Are you ready to rumble? Family fundraising trio Ben, Charlie and Dexter Cross certainly are.

Following on from a host of fitness fundraising challenges for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital over recent years, NHS worker Ben Cross has inspired his two sons to fundraise with a unique wrestling-inspired challenge.

This month, with the help of members of their local wrestling academy in Blackpool, Rascals Wrestling Academy, Ben, Charlie and Dexter will spend a fortnight recreating iconic WWE wrestling moments, releasing a daily video every day for 14 days on the Academy’s Instagram and Facebook pages. The challenge is part inspired by the confidence that wrestling has given Charlie after his experiences in hospital as a child.

In 2016, aged four, Charlie experienced a shock bout of chickenpox and a streptococcal infection that led to him contracting necrotising fasciitis, a rare but serious bacterial infection that attacks the body’s soft tissue and leads to sepsis.

Ben says: “Seeing him so poorly was absolutely devastating and scary. He was an inpatient for a month and throughout the whole time the staff were incredibly supportive and there was always someone available, even in the early hours of the morning, to answer questions or provide some comfort.”

Charlie was taken to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital – part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) – and admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit where he underwent five life-saving operations in just one single week. The surgery removed infected tissue from Charlie’s chest area and thankfully, after the first week he was taken off the ventilator and breathing for himself again. Charlie was transferred to the hospital’s Burns Unit where he underwent further skin graft operations.

Ben says: “We can never thank the hospital enough. They saved our little boy and as a family we owe them so much.”

As well as dealing with Charlie’s recovery, the boys have also had to manage with their mum, Nicola, going through serious health complications. Nicola has been cared for by the Neurosurgery Department at their local hospital for the past five years and the boys have shown amazing resilience.

Charlie, now 12, is happy and healthy. Due to his scars, however, he can still be self-conscious, but he and his younger brother, Dexter, have found a whole new confidence in themselves thanks to their local wrestling gym, Rascals Professional Wrestling Academy. The academy puts on classes for young boys and girls across a range of age groups as well as adult tuition. The academy regularly posts footage on Youtube of its impressive wrestling shows.

Ben says: “The Academy is a very welcoming and inclusive place. All the children are supported and encouraged to be themselves and it has been amazing to witness their progression.”

Inspired by their dad’s fundraising, which in the past has included a walk from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to Blackpool Hospital in one day, 10,000 burpees in a month, a coast-to-coast bike ride in one day and four marathons back-to-back, the boys are following in their dad’s footsteps.

Charlie and Dexter (who go by the wrestling alter egos The Ego and DC Ninja) now want to do their part for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. With the help of Rascals Professional Wrestling Academy, they will be embarking on a special sponsored wrestling challenge, recreating iconic WWE wrestling moments over two weeks to be posted daily on social media. If they reach their target of £500 within the two-week timeframe, Ben plans to reveal a full unseen supercut of their wrestling moments on Youtube, including bloopers and behind-the-scenes extras.

The challenges will be posted for fourteen days in the run up to WWE’s debut at Co-op Live on October 16 and are set to include nods to famous WWE Superstars including The Rock, The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio. A JustGiving page has been set up to help the boys and their fellow wrestlers achieve their fundraising goals.

Ben Cross says: “Charlie and Dexter wanted to do a wrestling tribute and raise money as a way of thanking the hospital for all they’ve done for us and for many families. With the help of their friends at the Academy, they want to create some iconic WWE moments which they hope people will be able to recognise.”

Donna O’Reilly, Relationship Officer at Manchester Foundation Trust Charity says:

“Ben Cross has been a fantastic fundraiser for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital over the years and it brings us tremendous joy to see his kindness and selflessness reflected in his sons’ charitable efforts. We think their idea to combine their passion with fundraising is brilliant and everyone at Manchester Foundation Trust Charity can’t wait to see what they come up with on the video front.”