Three cheers for talented Abbie
High- flying cheerleader Abbie Alemu is set to join Team Scotland as they jet off for Florida thanks to a generous funding boost.
Kenneth Keegan Funeral Directors handed pocket rocket Abbie a cheque for £ 500 as she prepares to take on the best at the 2019 Cheerleading Worlds in April.
The talented 14- year- old was selected from hundreds of hopefuls for the competition but needs to raise around £4,000 to make her dreams become a reality.
Her proud grandmother Kate Fairley was delighted when the funeral directors offered to help out.
Kate said: “I have known Kenneth for a while and I had seen that he supported other teams and young people and thought he might be able to help.
“I told him about how well Abbie had done and how she had been selected and he said he would be more than happy to help.
“We are so thankful to him, we are all really grateful.”
Gleniffer High pupil Abbie has been performing cheerleading since she was 10 at the Twist and Hit club in Paisley.
Kate added: “She has done really well. She is what is called a flyer – she is the one who goes at the top and gets thrown around.
“She did gymnastics before cheer and that has really helped.
“To get selected was a big achievement and now we need to raise the money to get her there.
“Her mum Fiona, dad Alemu and big sister Laine have all been helping.”
Kenneth Keegan Funeral Directors help support various teams and individuals with sponsorship and funding and were delighted to give Abbie a boost.
Kenneth said: “We try to assist local groups and charities where we can.
“We are based in the community and serve the people of Renfrewshire so it is important for us to give something back.
“Abbie’s grandmother Kate has used our services previously and in the course of speaking to her she told me about Abbie and her cheerleading.
“We spoke again and she told me that she was doing really well and had been selected to represent Scotland at a competition in Florida, but she had to fund her own way over.
“I told her that was something we could help with and that we would be happy to contribute.
“Hopefully our contribution helps her on her way to having a really successful trip.”
To get selected for the Worlds was a big achievement. We just need to get her there now. Kate Fairley