A 13-year-old student from Perivale has raised £756 in a charity run at Alton Towers on Sunday (17 November 2024) for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Raphael Chiwandire ran the 5k race in under 30 minutes. The running achievement is the latest success for young Raphael. In September 2024, at the prestigious Young Ealing Foundation Awards, he was named Sports Leader of the Year.
EALING.NEWS caught up with Raphael to find out what inspires him, his plans for the future and what he enjoys most at school.
What inspired you to do this and why your chosen charity?
My biggest inspiration is God and my drive to be the best that I can be. My mum has always taught me that I can be and do anything I set my mind too and she is the one who always supports me and inspires me too.
I choose to support the Teenage Cancer Trust because as a teenager myself, it deeply saddens me to witness so many young people battling cancer. It is my heartfelt mission to make a difference by raising funds for this cause.
My aim was to use my God given talents in sporting to raise money and support teenagers and young people affected by cancer, providing vital resources, and funding life-saving research , in the hope that through teenage cancer trust everyone that donated can help to bring hope and comfort to those young people who need it most.
How long did it take and how much training did it take?
It took me just under 30 minutes to do my run, my personal best score! I trained every Saturday for four weeks prior to my run in my local park .
What is your next challenge you are planning?
My next challenge would be to continue to train more and beat my personal best also to continue to progress in my football career in the future when I am old enough I would love to enter a more challenging run such as the London marathon .
What are your favourite subjects at school?
My favourite subjects are maths, science, PE & engineering.
What was it like winning the Young Ealing Foundation award?
It was truly an amazing moment in my life I felt so happy and proud. It was an honour to win especially happy to represent Ealing and other young people in Ealing and showcase that you can do anything you set your mind to regardless of who you are and where you come from.
I was happy to make my mum proud as she Is always supporting my dreams and goals.
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