Fundraising for the Allen family is a huge part of their lives and something that has brought them closer together.
We’ve been fundraising for Huntington’s Disease Association for many years now. We’ve held fundraising balls (which are amazing but take forever to organise) and we’ve run lots of fundraising activities for friends and family. Keeping active is a vital part of living with Huntington’s disease – so last year a few of us did a sponsored climb of Mount Kilimanjaro! - Rosie
It feels like many moons ago since Frank Allen did his first-ever fundraiser for the Huntington's Disease Association back in 2009. The event raised a whopping £9000 and was just the start of the series of family activities that the Allen family would partake in.
That same year, Frank convinced his wife, Hayley, his sister, Sandy and Hayley's brother, Paul to do a skydive.
This ignited a fire in the next generation of Allens who, at this time, were in school and had been doing fundraisers such as bake sales and non-uniform days. Following suit, Rosie, Franks's daughter organised a skydive. She got her cousins, Roisin and Harriette to join along with her nan, (Hayley’s Mum) who was 70 at the time. Driven by wanting to raise more money and inspired by their elders, Rosie got the fundraising bug.
The launch of the charity balls
In 2015 Rosie and her family organised their first charity ball. Inviting friends and family, hosting dinner, dancing, a raffle and using the opportunity to educate people about the disease that her dad, aunty and uncle all had and that she, her sister and six cousins were all at risk of. This was the first of four balls that the family held.
It’s brought us much closer together and raised awareness among our friends who hadn’t heard of Huntington's disease before. And it’s important to celebrate the strength and resilience of our family members that have Huntington's, and the ones that support and care for those that do. - Rosie
Finishing 2015 with a bang, Frank along with friends and fellow firefighters embarked on the 974-mile cycle from John O'Groats to Lands End raising an incredible £11,740. On route, they took a detour to visit Frank's brother, Dave who was hosting a charity night and raffle in aid of the Huntington's Disease Association.
2018 was a big year for the Allen family. They hosted their second charity ball and, after months of training, Rosie ran the London Marathon and raised another £7,000 for the Huntington's Disease Association.
Fundraiser of the Year Award
Rosie's fundraising efforts did not go unnoticed. She won the 'Most Inspiring Fundraiser' award in 2019 as an acknowledgement for her fundraising efforts including running the London Marathon.
The fundraising didn't stop there. Olivia Allen along with cousins, Ruby and Maud were next to take on the skydive challenge. The Allen family hosted a quiz night at their home and Frank took on another cycling challenge and completed a 150-mile cycle in ten hours with some friends.
2021 saw their third charity ball which raised another £6,000. Rosie, not wanting to go a year without a fundraising challenge took on a Nuclear Race event with a group of friends, running 12km with 100 obstacles through a lot of mud. Uncle Dave got involved in the action again raising £1000 by completing a couch to 5k on his 60th birthday.
It may seem weird to celebrate Huntington's disease. But without it, I sometimes think my family wouldn’t have put on these kinds of events, jumped out of planes, ran marathons, climbed Kilimanjaro, cycled from John O’Groates to Lands End, and ran auction nights and pub quizzes. - Rosie
The biggest challenge yet...
After months of training, the Allen sisters Rosie and Olivia, Rosie’s partner Joe, Olivia's partner Connor and their best friend Eleanor took on Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. The peak sits 5,895 meters above sea level and the climb is 4,900 meters done across eight days. This was the biggest challenge and raised over £17,000.
The best thing we ever did! This was the most amazing experience and I would totally recommend doing this at some point in your life! - Rosie
Most recently the family held their fourth charity ball which they said was bigger and better than the previous. It's another chance to not only raise money but to bring people together and erase the stigma around Huntington's disease.
The Allen and Sterne family have raised almost £60,000.
The Huntington's Disease Association cannot thank them enough for their tireless efforts. All the money raised has helped us support more people and families affected by Huntington's disease.
Some people won’t have the big family we have – they’ll need the charity to be there for them. The money we bring in will help to raise awareness of Huntington’s disease, make more people aware of the symptoms, and fund the Specialist Advisers. - Rosie
You can follow the family's fundraising journey on Rosie's Instagram - Living with Huntington's.