All Saints’ pupils read way to £700 in John’s memory

2:36pm Thursday 20th November 2008

YOUNGSTERS at a York secondary school have raised nearly £700 for cancer research in memory of a 13-year-old pupil.

Pupils at All Saints’ RC School raised the cash through a sponsored readathon which is held annually.

All the money raised has been donated to CLIC Sargent and the Roald Dahl Foundation or spent locally caring for children and young people suffering from cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, leukaemia, epilepsy, blood disorders or acquired brain injury.

This comes after, earlier this year, The Press reported that students at the school raised nearly £4,000 for charity to help remember their friend John Jallorina, who died of cancer at the age of 13.

Pupils in Year 9 at the school raised £3,925 as part of their sponsorship day with the proceeds to go to help research into Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which claimed the life of their classmate, John.

As The Press reported in February, John, of Danesfort Avenue, Acomb, had been battling the disease, for 18 months before his death.

He had received treatment for his illness at York Hospital and at St James’s University Hospital, Leeds.

Although it is widely recognised as one of the most curable forms of cancer, John lost his fight against the disease on February 3 and his funeral was attended by about 70 of his classmates.

Head teacher Bill Scriven said: “We are delighted to have taken part in the Readathon. It encouraged our children to read for enjoyment and at the same time help other children in the area who are not as well as themselves.”

Brough Girling, Readathon’s chairman, said: “We are thrilled that the children at All Saints’ RC school have enjoyed reading lots of books and we, and the charities, would like to thank them for all the money they have raised.”