![Havana Charles is hoping to break the record for hurdles at the Little Athletics Queensland competition. Photo contributed. Havana Charles is hoping to break the record for hurdles at the Little Athletics Queensland competition. Photo contributed.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/129741260/03188584-b40e-4177-8026-4bc039782109.jpg/r0_332_1284_1292_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A former Griffith family have called on their hometown for help, running a raffle to help young Havana Charles head up to Townsville for a chance to break the record at Little Athletics Carnival.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Havana Charles is flying up to Townsville for this year's under-10's athletics competitions on June 21, after four years competing and training.
She'll be competing in the 200, 400 and 800 metre events as well as her specialty - hurdles, where she's in with a solid chance of breaking the record.
"We went up in March to compete at the state level, she got first place in that, we're going back up in just under two weeks to see if we can get the record broken," mother Rebecca Charles said.
"We're mainly focusing on the hurdles, that's her main event ... at the moment, she runs 10.65 seconds - the record is 10.60, so fingers crossed that we'll pull it off."
Parents Rebecca Charles and David Charles were shocked when they totalled up the cost for young Havana to compete, however, and were prompted to look to Griffith for help with raising the money.
"It was about $3500 in March, for everything. Flights and then accommodation, and then just money for food and stuff while we're there. Unfortunately, there are grants for her, but you've got to be ten and older for them so she missed out by one year," Ms Charles said.
![Havana and David Charles. Photo contributed. Havana and David Charles. Photo contributed.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/129741260/eae670e2-27d4-45c0-b2d9-16ec2788dd4f.jpg/r0_0_1134_1512_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
READ MORE
To raise the money, the family has put together a community-wide raffle, with prizes such as a 4K smart TV or a beautiful artwork by local artist Karissa Undy. With just days to go through, they have around 50 tickets left to sell to make the needed cash.
Ms Charles said that they hoped Griffith's famed community spirit would work in their favour.
"We knew we would get more of a chance doing the raffle back home. Coming from a small community, they just seem to rally together more than they do here."
Raffle tickets and more information is available through facebook.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.areanews.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News