Thousands brave the mud for charity
WOMEN UNITE TO RAISE FUNDS IN CANCER FIGHT
A HEARTBROKEN mum paid an emotional tribute to her gifted footballer son who died from cancer aged 18 as more than 6400 Scots got pretty muddy to help beat the disease.
Helen Laird was chosen as VIP starter for the 5K Race for Life which saw racers tackle a mud splattered obstacle course at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow on Saturday.
The brave woman sounded an air horn which set off a pink army of more than 4474 people of all ages, shapes and sizes on obstacles including an inflatable mud slide and scramble net.
In total, 1932 people also took part in Pretty Muddy at the Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh – all to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.
Helen, 49, and her partner Ian, 54, of Paisley were invited to attend Pretty Muddy Glasgow in memory of their son who died from cancer on July 10, last year.
Stephen Roy was a promising footballer with the Glenvale under-19 team. His sister, Nicola, 23, raised more than £1000 by completing the 5K Pretty Muddy course together with pal Sarah McCrimmon, 18.
Helen said: “We loved Stephen more than words can say. Stephen was a loving son and an amazing brother to Nicola. We feel honoured to launch Pretty Muddy in his memory. It’s so important to keep Stephen’s memory alive.”
Stephen was diagnosed with bowel cancer in August 2015 and returned to training with his football club after enduring surgery to remove the tumour and chemotherapy. But in March 2016 he had a cardiac arrest while coaching youngsters at the Harmony Row playing fields near Braehead.
After fighting back to fitness, Stephen learnt in May, last year, that the cancer had returned and spread to his liver. He died just weeks later.
Pretty Muddy Glasgow started with more than 200 youngsters taking part in Scotland’s first Pretty Muddy Kids event, a 2K mud splattered obstacle course designed for children under 12.