Town of 3,500 raises almost £6,000 for Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity
Melanie May | 23 March 2018 | News
A small town in Scotland with just 3,500 inhabitants has come together to raise nearly £6,000 for Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity.
The town of Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders raised the money during 2017 after two of the town’s children, Isla and Aaron Purvis were treated at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, after being born with a rare congenital disorder called Adams-Oliver Syndrome which can cause abnormal skin development and malformation of the limbs.
Having seen the work Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity does for patients and their families, the children’s parents, Karen and Scott, decided to give back by undertaking a series of fundraising challenges. Karen faced two of her biggest fears by completing a sky dive and then diving with sharks, while Scott raised over £4,000 by completing the Stirling marathon and running the 5k, 10k and half marathon in Edinburgh in May.
The Purvis family have also been involved in organising an annual ceilidh in the town for the past five years, with all funds going to ECHC, while grandfather of Isla and Aaron, John Purvis and his local singing group The Podlies have recorded CDs and performed at events, where the profits have gone towards ECHC.
Nikki Robertson, of Ayton near Eyemouth, has also taken on the challenge of running two half marathons this year after successfully completing the Great North Run in 2017 and raising over £1300 for ECHC. Nikki has also benefited from the hospital’s care having suffered from hydrocephalus as a child. She is also planning to complete the Great North Run again this year in September and hoping to raise £1000 for ECHC.
Eyemouth Primary School and High School also both have ECHC as their charity of the year, with any event funds going to support it while the local swimming club collectively swam 52 miles in one night, equivalent to the distance between Eyemouth and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, and raised over £1500 in sponsorship for the charity.
Jan Weeks, Eyemouth Swimming Club Fundraiser said:
“All the members in the club got involved in the 52 mile swim, from kids as young as seven years old to the coaches who volunteer every week. We wanted to fundraise and raise awareness for ECHC who had supported one of our members and her family, Isla Purvis.”
Sue Diamond, Community Fundraising Manager for ECHC said:
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“We would like to thank everyone in Eyemouth who has made such an effort to fundraise for ECHC, in whatever way they can. The money raised makes an incredible difference to children in the hospital and helps them to be a child first and a patient second.”
Image: Nikki Robertson
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.