Rebecca happy to follow in mum’s footsteps

Jul 17 2010 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

A CARING kid has coined in hundreds of pounds for charity by following in her mum’s footsteps.

Rebecca Sloan, 11, was desperate to join her mum Pamela in the Race for Life event last year but was gutted when she was told she was too young to take part.

Pamela and her husband Jack then decided to organise their very own charity run for Rebecca – and, as a result, the Yorkhill Children’s Foundation is now £300 better off.

Proud mum Pamela, from the Nethergreen Park area of Renfrew, explained: “Rebecca was desperate to do the race with me but she didn’t meet the minimum age criteria so, instead, Jack and I marked out a 5k course for her to do in Renfrew.

“I went out with her during practice runs but she did the 5k all on her own, just like a normal race.”

Rebecca, who is a pupil at St James’ Primary School in Renfrew, completed her sponsored run in a time of 30 minutes and was thrilled to have raised such a healthy sum for her favourite charity.

She said: “It was a shame that I wasn’t allowed to run at the same time as my mum last year because she was raising money for a good cause and I wanted to do the same.

“When Mum and Dad marked out a course for me, I was really pleased because I wanted to raise as much money as I could for the Yorkhill Children’s Foundation.

“I was in Yorkhill Hospital when I was younger and so was my cousin, so I know the staff there are great at looking after children.”

Rebecca, who also loves Tae Kwon Do and swimming, added: “I was delighted when I managed to raise £300 for the Yorkhill Children’s Foundation because I’ve been told that the money will go towards the new Medi Cinema so that sick children who can’t get outside can go there to have some fun and watch a movie.

“Now that I have ran the 5k, I feel proud and glad that I am helping sick children to have some happy times when they are in hospital.

“I would like to thank everyone who sponsored me, including all my family and friends, my classmates and the teachers at my school.”

Just seven days after running her 5k race, Rebecca laced up her running shoes again and teamed up with her mum to complete the 2010 Race for Life.

And she completed the 5k Glasgow Green course in just 25 minutes.

Pamela said: “I was so proud of her. Rebecca is a complete natural when it comes to running.”

The Yorkhill Children’s Foundation provides everything from state-of-the-art medical equipment to children’s entertainers for young patients at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.

For more information about the charity, go online and log on to www.yorkhillchildrensfoundation.org