The University of Sheffield Swimming and Water Polo Club will host a charity water polo tournament next month to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The ‘Splash for Cash’ tournament will see university teams from across the UK battle it out in the name of fundraising at Maltby Leisure Centre on Saturday 16 November.
Macmillan means a lot to many of the club’s members, none more so than event organiser Rebecca Lee, who was entrusted with choosing which charity to support.
Rebecca, a third-year chemistry student, said: “It is a charity that is very close to my heart, I’ve lost both my grandad and dog to cancer.
“With my grandad, Macmillan were constantly there throughout his last few months, providing support to my family and ensuring that he was as comfortable as possible at the end.”
With university students from across the country coming together to raise money in memory of loved ones, Rebecca, along with the club’s social media officer Sarah Carson and charity officer Rosie Rudin, have come up with a unique way to honour those lost to cancer.
Rebecca said: “The event programme will include a memory page for all those participating to remember those they have lost to cancer.”
Rebecca, a former junior England team captain, hopes that the event can have a lasting impact beyond this year’s tournament.
“As a club we have always wanted to include our sport within a charity event, similar to other clubs at our university such as basketball and benchball.
“Our new committee decided that we were going to turn this idea into an event, so since summer I have been working tirelessly to make it possible.”
With Sheffield’s Lord Mayor Tony Downing set to be in attendance, the event will begin at 2.00pm and will also include a charity raffle and cake sale.
Rebecca stressed that you don’t have to play water polo to help fundraise: “We are asking anyone, from friends and family to total strangers, to kindly donate to the gofundme page to maximise the amount we raise for this worthy cause.”
You can find the donation link here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/a6jymw-splash-for-cash?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet