Ruben goes to great lengths for his charity swimathon
Inspirational nine- year- old Ruben Pearson is celebrating completing an exhausting swim challenge for charity.
The Coltness kid swam 22 miles - the equivalent of the English Channel – over 12 weeks to raise £100 for Diabetes UK
Not only did he complete the swim with five days to spare, he smashed his initial target by raising more than £1000.
Proud mum Leanda said: “We’re all really chuffed for him.
“I think he managed to finish early because he knew his dad Colin was away that weekend and he wanted to finish while he was there.
“He’s absolutely delighted and we are all so proud of him.”
St Aidan’s Primary pupil Ruben – a member of Motherwell and Wishaw swim club - decided to take on the challenge for Diabetes UK after his auntie Claire visited from Melbourne last year having just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Having seen first hand the impact of the condition, he was determined to do something to help.
Leanda explained: “My sister was diagnosed with type 1 last year just before a visit with her two wee boys.
“They’re only six and eight and Ruben gets on really well with them.
“She was really open about her blood sugars and injections, so his awareness of it just grew and grew.”
Parents Leanda and Colin and big brother and sister Kyle and Emily were all delighted when he finished his final length to complete the mammoth distance.
Anyone wishing to boost his total further can still do so by visiting https:// swim22. diabetes. org. uk/ users/leanda-and-rubenpearson The number of attendances at active schools sessions in North Lanarkshire has risen by 29 per cent over the past two years, according to a new report for SportScotland.
Independent research indicates that there were 395,000 visits to sessions across the council area during the previous academic year, 2016-2017.
Surveys of 15,000 school pupils across Scotland found that 98 per cent felt healthier for participating in active schools events, while 92 per cent felt more confident and 87 per cent made new friends.
Education convener Frank McNally said: “It’s great to see this outstanding rise – improving health, wellbeing and confidence are key and I’m delighted to see these figures.
“Our ambition in North Lanarkshire is that every child has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
“That’s not just about sporting excellence; we know that young people who are healthier achieve more at school and there’s no doubt that the work of SportScotland and our Active Schools team goes a long way towards achieving that.”