life-saving research.”
If you’d like to support Sharmila’s and the Mirza’s fundraising campaign click here
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