Black Sheep Fitness Academy team's 22-hour burpee challenge raises over £4,000 for Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust

Black Sheep Fitness Academy held a 22-hour burpee-a-thon which saw members of the community and the loved ones of Chloe and Liam raise funds for the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust.

The charity was founded by the families of Chloe, 17, and Liam, 19, who were among the 22 victims who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena bombing three years ago.

The Trust is a lasting legacy to the couple that provides bursaries to support young people to follow their dreams in performance and sport.

On Friday, May 22, the third anniversary of the tragic event, the community of South Tyneside came together to remember the South Shields couple on what has become known as Pink and Blue Day.

Despite the lockdown, it saw the borough turned pink and blue – the colours associated with the pair – in a show of support to the family and to honour the memory of Chloe and Liam.

Previous years have seen the community raise thousands for the Trust and once again dedicated fundraisers made an effort to help the charity.

Black Sheep Fitness Academy was one such business showing their support – with 84 of its members taking part in the 22-hour burpee challenge, held from 3pm on Thursday, May 21 to 1pm on Friday 22.

This year Chloe’s dad, Mark Rutherford and brother Scott, took part in the challenge, along with Liam’s brother Zack Curry.

In teams of four, the fitness fanatics completed 22 hours of continuous burpees from their homes - with each hour dedicated to one of the 22 victims.

The challenge was live streamed on the Black Sheep Fitness Academy Facebook page.

And now Black Sheep Fitness Academy have confirmed that the effort has raised an incredible £4,732 for the Trust – surpassing its target of £1,000.

Following the fundraising announcement, a message on the Black Sheep Fitness Academy Facebook page said: “The love and support has just been out of this world!

“The donations are still coming in. Thank you so much. Speechless.”

Donate here.

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