A PAIR of sisters raised almost £1,000 for charity by completing 100 squats every day during April.
Ellie Bellas and Sarah Smith completed a combined 6,000 squats throughout the month to raise cash for Cancer Research UK.
Their family has a reputation for their fundraising skills and took inspiration from their father Dave Bottoms. He who used the chemotherapy he was receiving to treat thyroid cancer to raise cash for a £40,000 appeal to carry out repairs at St Mary’s Church, in Hutton Magna.
Ms Smith said it was “out of character” for her to take on the challenge.
She added: “I am a girl who will go to a coffee morning to raise money.
“Dad is an inspiration and I had seen this challenge on the website. I thought this is totally out of character but, why not, I will have a go.”
Her sister decided to support her in the cause, and they each initially set themselves a target of raising about £200.
Ms Bellas said: “It quickly became apparent we were going to get more than that so we raised our target until it reached £800. With gift aid, we have reached about £960.”
Of the challenge, Ms Smith said: “To begin with it was tough but it got easier. I broke them up during the day to make it easier.”
Later, however, she was able to complete the 100 in one go. Her sister made the challenge more fun by videoing herself completing it in unusual locations.
One of her posts included her at a party in York, where she had got an entire pub to join her, while another saw her exercising on an island in the middle of a river.
The pair thanked everyone who supported their fundraising campaign.
Ms Bellas said: “Not just financial, but also the encouragement and sharing of posts.”
