Rain cancels Kelpies Canter but little Elise still steps up to the challenge

Elise Rafferty, from Skinflats, decided to wrap up in waterproofs and plough on regardless and, with mum Amanda in tow, she completed the Kelpies Canter event on Saturday, August 31 – despite organisers Christian Aid cancelling the event due to the extremely wet weather.

Amanda said: “Elise had collected £60 of sponsorship for the walk so we decided to do it anyway. Typical Scottish weather – it was pouring with rain, almost horizontal at some points, in the morning when we did the walk and sunny with blue skies in the afternoon.”

It took Amanda and Beancross Primary School pupil Elise an hour-and-a-half to complete the 5K distance.

“We actually did over the distance,” said Amanda. “We’ve counted walking along from our house in Skinflats up to and around the Kelpies – around four miles with some snack stops. We were wearing waterproofs but we still got soaked.”

Christian Aid confirmed this week the event will not take place later in the year and the next Kelpies Canter would take place in 2020, so Elise and her mum will go down in the record books as the only two people to complete the event in 2019.

The plucky primary two could not wait to tell her class all about her adventure when she returned to school on the following Monday.

If the event had gone ahead as planned Elise would have been able to learn all about the secrets of Helix Park and enjoy games with other children like beat the goalie on the Great Lawn – but she had to be content with completing the walk and coining in cash for a good cause.

The money she raised will go towards Christian Aid’s long term development work in less fortunate countries throughout the world.

A Christian Aid spokesperson said: “Poverty is an outrage against humanity. We have a vision – an end to poverty – and we believe that vision can become a reality.”