Mum of 12-year-old with arthritis litter picks for 24 hours to thank Sheffield Children's Hospital

Sheffield mums Samantha Bough, Rebecca Watts, and Christine King have raised £400 in a 24-hour long litter picking fundraiser for Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

Samantha, from Westfield, has been taking her 12-year-old son Thomas to Sheffield Children’s Hospital since he was just three years old, for treatment from the rheumatology eam.

Thomas suffers from Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, causing him pain in his knees, ankles, feet, toes, jaw, and elbows. He has had weekly injections to help manage the pain since he was five years old, and can continue to be his "bright and cheerful self" as a result.

Samantha said: "We don’t know if Thomas will grow out of the arthritis, but we do know he will be looked after the best way he can at Sheffield Children’s.

"Whether you’ve experienced Sheffield Children’s for yourself, you will probably know someone who has had to spend time with their child there. The work they do is amazing, and it’s so important to give back."

You can still donate to the Trust through Samantha, Rebecca and Christine’s JustGiving page.

Samantha added: "The rheumatology team at Sheffield Children’s is brilliant. They have done so much for Thomas and my family, guiding us through difficult times and Thomas’ treatments.

"We want to raise awareness of both fundraising for Sheffield Children’s and litter picking, we’re trying to look out for future generations in more ways than one, and fundraising through litter picking is such an easy and proactive way to do it."

The group's third litter-pick marathon began at 9am on July 8 and crept into the early hours, with a final litter pick at 9am the next day.

They started on London Road before heading to Western Bank, Gleadless, Manor Top, Mossway, Crystal Peaks, and Westfield, collecting 142 bags of rubbish and filling a whole skip in Gleadless.