Roaring success as Tamworth community raises more than £2,000 for Twycross Zoo

Determined families from Tamworth’s Coton Green Primary School have been putting their best feet forward to show their support for Leicester’s much-loved Twycross Zoo.

The Rood and Healy families have taken part in separate walks and activities to raise more than £2,200 collectively for the zoo, which has been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Rood family have raised more than £1,200 following an “exhausting” 14.65 mile walk from their home in Coton Green, Tamworth, to Twycross Zoo in Leicester. Beccie Rood (35) and her sons Cole (11) Blake (who turns nine next week) and Leo (seven) clocked up an impressive 35,000 steps in seven hours on Sunday 28 June.

They were joined by Blake’s friend from Hopworth Scouts, Jonah (8), his sister Holly (11), and their mother Claire Booker (44), who also raised more than £320, taking the grand total to more than £1500. Both families were met at the end of the walk by Beccie’s mother, Lyn, and Claire’s husband Chris, who provided welcome lifts home.

Miss Rood, a full-time university student, decided to raise funds for the zoo after it was forced to close temporarily during the Coronavirus pandemic. Her children, who all attend Coton Green Primary School, have previously visited Twycross and she says it holds a “special place in many people’s hearts.”

The Rood family are no strangers to long walks. Prior to their Twycross challenge, they took part in a nine-mile adventure around the iconic Midlands beauty spot of Dovedale and were also pictured on social media breaking in their new walking boots. However, nothing could prepare them for the distance they covered on Sunday or for their sense of achievement at completing their fundraising mission.

Miss Rood said.

It really was a fantastic day and I’m so glad we did it,” There were many memories made and so much fun for the kids – they loved it! They managed it so well considering we walked almost 15 miles over seven hours. I couldn’t be prouder of them.  Safe to say we are a bit sore afterwards! Enormous thanks to everybody who supported us and to the zoo for opening its doors once again – we are looking forward to returning once we have recovered.”

For more details please visit: https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/beccierood

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jonahstwycrosswalk?utm_term=bmxKPkMaG

Fellow Coton Green pupil, seven-year-old Josh Shepherd and his mum Carli Healy, aged 29, from Tamworth’s Bole Hall, are also keen supporters of Twycross Zoo and are “excited” about returning to the popular attraction.

Josh has raised more than £700 for the zoo after completing 10,000 steps daily over 10 days – an impressive total of more than 100,000 steps – through a combination of football, dog walking and other exercise.

As part of the fundraising challenge, animal-loving Josh joined mum Carli, a professional dog walker, on her walks. The pair also went “walkies” with their family pets, French Bulldog, Frank and American Bulldog pup, Flo.

Ms Healy says that although Josh was tired out by all the exercise, the family were overwhelmed by the community support to keep on going.

She said:

I’m so proud of Josh – he’s done an amazing job! He was really excited and encouraged by everybody who spurred him on. I want to thank everybody for their kind donations and support – it is heartening to see. We love animals and wanted to do something positive to support Twycross Zoo. We hope that our donation can provide a bit of security during these uncertain times and as a thank you to an attraction that means so much to so many.”

For further details please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/carli-healy-1

Richard Osborne, headteacher of Coton Green Primary School, which is part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP) said:

What fantastic achievements! I’m so proud of our families and communities for supporting these initiatives and for encouraging our children to reach their goals. They are an inspiration to us all and generosity of spirit and thoughtfulness unite us, especially during such challenging times.”