Stratford pupils hold market to raise funds for Inglewood women

Emily, fourth from left, and Tatjana, fourth from right, organised a mini market to fundraiser for a woman they had never met.

A group of primary school pupils gave up their free time at school to raise funds for an Inglewood woman.

Emily Tippet and Tatjana Hanne, both 11 years old, say they wanted to help Emily Foreman, an Inglewood woman who has to raise more than $60,000 to fund life-prolonging treatment for her cancer.

After reading of Emily's plight in the Stratford Press, Emily and Tatjana decided to help, despite never having met Emily themselves.

The youngsters, who both attend St Joseph's School in Stratford, got permission from the school to organise and run a mini-market last Friday, during the school's grandparents day. They were helped by a group of their friends.

"We asked people to bring in stuff to be sold," says Emily, "and everyone in the school came through to buy things."

Tatjana says they priced all the items as cheaply as possible to make sure everyone visiting the market could afford to buy something.

"We had lots of help from a group of our friends, as well as our teachers to organise it all."

The group spent the days before the market organising the tables, pricing the items and making posters.

On the day, the church hall was packed as pupils, parents, grandparents and the wider community came through to find a bargain.

When the children counted up the money at the end of the market, they had raised an impressive $736.20.

Any leftover items from the market were donated back to the community, with clothing and toys going to the St Andrews op shop, and the books going to the TET Kings Theatre ready for the book fair last Sunday.