Joshua does juice fab for Ukrainians

Six-year-old’s stall raises hundreds of pounds

An enterprising Balfron youngster has done his bit for the Ukraine effort by raising hundreds of pounds at a ‘juice and cake’ stall in the village.

Six-year-old Joshua Mcdonald came up with the idea of the stall around three weeks ago after hearing about the plight of a boy from the wartorn country on the radio while travelling to school.

The Balfron Primary pupil quickly took up the challenge, rallying some of his friends in his Primary One class as well as teachers at the school to help with the set-up of the stall.

The idea soon grew arms and legs, with neighbours and members of the village community pitching in with offers of support - including fridge space for juice and fresh baking to be sold on the day.

The stall was set up by Joshua on May 1, hoping to raise a target of £700 for the Ukraine DEC appeal.

Dad Steve said: “It was nothing big or grand but was quite effective and we got the word out to friends and people on the Balfron Facebook page.

“There was a great turnout on the day and we raised £416. That money went into a Justgiving account for the appeal and it has now risen to £627 since Sunday which is great.

“The page will stay live for a wee bit and hopefully we’ll be able to get to the target of £700.

“He is a considerate boy with a massive heart and always tries to think of others before himself; this is the first time he has organised something like this and used his initiative.”

The stall attracted regular visitors from opening at 10.30am on Sunday right up until closing at 4pm - with Joshua getting an extra special visit near the end of the day which highlighted the reason for the fundraising effort.

“The day was rounded off beautifully when a woman who is being hosted by a family in Balfron came along to say thank you,” Steve added.

“She had fled Kyiv and is now living here. She doesn’t speak much English but the family she is with translated for her. It was just a lovely way to round things off and I think Joshua really understood what that moment meant.”

If you want to show your support for Joshua’s stall, you can still do so at justgiving.com/fundraising/ joshuasjuiceandcakestand.