Children make a splash for memorial appeal

Several local children took part in a sponsored swim to raise money for the Ufton Nervet memorial fund

SEVERAL local children caused a splash last week as they raised money for the Ufton Nervet memorial fund at Speenhamland School, Newbury, through a sponsored swim.

As part of the challenge at Northcroft Leisure Centre, the nine pupils, from Speenhamland, who took part had to swim a mile in relay and they raised just over £200 in doing so.

They were joined on the day by 13-year-old St Bartholomew's School pupil, Toby Main, who lost his sister, Louella Main, aged nine, and his mother, Anjanette Rossi, in the Ufton Nervet rail crash in 2004.

Organiser of the event, Amanda Scholl, who is a governor at Speenhamland School and also the Aquazone coordinator at Northcroft Leisure Centre, said that the memorial fund was a way of remembering Louella and Ms Rossi.

She said the fund was set up for families of the school to be able to apply for money to help pay for things such as school trips and swimming lessons, and also added: "We are trying to get it back out there that we lost a pupil tragically in the train crash.

"I was definitely pleased with the amount that was raised."

Louella and Toby's father and Ms Rossi's partner, David Main, said: "What happened just didn't affect us but the whole community and specifically the school.

"The fund means we are able to extend a helping hand to others."