Hermitage girl raises thousands for two national charities

A Hermitage girl has raised thousands of pounds for two national charities.

Sarah Olowe, who is currently head girl at Heathfield School in Ascot, teamed up with her friends to support charities Young Epilepsy and Care International at a fundraising ball in September.

The ball was a whole school effort, with teachers taking the girls shopping to buy food and decorations and serving food and drinks during the celebration.

In the end, they succeeded in raising nearly £3,000 through public donations and a silent auction thanks to contributions from Dyson, Fiona Finds and Derma Reading.

But the two causes were personal to Sarah, as her mother Dayo Olowe explained.

She told newburytoday: “Growing up, Sarah struggled to cope with her older sibling whose epilepsy was out of control for some years.

“We have sometimes had up to five paramedics in the house trying to help Sarah’s older sibling when she has some epilepsy episodes, and we once had to get a medical helicopter dispatched to us and landed on Hermitage farms, so Sarah’s sibling could be evacuated to the hospital.

“So, as a family we all have been impacted by the effects of a close family member suffering from epilepsy.

“As a young child, Sarah would go and hide in the car on the driveway anytime her sibling had a difficult epileptic fit and there were a lot of medical personnel in the house.

“So, seeing how Sarah has turned round the difficult situation and has now decided to raise funds for Young Epilepsy means a lot to me as a mother.”

Headmistress Sarah Rollings added: “Sarah is a very capable and multi-talented young woman that we are proud to have as our head girl.”