Great South Run 2023: Owner of Tiled in Southsea hoping to fill bath with packets of crisps for Sophie's Legacy

Helen Pyper, owner of Tiled in Marmion Road, Southsea, will be taking part in the Great South Run on October 15 and rather than ask for monetary donations, she decided to put the bath in the front of her shop to work.

After choosing to support Sophie’s Legacy, Helen thought that she could capture the interest of others by asking them to fill the bath with donations of packets of crisps which will be donated to the charity.

The crisps will go towards the snack boxes that Sophie’s Legacy distributes to hospitals and families with children in hospital.

The charity was founded by Charlotte Fairall following the death of her ten-year-old, Sophie, who had a rare type of cancer and had to endure lots of gruelling treatment. When Sophie was dying, she made her mum promise to make improvements for children in hospital – and that is what Charlotte has been doing ever since.

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Helen followed Sophie’s story and also has a daughter the same age as her so when the opportunity to take part in the Great South Run arose, she wanted to help the charity.

She said: “I wanted to do something that has a direct impact for them especially when money is quite tight so people can give as much or as little as they can.

"I have two young daughters myself but one was the same age as Sophie when she died and her mum had a Facebook page. I was following her through the treatment and her passing and Charlotte’s story now and I felt quite close to it.”

The boxes are filled with snacks and toiletries to help support families at a time of need and they are available to all who need it.

Sophie’s Legacy relies on donations to stock the boxes as they go through 700 packets of crisps a week and the community has got on board with Helen’s clever idea and the bath is nearly full of crisps.

Helen has been delighted to receive donations from Waitrose in Southsea and Co-op in Winter Road so far and she has also had a visit from a local childminding group who added crisps to the bath.

Please visit Tiled on Marmion Road, Southsea, to donate a packet of crisps if you are passing. Helen's goal is to fill the bath (or maybe two) by October 15.