Denny girl raises over £1000 for Strathcarron Hospice with 5k challenge

Ten-year-old Grace Malcolm, of Denny, had planned to raise money for a charity connected to her school prior to the coronavirus lockdown.

The St Patrick’s Primary P6 pupil switched her attention to supporting Strathcarron Hospice when schools were closed.

Grace then registered her intention to complete a 5k challenge on the Strathcarron website and, having gone the distance on her bike, has since been joined by friends, family and teachers in contributing to the £1075 raised so far.

Telling others why she chose to do so, Grace wrote: “I don’t want to see Strathcarron Hospice struggle to do all the wonderful things they do for patients and their families because they cannot afford it.”

As well as the 5k efforts, members of Grace’s Irish dance class held a bingo session via video chat service Zoom which added £160 to her online fundraising page.

Grace’s mum Clare said: “We are so proud of her and her thoughtfulness and kindness to help others.

“It also means for us, as parents, she has something really positive to focus on during this pandemic.

“Her memory will not be the fear of this nasty virus — it will be how she helped others.

“She’s planning on doing some more and we’re going to keep the page open.

“A lot of her friends have seen it and donated and it’s lovely to see. A huge thank you to everybody who has donated and supported it.

“We really don’t know when or if we will have to use such a place so it’s great to support a local hospice, especially during these times.

“Grace said she wants to thank everyone for being so kind and donating to Strathcarron Hospice at this difficult time and that she is now inspired to keep fundraising for Strathcarron in the future.”

To donate to Grace’s lockdown challenge, click here.