CRN Fighter KOs fundraising target
Trend Micro's Matt Huggins raises a staggering £11,300 for his chosen charity
Matt ‘Huggy Bear’ Huggins, a winning fighter from the CRN Fight Night class of 2015, has handed over a whopping cheque to his chosen charity.
Raising a staggering £11,341,06, the money was given to PSDS – a charity set up nine years ago by three families who all had a baby with Down Syndrome. The charity now works with just under 60 families and is affliated with the national Down Syndrome Association.
Huggins (pictured centre with Frank Schwittay, Trend Micro’s Europe VP of Sales, and Helen Shiers, a founding trustee of PSDS) was the first to step into the ring on 21 May, and after a shaky start against Lee-Martin ‘Luck of the Irish’ King from AMD, he fought back over three rounds to emerge the winner.
He said: “I set out to raise a target of £10,000 and there were a few eyebrows raised at the time. Three months ago I embarked on a journey that tested all my emotions and took me to my limits. There was blood, sweat and tears, with some scary moments thrown in along the way.
“I’m on cloud nine at raising over £11,000 and I’m pleased to say that my charity has really benefitted. I’d like to thank my sponsors, family and Trend Micro for its Give and Match scheme. A great many families are going to have access to more opportunities with the money we have raised.
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
PSDS’ Shiers said in a statement: “This is an incredible donation and it means a huge amount to PSDS and all who benefit from the services and support we provide. Our annual fundraising target for the year Sept 15 - August 16 is just over £80,000. So you can see what a difference receiving a boost to our funds of over £11,000 will make! This donation will help to fund our training programme for the whole year.
“By educating and empowering teaching staff we are helping to provide inclusive educational opportunities for more children with Down Syndrome than ever before. This access is so important, not just for the child with Down Syndrome but often means that other children in the school will benefit too from the tools and resources that their schools are developing with guidance from PSDS and our specialist teaching service,” Shiers said.
“We are so grateful to Matt, CRN and Matt's employer, Trend Micro. This is a phenomenal amount of money and it will help us to go on helping our children with Down Syndrome to reach their full, wonderful potential.”