People
COMMUNITY SPIRIT One thing that sets Scotland apart as a nation is our friendly, welcoming spirit – and that’s never been truer than for little Aaron Murray. When the six-year-old needed a walking aid, the people in his local community of Carmyle, Glasgow, clubbed together to give him the chance to run in the park IF IT’S ONE THING SCOTS know how to do, it’s stick together in times of crisis. Community spirit is still alive and well in Scotland’s towns and cities, with neighbours ready to rally around to help those in need when times get tough. Siobhan Murray felt the full support of her community in Carmyle when she held a fundraiser to buy a gait trainer or ‘walker’ for her young son, Aaron. At age six, Aaron has global development issues which prevent him from speaking and walking, leaving him dependent on his wheelchair.
IMPACT Although over the years Aaron had tried various walking aids at school and nursery, few were a suitable fit. When he tried the RMS Grillo walker, Siobhan realised it could have a huge impact on her son’s life. “The walker will make a huge
difference,” says Siobhan. “He can get out and about. He hates his wheelchair – when we go to the park, he’s fine sitting in the swing but he’d prefer to run about.” The Grillo is designed to support and assist a disabled child’s self-movement and has a variety of supports and adjustments to help children walk freely. The trainer costs in excess of £2,000. Siobhan and family originally signed up for a 5k run to help pay for the equipment, planning to include the race as part of a schedule of fundraising events. Little did they know that the good people of Carmyle would not only assist with fundraising, they would help the family surpass their target long before Siobhan had the chance to put on her trainers for the 5k.
HELP “Everyone always says the people in Carmyle are great at times like these,” says Siobhan, “but I’d never been on the receiving end of it before. You really don’t know how much people help each other until they are helping you out when you need it.” The family was only expecting to raise £2,000 towards the walker, but a disco fundraising night held within the local community managed to raise a whopping £6,000. Local businesses donated raffle
“Everyone always says the people in Carmyle are great at times like these, but I’d never been on the receiving end of it before” Siobhan Murray prizes, offered hire of the venue for free, and cut their DJ services by half price to make the night a roaring success. “Everyone came together and chipped in,” says Siobhan. “It was so busy, there was standing room only in the venue. There were so many raffle prizes gifted that we had to combine some of them. It was really overwhelming.” Thanks to the generosity and efforts of their local community, and support from RMS, Aaron’s gait trainer has now been delivered. Siobhan plans to put the remainder of the fundraising money towards an adapted car seat for Aaron and still plans to run her 5k, despite no longer needing the sponsorship money.
i See the full range of RMS products at www.ineedawheelchair.co.uk.
www.enablemagazine.co.uk | Enable - The Scottish Issue
45