A FUNDRAISING page set up in memory of three teenagers who died in a car crash near Shipston has now exceeded £160,000.
Alex Adams, who set up the GoFundMe page after his friends Harry Purcell, Matilda Seccombe and Frank Wormald died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash in April on the B4035 Campden Road, near to Portobello Crossroads, reported being “overwhelmed” by donations.
The 17-year-old ex-student at Chipping Campden School, set up the fundraising page pledging to raise just £25,000 for Midland Air Ambulance.
To that end he announced that he would be running the Oxford Half Marathon on October 15 with school friends Gracie and Taylor and called for donations to enable Midlands Air Ambulance” to keep saving lives”.
Within the first few hours £50,000 had been raised and now, almost six months on, a grand total of £160,000 has been donated and counting.
As a result, Alex has announced that both Air Ambulance charities who responded to the crash could now benefit.
He explained: “We have been overwhelmed by the response to our fundraising page. We want to recognise the efforts of both Air Ambulance charities involved in responding to this tragic incident. We have decided that the first £61,000 raised will be given to the Midland Air Ambulance charity.
“Anything raised after this will be given to The Air Ambulance Service. If we continue to see an amazing response and surpass £122,000 raised in total, then the donations will be split equally between the two charities.”
All three teenagers who died in the crash were sixth formers at Chipping Campden School. They were travelling home when the crash happened – their car, a Ford Fiesta, colliding with a Fiat 500 carrying a woman and two children.
A fourth teenager who had been in the vehicle, Edward Spencer, sustained serious injuries but survived the crash.
All three occupants of the Fiat also sustained serious injuries.
Four air ambulances attended the scene – two of which were from the Midland Air Ambulance Service.
The crash left two school communities in mourning – Chipping Campden School and also Alcester Grammar School which Matilda attended up until last year.
Floral tributes to the teenagers were left at the flagpole in the Chipping Campden School grounds.
On launching his fundraising page, Alex said: “Us three teenagers will do everything we can to help this service save as many lives as possible so close communities like ours don’t have to suffer with loss. We hope you can join us in helping out this amazing service.”
To donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-harry-frank-and-tilly?utm_campaign
