Wolverhampton cousins tackle tricky puzzle for charity
Two cousins have teamed up to complete a charity challenge involving 100 completions of a tricky puzzle.
Rosie Hazeldine and Ben Phillips worked together to solve 100 Rubik's Cubes in 100 minutes as part of what would have been Captain Sir Tom Moore's 101st birthday.
The cousins, who both live in Wolverhampton, were doing the challenge on Saturday, May 1 for the Captain Tom 100 challenge, which involved doing something 100 times for a charity of their choosing.
Rosie, 25, explained that she and 22-year-old Ben were doing the challenge for Kidasha, a charity working with children living in poverty in Nepal, and explained where the idea for the Rubik's Cubes came from.
She said: "I've been working on a fundraising group for the past few months for Kidasha and looking at ways to raise funds for them, as they have taken a hit due to the pandemic.
"The Captain Tom challenge was one of the suggestions made, so I looked into it and started thinking about what interesting thing I could do as a fundraiser.
"As it turns out, one of my unique skills is being able to solve the Rubik's Cube and I knew I wouldn't be able to do it 100 times in 100 minutes, so I mentioned it to Ben and he jumped at the chance."
The pair took on and completed the challenge in 73 minutes and have, so far, raised £1,215 for Kidasha.
Inspire
Rosie said that while she could do it the conventional way, Ben had cerebral palsy and couldn't use his limbs, so he would solve cubes on his iPad using his nose.
She said: "I hope Ben can help inspire people through this challenge as I'm used to seeing him do things in a unique way, but this has helped me see it in a new way.
"What he has done is really impressive and I hope people can look past any type of apparent limitations and realise there's so much that can be done if you are prepared to get creative."
She also said she had chosen Kidasha following a spell living and working in Nepal after leaving the Girls High School in Wolverhampton and seeing the work going on to help children in the country living in extreme poverty.
She said: "When I was 18, I spent a year volunteering in the west of the country, which sparked my interest in the charity sector.
"After getting my degree in French and Spanish at Exeter University, I started on the charity works graduate scheme and met the CEO of Kidasha, who became my professional mentor.
"When I got asked to be on the working group, I jumped at the chance because Nepal is a country that's really close to my heart."
To find out more about the challenge and to make a donation, go to virginmoneygiving.com
