A Yorkshire peak walk for Be More Ruby

APerthshire schoolgirl whose life was cut short by cancer has moved a group of Yorkshire children to walk three peaks for charity.

Six-year-old Ruby Stewart of Inchture passed away in January last year after being diagnosed with stage four Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.

Her legacy has now touched the hearts of those in Yorkshire, in what was Ruby’s “second home”.

Her parents, Andy and Claire, encouraged people to “Be More Ruby” after witnessing their daughter’s battle against the disease that claimed her life just before her seventh birthday.

Organised by Natalie Clough, donations from the Yorkshire fundraiser will be split three ways between Be More Ruby, Cononley Primary School and Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice.

Money raised for Be More Ruby will go directly towards research into better treatments for rhabdomyosarcoma.

The group of five to seven-year-olds will take on the Yorkshire peaks alongside their parents.

Natalie told The Courier: “The challenge itself is the three Yorkshire peaks: Ingleborough, Pen-y-ghent and Whernside.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to teach the children about charity and what it means to take on a challenge in order to raise money for others.

“Ruby’s grandma is a family friend, so I thought of Be More Ruby straight away.

“More needs to be done about finding treatments to help children with cancer as it is devastating to know that people all over the world are losing their little ones to such a horrid disease.”

She added: “Ruby’s mum has told me that Ruby enjoyed going to stay with her grandma and grandad in Yorkshire.”

Ruby’s mother Claire says she and Andy are “humbled” that Be More Ruby has been included in the fundraiser.

She said: “Yorkshire was a huge part of Ruby’s life, she loved visiting her grandparents, cousins and wider family.

“It was very important to her and she always really enjoyed our trips south, so for there to be fundraising happening so close to her second home is really very special.

“The cancer Ruby had affects children all over the world, we would like Ruby’s legacy to be bigger than our little corner of Scotland.

“Yorkshire is a great place to start and we are really humbled that the team in Cononley have chosen to include us in their fundraiser.”

Ruby passed away on January 3 last year after a two-year battle with cancer.

Her parents have worked continuously to raise funds into the rare cancer in her memory, with the Perth and Kinross community having come together to support them.

Meanwhile, pupils at Inchture Primary, which Ruby attended, planted bulbs in October in a lasting memorial to her.

TRAGIC: Ruby with her mum and dad, Claire and Andy. Picture by Steve Macdougall.