Inverness youngsters unite to smash fundraising target for Cancer Research UK with poignant fightback city show
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INVERNESS teenagers determined to play a part in the fight against cancer smashed a fundraising target by uniting for an uplifting event in the heart of the city.
When Millburn Academy pupil Saffa Iqbal (17) asked friends if they would support her venture to stage a concert and raffle to benefit the Cancer Research UK charity, "they all agreed straight away".
Many themselves have been affected in some way by the disease and were keen to help.
Regardless of the fact it was the school summer holiday, musicians and singers Amelia Brown, Hannah Morris, Sophie Mapplebeck, Katie Hamilton, Jotham Paul-Ebhohimhen and Michael Mackenzie – some of them Saffa's Millburn classmates – immediately set about rehearsing pieces for a performance at the Junction Church on Bank Street on Sunday evening.
Saffa explained: "What prompted this event was simply the fact I really wanted to do my bit in helping people suffering from something as difficult as cancer. Of course once you’ve lost someone, all that is left is grief, and so I decided to use that grief to help a charity that does such amazing work."
She said that while many lose their lives to cancer because of a late diagnosis, "we want to change this. My friends, family and I have all lost individuals close to us. These individuals were kind, bright, and impacted our lives greatly. All the money raised will be put towards this charity to help provide more support in areas where funding lacks."
She said it was an attempt to "take one small step closer to making this world cancer free".
Of the positive response from friends, she said: "Some of them have also been impacted by cancer, so this fundraiser was an event close to all our hearts, and we set off trying to raise as much money as possible for Cancer Research UK."
Amidst initial uncertainty over the likely turnout, a stream of well-wishers – many young people – flowed into the church in a heart-warming show of support, prompting the need for more chairs.
Saffa said: "Originally, we didn’t expect much of a turnout, so we set our goal for £200.
"However, even before the day of the event we reached above and beyond that goal. By the end of the night we were met with a total of £1003.70! We are all so thankful for all the kind people who donated, and came along as well!"
She reached into her own pocket to pay for many of the raffle items "and also ended up getting many unexpected donations for it too from friends and their families".
She said: "Everyone was happy to help out in any way possible which was great to see. For performers, it was definitely a lot harder to find people who could make it on the day, but in the end we managed to find a good group of people who stuck it out and put on an amazing show! I would like to say a special thank you to these performers. I also want to say a thank you to Kate and Owen Morris for helping organising this at Junction Church, as well as Bethany Morris, Laiba Iqbal and Catriona Gardner for helping out with the sound system and raffles.
"There was an amazing turnout, more than we were expecting. I am extremely thankful to everyone who could make it. It was also lovely to see people who had come to watch also help out with setting up."
There were some spine-tingling performances from the young performers at an event showcasing the depth of local talent.
A link to her fundraising page can be found at: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/saffas-fundraising-page-2
