York University student's Jailbreak challenge raises over £17,800 for Kidscan

York University students have raised over £17,800 for Kidscan with their annual Jailbreak charity fundraising event. Students had 30 hours to travel as far from York University as possible without spending a penny in the process.

The winning team travelled an impressive 3,099 km to Gran Canaria, with other teams reaching Stockholm, Rome, Berlin, Lille and Salzburg. Students collectively travelled a total of 15,000 km, raising vital funds for children’s cancer research charity Kidscan.

This year marks York University Student Union (YUSU) RAG Society’s second year of supporting Kidscan through Jailbreak. A total of 84 students split into 28 teams took on the demanding challenge – more than double the number of participants compared to last year. The initiative has smashed last year’s fundraising total with over £17,800 in donations having been achieved. Over the last two years, YUSU RAG’s Jailbreak events have raised over £30,000 for Kidscan.

Money raised from the event will go towards Kidscan’s pioneering research into discovering new, targeted treatments for childhood cancers – treatments that are gentler for children’s bodies, reducing short and long term side effects. Kidscan does not receive any statutory funding, so relies on the generosity of businesses and the general public.

Daisy Brown, Individual Giving & Student Fundraiser at Kidscan said: “We are once again blown away by the unwavering effort and dedication of all students involved in this Jailbreak challenge. For the second year running, York University students have proved they are willing to literally go the extra mile to give every child diagnosed with cancer their best chance at life. Every single day six families receive the terrible news of a childhood cancer diagnosis – here at Kidscan we are striving to change these figures through our ground breaking research. We are very grateful to the students at York University for their ongoing support.”