Brave Scarborough fundraiser reaches hospital charity milestone

Sarah Dargue, of East Heslerton, who faced treatment for stage three cancer in 2020, has knitted hundreds of hats to raise a staggering £10,000 for York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity.

However, although she’s smashed the milestone she’s not stopping there. Sarah now intends to double her target by the end of the year, which is going towards the breast cancer services at York Hospital.

Sarah along with her friends, family, and neighbours have knitted hundreds of cosy woolly knitted hats to sell at craft fairs – at one fair last Christmas she sold £1,000 worth at one event over two days.

As well as selling hats, dedicated charity supporter Sarah is a regular participant in sporting challenges hosted by the charity, even last weekend she pulled on her running shoes to run the Get Caked five-mile muddy challenge in the grounds of Sledmere House.

“When I found out I had cancer I wanted to do something to spread awareness of how important it is to make sure that you check so naturally helping the hospital charity was an obvious choice. I have enjoyed the fitness challenges and my family and friends have been supportive.”

Sarah’s Mum, Chris Fowler, has also been a tower of strength for Sarah creating and designing the woolly hats that are proving popular across North Yorkshire.

“Sarah’s determination to make a difference to others is infectious,” Chris explained, “family and friends have joined in with the challenges too but for those who can’t we’ve had some very kind people donating wool to help. We’ll come home some days to find boxes of wool on our doorstep, the community has been fantastic.”

Sarah is gearing up for more challenges by getting fit.

“I realised the importance of being fit and healthy when an oncologist said that regular exercise can help to prevent this horrible disease returning. I want to let other patients that they are not alone, we can all do what we can to fight this together,” she said.

Supporters can cheer on Sarah and her team as they train and run for several running events this year, including the Leeds Half Marathon and the Great North Run. You can help by going to: bit.ly/TeamSarahRunning

Charity Manager Rachel Brook explained: “Sarah is an inspiration, and we are very thankful for her continued support. She goes above and beyond to support the breast cancer services. The money she has raised will make a difference for patients and their families for years to come.” Ends//