CARING kids in Renfrew have been using pedal power to raise cash for worthy causes.
Four-year-old Harry Wright decided to show his support for frontline NHS staff by setting himself the challenge of cycling 5k every week for a month.
Within two days, he had raised more than £1,000 online through his JustGiving page.
Among those who have offered support is Rangers striker Jermain Defoe, who shared Harry’s fundraising page on Instagram.
Harry’s proud mum Kimberley told The Gazette: “It was all his own idea. He had cycled 5k to sing happy birthday to his cousin from a distance, so he knew he could do it, and he said he wanted to help things go back to the good old days, before coronavirus.
“He only wanted to raise £20 because, to him, that is a lot of money but when I told him we had reached £800, he couldn’t believe it.”
To achieve his 5k target each week, Harry has been using cycle paths across Renfrewshire and enjoys waving to relatives on his favourite route from Renfrew Ferry to Arkleston.
Harry, who is looking forward to starting school at Arkleston Primary later this year, said: “I want to raise money so I can stop the coronavirus and go back to nursery.”
Kimberley added: “Harry has handled the lockdown pretty well but he’s missing all his friends and family.
“He thinks it’s important to help the doctors and nurses. It’s amazing how a little boy can have such a big heart.”
To show your support for Harry’s fundraising efforts, make a donation online at justgiving.com/fundraising/harry-wright15.
Meanwhile, seven-year-old Renfrew girl Annabelle Muir has used her cycling skills to support a zoo that has been struggling during lockdown.
The Kirklandneuk Primary pupil pedalled 7k each day for a week to raise funds for the Five Sisters Zoo, in West Lothian.
Annabelle coined in around £1,400, much to the delight of her proud mum Donna.
“We didn’t expect to raise that much,” said Donna. “Annabelle loves animals and had been doing educational activities on the zoo’s Facebook page for some of her home schooling.
“We saw the zoo has been struggling with the cost of running the facility while it can’t be opened to the public.
“It was Annabelle’s idea to fundraise by cycling, as she had just learned to ride her bike without the parent handle.”
Annabelle’s achievement also inspired her friend Alyx McHarg to follow in her tracks, as she raised a further £1,400 for the zoo by cycling 50 miles on her bike.
Read all the latest from Renfrewshire and beyond
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