Isla’s family on the run
Decorated #islastones have been hidden all over the world
JETS firing out clouds of bubbles made a charity run an event to remember for nearly 1,000 runners, including the family of youngster Isla Tansey.
It is hoped the Bubble Rush, at Leicester’s Abbey Park on Saturday, will raise at least £27,000 for Rainbows children’s hospice .
Dozens of people who ran the course, which included numerous bubble stations spewing out the colourful froth, were doing it in memory of a child who was treated at, or had died at, the hospice in Loughborough.
A group running in memory of Isla Tansey, who died aged seven in July from untreatable spine tumour and whose colourful campaign #islastones has tens of thousands of supporters, raised about £1,500.
Her parents, Katherine and Simon, from Hinckley, ran with her 10-yearold brother, Harrison, and more than 20 family and friends.
Katherine said: “Last year she was diagnosed with a rare kind of tumour on her spine.
“She woke up one morning unable to walk.
“After lots of radiotherapy they told us there was no cure and she came home to die.
“Rainbows supported us and came to see Isla at home because she couldn’t be touched or get out of bed for a while.
“But in March we were able to take her to Rainbows to go in the pool – it was the first time we were able to hold her in a long time.
“Rainbows also gave wonderful support to Harrison.”
A Facebook group called #islastones, set up to enable people to take pictures of specially painted ‘Isla stones’, now has 76,500 members.
Nish Saujani, from Rainbows, said people from all over the East Midlands took part in the run, which began at 11am.
He said: “We had about 900 people come out and it was fantastic to see people from Leicester, Loughborough, Derby, Nottingham and all over come to support children and young people from across the region.
“We hope to raise at least £27,000 with more money coming in after the event as well.
“We’ve got Isla’s family who have raised about £1,500 and another family who raised about £2,000, which is wonderful.
“This is our second biggest fundraiser of the year after our annual bonfire.”
Rachel Cox, from Market Bosworth, took part with her five-year-old daughter, Lily.
Speaking before the event, she said: “The nephew of a friend of ours died aged seven months, so we’ve come along to support them and raise money for the hospice.
“It’s an amazing organisation and to be able to do all this fund-raising every year to keep going is incredible.
“The atmosphere is lovely and it’s so nice to see everyone coming together like this to have a fun day for a really good cause.”
IN August last year, Isla Tansey’s family received the devastating news that the six-year-old had a rare childhood cancer.
As her condition worsened, Isla was unable to get out of bed, and so friends and loved ones began paint to stones as an activity for her to enjoy.
They were decorated and then hid- den and a picture taken so Isla could find out where they had gone.
The #islastones facebook group was created so that Isla could keep track of the stones.
Within weeks, the Facebook group had grown beyond expectations. Isla loved to keep track of where the stones had been hidden. Every day, more and more stones were painted, posted to the page and then hidden. The group soon grew to more than 40,000, and Isla was interviewed by the media, fulfilling her dream of becoming famous. Isla died on July 10, but the #islastones facebook group lives on in her memory.
#islastones have since been hidden all over the world and the Facebook page now has 76,500 members.
To join in, the group advises members to paint or draw on a stone and write on the back #Islastones PhotoPost-Rehide.
Here’s a selection of the stones that have either been hidden or found.
To join in, go to the #islastones Facebook group.