Churchtown Primary School teachers have revealed how proud they are of former pupil Olivia Ruston, as she takes part in the third leg of this year’s BBC Children in Need Rickshaw Challenge today (Wednesday, 3rd November).
Olivia, who has been a carer for her younger sister, Jess, for many years, wanted to start her challenge at the school because of the young carers group which she helped to set up there.
People are being asked to cheer Olivia on as she crosses the Marine Way Bridge in Southport at 10am today.
People are being asked not to turn up at Churchtown Primary School.
Class Teacher and Chipmunk (Young Carers and Bereaved children) staff Mrs Coysh said: “Olivia was the reason why we started our Young Carers group at school and we are delighted to be the starting point of her journey!
“It is just so lovely what she is doing. She is just an amazing person.
“I can’t tell you how excited we all are.
“Olivia inspired our school to set up the Chipmunks, for young carers and bereaved children.
“She is an incredible young person. I have known her for a long time now!
“She will be travelling around 30 miles in her rickshaw challenge, which is a long journey, especially for someone who doesn’t enjoy cycling!
“You can’t imagine what her family has been through. But they always look on the sunny side, and always do what they can to help other people. They are an inspiration to us all.
“I hope people in Southport come out and cheer her on today.”
You can keep up with Olivia’s progress by logging onto her tracker here.
Proud big sister Olivia, a talented student at the Rare School of Fashion and Art in Liverpool, has dedicated herself to caring for her younger sister, Jess, aged 15.
Jess, a pupil at Merefield School in Southport, was born with a rare overgrowth disorder and a unique chromosome abnormality.
From Churchtown Primary, Olivia will travel down Botanic Road, through picturesque Churchtown Village, and onto Mill Lane.
She will then turn left at the roundabout onto Roe Lane, and will then head down Manchester Road, crossing the Southport Fire Station roundabout and onto Leicester Street.
She then turns left onto the Promenade, passing Bliss Hotel before turning to cross the Marine Lake via the Marine Way Bridge.
She is expected to be there at 10am, for what should be a perfect vantage point to cheer her on.
Olivia then turns left at Marine Drive, and travels along the coastal road until she reaches the Pontins roundabout in Ainsdale, where she turns left.
Her route in Ainsdale takes her down Shore Road and onto Kenilworth Road, until she turns right onto Liverpool Road, and then onto Formby Bypass, passing Formby.
She then turns off down the Hightown Bends, past Crosby Hall and through Little Crosby, and then through Seaforth, Bootle, Liverpool, across to Birkenhead, before finishing at the Clatterbridge Hospital at Bebington in Wirral.
Olivia’s proud mum, Alison Ruston, said: Anyone is welcome to support and cheer along the route!
“It’s starting at Churchtown Primary in Southport as Liv wanted to highlight the Young Carers Group at the school.
“At the moment the Marine Way Bridge in Southport at 10am is a cheering point!
“Please head down there, it’s a long way, and she’s going to need support!”
The route of the BBC Children In Need Rickshaw Challenge 2021
The Rickshaw Challenge for BBC Children in Need is back with a difference.
This year, to keep everyone Covid safe, instead of the riders coming to the rickshaw, for the first time the rickshaw is going to them.
The Great Rickshaw Relay Challenge will see Matt Baker and the team take on a relay-style ride in five chapters, with each rider taking a leg each, travelling through their hometowns and visiting places which hold a particular significance for them.
As the challenge enters its 11th year, Matt will be there to pass the “rickshaw baton” between these five inspirational young people: Olivia, Thomas, Rainbow, Harrison and Millie.
Here are the details of the full route:
- November 1 – Somerset, Bristol
- November 2 – Media City, Manchester
- November 3 – Southport
- November 4 – Ulverston, Cumbria
- November 5 – Edinburgh, Scotland
You can watch how they go on in a special one-hour TV documentary, where the BBC will not only share the team’s remarkable stories but also celebrate the history of this much-loved BBC Children in Need staple, while at the same time raising money to help change young lives.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Olivia has dedicated much of her young life to helping to support her younger sister Jess, who was born with a rare life-limiting chromosomal disorder.
“Olivia and Jess are incredibly close and she has devoted much of her time to her beloved sister.
“Both Olivia and her family are grateful for the support they continue to receive from the BBC Children in Need funded project, Claire House Hospice where both Jess and her family receive respite from her devastating condition.
“This vital project is funded to deliver a Play Therapist and Team Leader role for a sibling support group to give children and young people such as Olivia the support they need to cope with the emotional difficulties of having a sibling with a life-limiting illness.
“Olivia is a promising fashion student and is hoping to study Fashion Design.
“She is also an active fundraiser having raised money for Claire House by selling the face masks she made during lockdown.”
Her younger sister, Jess, has Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, which is a growth disorder that causes large body size, large organs, and other symptoms.
Jess was first diagnosed with the condition when she developed an abnormally large tongue, which can interfere with breathing, swallowing, and speaking. She also has a unique chromosome abnormality making her condition completely unique.
Throughout the challenge Matt Baker, the young people and the entire crew will be following strict Covid-19 guidelines in order to keep everyone involved in the production safe.
You can follow along with the challenge through updates on the BBC Children in Need social media accounts.
You can donate to the BBC Children in Need Rickshaw Challenge here: donate.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/rickshaw
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrown@gmail.com
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