Valley gives charity trekker £14k backing
APROUD grandfather is grateful to the Valley community for supporting a nineyear-old girl’s epic charity trek.
Hannah Miah has completed a 40km charity walk to raise £14,535 for street children in Bangladesh.
After watching a disheartening video about street children during Ramadan, she reflected on how fortunate she was having a family and home.
She decided she had to do something to help, so she set herself a target of £1,000 – but thanks to overwhelming community support, including from the Rossendale public, she smashed her goal and has raised over £14,000 for the cause.
Her grandfather and well-known community figure Mohammed Aslom Miah, of Holme Bank, Rawtenstall is so proud of her efforts.
He said: “She has seen on the TV how people in Dhaka are suffering, so she decided to raise some money. She has got something like £15,000 so we are delighted now. It is good to encourage young people and have faith.”
According to the UN, there are an estimated 600,000 street children in Bangladesh.
Hannah, who lives in Oldham, hoped that her efforts would raise awareness of the daily struggles that the children are facing and lead to the rescue of as many children as possible from the streets.
Hannah’s older sister, 12-year-old Amana, has made £610 profit selling sweets and donated 100 per cent to charity.
Hannah’s dad Jewel, who received an MBE five years ago for voluntary services to British-Bengali football, said: “Rawtenstall is my in-laws’ home town and many in the community there have supported Hannah’s campaign. The support from everyone in the community has been unbelievable and has brought everyone together.”
Mr Mohammed Aslom Miah, who came to Rossendale in 1963 from Bangladesh and opened Haslingden’s first mosque, also featured in the Free
Press last May after writing to the late Captain Tom Moore wishing him a 100th birthday and enclosing a donation on behalf of the Bangladeshi community.