MNL
THIS WEEK
THIS WEEK
Santa Dash Participants at the start line. Photos by Zoe Wheeler
5,000 Santas in dash
O
ver 5,000 colourful Santas took to the streets of Liverpool on Sunday to raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity. The annual 5K Santa Dash, organised by BTR Liverpool, made its comeback this weekend after moving online the year before due to Covid restrictions. The race was officially started by four-year-old Betty and Alder Hey Ambassador, LFC’s Jamie Carragher. Alder Hey patient Betty was born
A sea of red, and blue, Santa’s flocked to Liverpool’s iconic Pier Head to mark the star prematurely and spent the first 13 months of her life at the children’s hospital and is still receiving care from them now. Betty’s mother Karen said: “Betty is our amazing, brave little miracle. She made an impressive entrance into the world at just 23 weeks, weighing only 650g. “She needed neonatal intensive care, where her tiny lungs were supported by a ventilator.” She added: “The teams at Alder Hey and Liverpool Women’s Hospital are angels and gave us the greatest
“ They’ve been a big part of my
gift in Betty, but we needed help from both hospitals to save her life. Every single moment of Betty’s life is precious.” Jamie Carragher joined Betty, having shared a similar experience as he spent the first six weeks of his life in Alder Hey’s neonatal ward. MNL spoke to Jamie Carragher about his role as an Alder Hey Ambassador. He said: “They’ve been a big part of my life Alder Hey and that unit basically saved my life a long time ago now and they still do some great work
life, Alder Hey, and that unit basically saved my life
” Jamie Carragher at Liverpool Santa Dash
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Little Santas beginning the race at the Pier