Best friends Charlotte Leppard, 13 and Zailee Jackson, 13 land tricks at Hobart’s most iconic locations for Cystic Fibrosis Tasmania
Get ready to witness some sick moves in Hobart, as two champion skateboarders take on the city’s iconic landmarks to fundraise for cystic fibrosis. DETAILS >>
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Get ready to witness some sick moves in Hobart, as two champion skateboarders take on the city’s iconic landmarks to ollie and grind their way to a fundraising win for cystic fibrosis.
Charlotte Leppard, 13, has been living with cystic fibrosis, a debilitating illness that has severely impacted her health, until she started taking the life-changing drug Trikafta last year.
Charlotte has since been making the most of her new found freedom by landing skateboard tricks with her best friend Zailee Jackson, 13, to raise awareness and vital funds for Cystic Fibrosis Tasmania.
“I’m so proud,” mother Carrie Leppard said.
“The more awareness we get out there, people are going to understand what CF is and you know what people who sort of go through every day.
“It’s such an invisible condition and it varies so much. You could have someone that could be in their 20s and they’ve never had a hospital admission and then you could have someone that’s six years old and they’ve been in hospital for two weeks every three months.”
The best friends alongside Ms Leppard and Zailee’s mum Jess Jackson have raised nearly $4000 for the charity and aim to raise a total of $10,000 this year.
“Charlotte found She Shreds, which is a girl skateboarding and that’s she’d go to on a Sunday at Elizabeth college skate park and that’s where she met Zailee and where I met Jess,” Ms Leppard said.
“They were very excited watching the skating at the Olympics and we just got a skate ramp built in our backyard.”
The best friends do lessons together in an inclusive girl group three times a week and find what little time they have left to fundraise.
“It’s easier than skating in the skate park because you have to worry about all the boys,” Zailee said.
Since starting Shredding for CFT a couple years ago, despite the fact the Leppard family have been fundraising for over 10 years, the best friends have embarked on doing tricks at 65 iconic locations across Hobart including the State Cinema, Salamanca Market, inside Hobart Town Hall, Hobart Police Station and The Mercury.
“Charlotte’s still doing all the treatments every day, her physio twice a day and all these medications, but she’s recovering faster from sickness,” Ms Leppard said.
Zailee feels pretty good supporting her best friend by spreading awareness.
“I know that I’m helping her so it feels good,” she said.
Not only are the girls showing off their best tricks, they’re practising their skills in hopes of one day becoming a pro skater.
“Skateboarding has been a good thing because I’ve been excited to get out there and get on my board which has helped motivate me with all my treatments,” Charlotte said.
“Skateboarding helps to keep me healthy and by being healthy I get to skateboard.”
Donations for Shredding for CFT can be made online.
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