Cranbrook School teacher Zahrah is walking the great wall of China for charity. Zahrah in the school's grounds, wearing her hiking boots,

Young Citizen Zahrah taking on Great Wall of China challenge in memory of late father

Alistair Kleebauer, Senior reporter Thursday, March 21, 2013
9:00 AM

»Our latest Young Citizen nominee will take on the Great Wall of China to raise money for the cancer hospital which helped her late father.

How to nominate

The Recorder/Redbridge Rotary Club Young Citizen Award aims to find people aged 25 and under who deserve to be commended for their contributions to the community.

Each month, a winner will be chosen for the award, sponsored by the Exchange Ilford, and will receive £40 to spend at the Exchange Ilford retailer of their choice.

An overall winner will then be chosen next year and will receive £400 to spend.

To nominate a Redbridge youngster, fill in the coupon and send it to the Recorder, or alternatively email alistair.kleebauer@archant.co.uk.

Zahrah Qureshi, 25, a Year 4 teacher at Cranbrook School in Mansfield Road, Ilford, is leaving the classroom for a nine-day trek.

She wants to raise £2,500 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which supports The Royal Marsden cancer hospital in west London where her father Aszal was a patient.

Zahrah has been nominated for the Recorder/Redbridge Rotary Club award, sponsored by Exchange Ilford, for her ambitious fundraising target, a tribute to her dad who died three years ago from stomach cancer.

She said: “They did such a good job. I want to give something back to the hospital.”

Zahrah added: “The nurses were really supportive. It’s not a nice place to be, in hospital. But they made sure he was OK. They’re very positive as well.”

She will soon set off for Beijing, the Chinese capital, where her arduous trek will begin and she has been training in recent weeks to improve her fitness.

She and other trekkers will stay in small villages along the way while walking the Wall. All the money raised will go to the charity, said Zahrah, as she is paying for her flights and other costs.

To sponsor Zahrah, visit www.justgiving.com/zahrahqureshi.