Cold Ash woman braving sponsored silence during shift at The Castle pub for colleague’s Borneo trip

A Cold Ash woman is going mute for a whole day in aid of her 16-year-old colleague’s Borneo expedition.

Katy Crawford, who has been working at The Castle for around seven months, is starting her sponsored silence tomorrow (Friday).

All the money raised will go towards her colleague Clara stafford’s expedition to Borneo.

Miss Crawford said: “I am rather chatty so this is a huge task for me as it’ll be seven hours during my shift that I have to be silent.

“Which is hard because I work in a pub.

“I am looking at around £400 I have raised now which I am overwhelmed with.”

She is hoping to raise £1,000.

Miss Crawford – who moved from Yorkshire to Cold Ash with her dog Zeus specifically for this job – added: “I had seen the idea of a sponsored silence in Costa [Coffee] and I thought I could do that.

“But it is going to be a lot harder than I thought.”

Miss Crawford said she and landlords Paul Jagger and Mary Knight wanted to help when they heard of Clara’s trip.

“Clara works at the back,” she added.

“So her hard work doesn’t always get seen.

“It’s going to be quite challenging but I’m determined to do it for her as this is an opportunity of a lifetime for Clara, one I wish I had at that age.”

There is no fundraising link online but those keen to donate can pop down to The Castle to make a contribution.

Clara said: “I want to step out of my comfort zone [in Borneo] and do something that I know will help me come out of my shell a bit more and improve my confidence.

“And I know it will be a really great experience being able to help people from a different side of the world.

“I am really grateful as I didn’t ask her [Katy] to do this, she volunteered and it was a really, really kind thing for her to do.

“I am really happy that my colleagues are all supporting me.”

The Castle is also holding a fundraising event in the form of a Cider and Sausage Festival on Saturday (September 23) from noon 12.30am.

They will have live music throughout the day and a hog roast in the evening.

There will also be a big ‘mega raffle’ for which local businesses have provided prizes.

This will all go toward Carla’s trip.

Carla said: “I am both excited and scared in equal measure about my trip but I am determined to make the most of it.

“I know there will be challenges along the way but I think it will be excellent for building resilience for personal growth.”