Friends to give it the silent treatment for charity

Elin Jervis and Sophia Eagle will stay silent for a whole 12 hours to raise funds for Unique, in support of Elin’s little sister, Charlotte, who has a rare chromosome disorder.

The friends aim to raise hundreds of pounds through their sponsored silence, which will run from 8am to 8pm on Saturday.

Both said it would be difficult, with 10-year-old Elin saying neither of them were used to being silent for so long.

Her nine-year-old friend added: “We had wanted to do a bake sale, but had to cancel twice due to lockdown, so we are going to try stay silent instead.

“At the end, we are going to break our silence by hopping into a cold bath and screaming.”

Sophia’s mum Sue Eagle, a commissioner with Wolverhampton Council, said: “We are so proud of both girls.

Important

“Our families have been friends since the girls met at nursery, so Charlotte has always been a part of our life.

“Unique were the only charity that could support Charlotte and her family once she received her diagnosis.

“We thought people might struggle to donate, but we have been overwhelmed by the response and their generosity, which I know will be gratefully appreciated by Unique.”

The pair, who are both in Year 5 at The Royal School, have already exceeded their initial target of £200, but have said they want to raise as much as they can while also raising awareness of the charity.

Sue added: “All charities are struggling, but smaller charities like Unique are particularly struggling due to a lack of fundraising opportunities because of the Covid-19 pandemic so we feel it’s even more important to support them at this time.”

To make a donation, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/elinandsophia.