Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
DISNEY DRESS CASH DASH
26 dresses in just 26 days!
Five-year-old Hannah Brown is taking on a dream Disney challenge to raise funds for Maggie’s Lanarkshire during the coronavirus lockdown.
She is joining in with the popular nationwide 2.6 challenge – by dressing as a different Disney princess each day for 26 days, during which time she will also watch a movie, perform a song and dance and bake cakes.
Hannah’s efforts are to raise muchneeded funds for the cancer caring centre, based in the grounds of Monklands Hospital, where her mum Christina is a cancer support specialist.
Christina runs the daily kitchen table drop-in at the Airdrie centre, as well as its ovarian cancer and young women’s support groups and its choir, which are all now running via phone and video app Zoom to continue providing advice and relaxation.
The 2.6 Challenge asks people to take on a fundraising venture in aid of their favourite charity to help boost the incomes of good causes which are being depleted by the Covid-19 distancing restrictions. It is inspired by the 26.2-mile distance of the London marathon, which should have taken place on April 26 but has now been postponed until October.
Proud mum Christina said: “I’m so delighted that Hannah is transforming our home into a Disney castle during isolation, and who’d have known there were 26 Disney princesses!
“It’s a win-win situation, as hopefully
Hannah will raise some money to support Maggie’s and she’ll also get to watch a Disney movie every day, which is a five-year old’s dream!
“Her brother, Thomas, will be jumping 260 times on the trampoline for 26 days to do his bit too!”
She added: “Since I’m working from home and continuing to help people with cancer who are self-isolating and facing changes or delays to treatment,
Hannah is just so much more aware of how much support Maggie’s provides and she wanted to help.”
Christina’s singing group will also be joining in with the 2.6 challenge, by singing 26 songs back-to-back during their regular video session.
Maggie’s Lanarkshire fundraising manager Heather McArthur added:
“Hannah came up with this idea herself and is rocking it! She’s just embraced the idea and we’re so grateful for her getting involved.”
Heather plans to complete the 2.6 challenge to raise funds for the centre by running 2.6 miles each day for 26 days, while her son will cycle 26 kilometres.
She added: “This is a fabulous challenge because it’s really highlighted the plight of charities during these very uncertain times. It’s easy for people to get involved while respecting social distancing.
“A lot of what we do for fundraising is events-based, and the income we would have had through things like the Kiltwalk, our annual culture crawl or our kitchen table day all involve gatherings so have all been postponed.
“Maggie’s also relies on corporate support and donations – but with businesses closed and so many people furloughed, we don’t know when we’ll see that employee fundraising return, and that’s a massive impact. “We’re sensitive to people’s financial circumstances and we’re very grateful for any help that people can give.”
The centre’s staff and volunteers are continuing to provide their wide range of practical, emotional and social support online and by phone for people with cancer and their loved ones, ranging from the Zoom singing and relaxation classes to individual phone calls and benefits advice.
Heather added: “We want people to know our work is still continuing – last week we supported 55 people by phone and online.
“That’s 55 people who are living with anxiety and fear and who’ve come to Maggie’s for support. It’s important and it’s great that people are still hearing about us and getting in touch.”
Participants in the 2.6 Challenge can take on any kind of fundraising idea based around that number, such as completing 260 squats, making 26 cakes or running 260 miles on a treadmill.
Maggie’s Lanarkshire centre head Lorrie Forsyth added: “Many people who may have fundraised for us through the London Marathon will no longer be able to do so, but this is an initiative which has been set up to help many charities through this unsettling time.
“We are so grateful to anyone who takes on the 2.6 Challenge for Maggie’s;
I’ll be asking our centre users to consider 26 gratitudes according to the letters of the alphabet, and my M will be for Maggie’s.
“People with cancer are having a particularly difficult time just now and need our professional support now more than ever.”