A team of seven kids from Shefford’s Robert Bloomfield Academy have marked their half term with a 24-hour gaming challenge for charity.
Jack Careem, Peter Belisario, Jake Racher, Harrison Ball, Jack Erick, Charlie Williams and Finley Hampson – all in Year 6 – raised more than £370 for Children in Need by playing games for 24 hours straight.
The challenge was completed at Jack’s home in Meppershall on Monday and Tuesday, with the support of dog mascot Buddy and mum Su Careem.
The boys played games on the Xbox and football outside, as well as board games including Monopoly, the Game of Life, Sorry, Guess Who, Catchphrase and Trivial Pursuit.
Jack, 10, said: “We’ve done this because we would like to help children who are not as lucky as us and are in need in some way. It would be cool if you could donate to help us raise as much money as possible.”
Su said the boys had a great time and managed to stay awake for the whole 24 hours.
She said: “The novelty of continually playing games started to wear off about 8pm, when they still had 14 hours to go!
“This is when the challenge really kicked in. They helped each other when they were getting really tired.”
Highlights during the wee hours included a 3am Roblox challenge on the Xbox and a bout of dancing to Elvis classic Hound Dog with Buddy.
Bacon rolls at 5am kept the young fundraisers going until the finish line.
Sue said: “What a fantastic challenge and a great achievement for the boys. We are all very proud of them.
“The crowdfunding page is still open and once all the sponsors and donations have been received we think the total may exceed £600.”
The boys have asked family and friends not to give them board games for Christmas.
If you’d like to donate to support the boys, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/jacks24game.
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