In October Benedict and Stephen took on an a mammoth 12 hour Player 2 challenge with their friends Kieran and Ash, to help further our charity’s work. They managed to almost double their original target and raise £190 to help us support more grieving children, young people and families across the UK.

We asked them about what inspired them to take part and how they found spending an entire day focused on zombie slaying.

Tell us about your gaming marathon for Winston’s Wish, what did you decide to play and why?

Benedict: Steven and I decided on playing Call of Duty Black Ops 3 zombies as this is a game we have played together numerous times over the years, and our other friends Kieran and Ash played along with us too, making the gaming experience even better.

Steven: We decided to play Call of Duty Black Ops 3 zombies as it was something we both knew how to play but would also provide different things to do for the whole stream.

Why have you chosen to support Winston’s Wish?

Benedict: We decided to do the gaming marathon fundraiser Player 2 campaign for WW as this is a charity very close to my heart, as I have been the recipient of support when I was a child. The dedication that the staff show to their work is immense, supporting thousands of bereaved children every year.

With such dedicated work being completed, every child that comes to Winston’s Wish can be confident that they will be supported closely through such a traumatic time in their lives. I was also previously a volunteer with Winston’s Wish, working in the trusts and grants department as a Volunteer Fundraising Assistant for 4 years and 2 months. All of the time spent doing this work was great, and I got to see even closer the amount of effort that goes into achieving the mission of Winston’s Wish; long may it continue!

How did you both find fundraising?

Benedict: Fundraising was a rewarding thing to do, as we can be confident that the money raised can contribute to maximising the work that Winston’s Wish does, which ultimately goes to supporting a child, or children, in their hour(s) of need.

Steven: I enjoyed it, it was fun but also nice to know that we were raising for a good cause.

What was the most difficult part of your challenge?

Benedict: Definitely was gaming for 12 hours solidly, as I’ve never done gaming for more than probably 4 hours at a times (and that was not often), so keeping the concentration and killing those zombies kept all of us busy for so many hours!

Steven: The hardest part was definitely not having a break and gaming for 12 hours straight, as I struggle to focus on one thing for long amounts of time.

What did you enjoy most about the challenge?

Benedict: I can’t choose between three things for this one. The two things I enjoyed most was gaming with some good friends for the entirety of the stream, as all lads involved are great friends and having that gaming sesh was epic. The second thing was knowing that we were doing this for a truly great charitable purpose, raising just shy of £200! The last thing is knowing that I have inspired another person to complete a Player 2 challenge, raising even more money for the vital work Winston’s Wish does!

Steven: The best part of the challenge was trying to complete the main quest on each map with Ben for his first time.

Huge thanks to Benedict and Stephen and their friends for taking on such an intense challenge to support grieving children and young people who’ve lost their Player 2. If you have an idea for a gaming fundraiser and would like to sign up for a Player 2 challenge, or find out more about the campaign take a look at our web page.