Seventeen employees of Chartered Builders, Greendale Construction Limited, will be getting muddy on Saturday 16th May as they compete in the annual Dorset Mud Run to raise funds for its 2026 charity of the year, Elsie’s Rose; a local charity which supports bereaved parents and those with children suffering life-limiting conditions.
The team, made up of staff from both their Poole and Winchester offices and sites, will be doing their best to complete the 6k course with over 15 obstacles, with the aim to raise as much as possible for the charity, set up by Annie and Ben Gould after losing their beloved first-born daughter, Elsie, to a brain tumour in 2021.
Elsie was born on the 6th August 2020, healthy, happy and full of character, but, on the 14th August 2021, and completely out of the blue, Elsie suffered a fit. After being taken to Poole Hospital where she was checked over, Annie and Ben returned home, with little Elsie having been discharged with BRUE -Brief Resolved Unexplained Episode
However, the seizures and hospital admissions continued, until eventually, at just over a year old, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. A plan was put together to assist Elsie and her parents with the new diagnosis, but on September 17th 2021, the seizures worsened and Elsie was back in hospital. After an unsettled night, the couple woke to find Elsie unresponsive and struggling to breathe. She was intubated and taken for a CT scan where doctors found a non-cancerous tumour on her brain. The tumour had caused a cyst full of fluid, which was putting pressure on the rest of her brain, so Elsie was transferred to Southampton General Hospital for brain surgery. Although initially successful, Elsie was transferred to the PICU (Paediatric Intensive Care Unit) where more scans, medication and sedation followed, until heartbreakingly, on 22nd September 2021, Elsie’s life support was turned off and she passed away in Annie and Ben’s arms.
The Company have already presented a cheque for £1245 for Elsie’s Rose after raising money at a raffle at its annual Christmas party.
Maria Seabright, HR and Finance Director, Greendale Construction, said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone who has donated so far to our Mud Run fundraising. We are so inspired by the work that Ben and Annie do in Elsie’s memory and look forward to the money raised helping them continue this.”
To support the team and donate, please visit Greendale’ fundraising page here. le BH12 1DZ.
