Mayor's 'leap of faith' for college fundraising efforts

The Mayor of Rotherham, Cllr Haroon Rashid, along with two brave members of staff, is taking on a charity sky dive as part of a special charity appeal organised by the college.

The team of three, which includes tutors Shantelle Bryan and Yusef Ibdali, will take a leap of faith, plunging from 15,000 feet, to raise funds for Rotherham Opportunities College.

The attempt will take place in Hibaldstow, Lincolnshire, with the three brave volunteers set to be cheered on by students from the college.

Proceeds from the event form part of a £500,000 fundraising appeal from Rotherham Opportunities College, which is planning to relocate to transform a former industrial site into a state-of-the-art education facility, specially designed to support young adults in Rotherham with special education needs.

However, the trio are not the only members of staff who are scaling new heights with their fundraising activities.

Last week, Pete Dawson headed to Sheffield to visit Wolffkran, and cheered on by students from the college, the facilities manager scaled new heights from the cab of one of the two iconic cranes, located close to the M1.

Cllr Haroon Rashid, Mayor of Rotherham, said: “I knew that when I became mayor it would mean taking on new challenges to support the people of Rotherham, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would involve taking a leap of faith from 15,000ft!

“I’ve always believed that we all have a part to play in giving back and making a positive impact on the local community, and having seen first hand some of the life-changing work the staff at Rotherham Opportunities College delivers in shaping the lives of young people with special education needs, I named them as one of my chosen charities that will benefit from my year as mayor.”

Dr Perdita Mouseley, Principal, Rotherham Opportunities College, said: "Since securing our new site, we've been exploring a wide range of fundraising initiatives to help cover the essential building work needed.

“Our fundraising efforts have shown that the sky really is the limit, and I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Mayor for agreeing to take on this incredible challenge in support of our appeal.

“It's a fantastic demonstration of community spirit and commitment to our cause.

“We've been overwhelmed by the generosity of our local community, and, thanks to the support we've received so far, we've raised £55,000 towards our target and we hope events like this will not only help us move even closer to achieving our goal, but they will also inspire even more people to get behind our campaign and help us create a life-changing facility for the young people we support."

The Rotherham Opportunities College charity skydive will take place on Monday July 13, and the college is calling on local supporters to pledge their support to the mammoth effort. Anyone wishing to donate to the ROC fundraising appeal can visit https://www.justgiving.com/charity/theroc.