Colleagues Reach Fundraising Peak For Sick Kids

Colleagues at fitness apparel retailer Gymshark, have reached the fundraising peak of raising a monumental £51,000 for sick kids, after taking on the epic Three Peaks Challenge – climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.  

Gymshark has been a partner of the charity since 2020 when it ran its #NHSSweatySelfie campaign during the pandemic, donating £5 for every sweaty selfie the public posted on social media. Every year since has seen its staff take on group or individual fundraising for the charity, including the charity’s annual Dragon Boat Race. Their latest effort saw a group of 28 colleagues take on the Three Peaks Challenge.  

One of those colleagues was Matt Court, who works in Tech:Data. He has his own personal motivation for supporting the charity, as his son, Nate, three, has been treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital since he was born.  

Matt and his partner, Charlotte, had a typical pregnancy, but as the hours passed after Nate was born, doctors grew concerned that he hadn’t passed his meconium – the baby’s first bowl movement. Nate was rushed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where further investigations found he had Hirschsprung disease – a condition where the nerve cells in the large intestine haven’t fully developed, so muscle contractions can’t move food through the bowl, as they typically would.   

Nate spent the next couple of weeks in hospital. The fact Nate was born during the lockdown made it even more difficult, as visitor restrictions meant only one parent could be with him. At home, his older brother, Zac, seven, wondered when he’d be able to meet his new brother. Eventually, after Matt and Charlotte were given training on how to manage his condition, he was able to go home for a few weeks, but the family was told he would have to return to undergo surgery.  

At three months, Nate returned to the hospital where he had an operation to remove 30cm of affected bowel. The six-hour surgery went painfully slow, and Matt and Charlotte found themselves pacing Birmingham city centre, waiting for the time to pass. Thankfully, the surgery was a success, and Nate was able to return home for good after a week in hospital.    

The family still visits the hospital for regular appointments. Nate was also diagnosed with Down’s syndrome at birth and a hole in the heart, so the family is uncertain of exactly what the future looks like medically for Nate. But that’s not stopping Nate living life to the full. In the short three years of his life, Nate has appeared in episodes of BBC’s Call The Midwife, after his parents responded to a casting call for a baby his age with Downs’ syndrome. He has also modelled in campaigns for Mothercare and Primark, and even appeared on big screens in Times Square, for National Down Syndrome Society. 

Matt said: “None of Nate’s conditions were diagnosed prenatally, so after he was born, it was a real whirlwind for our family. What gave us some comfort, was that he was being cared for by the wonderful specialists at the hospital. We knew he was in capable hands.  

“That’s why any time the team at Gymshark are planning the next fundraising challenge in aid of the charity, I’m always keen to throw my hat into the ring.”   

Matt joined his colleagues to take on the Three Peaks Challenge last month. Unfortunately, the weather conditions weren’t on their side. The team experienced constant rain up and back down Ben Nevis, which left every inch of them, and their clothing, soaked. Hail pounded them as they made their way up Scafell Pike, and high winds battered them up Snowdon. With just half an hour of their climb to the top of Snowdon left, their expert guides advised the team it was not safe to continue. The team were disappointed, but proud of how far they’d come in such extreme conditions, and how much they had managed to raise.  

Helen Miles, head of corporate partnerships at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We are constantly in awe of our friends at Gymshark and how far they push themselves to do more for our sick kids. It’s a vital partnership which has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for us over the past three and a half years, and has made a huge difference to our patients, not only helping to improve their experience at our hospital, but also the treatments we can offer them.”   

If you’ve been inspired and would like to fundraise for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, or if you’d like to donate, please visit bch.org.uk or call 0121 333 8506.