A fundraising superstar has taken on a variety of gruelling challenges to raise more than £10,000 for charity
A fundraising superstar has gone the extra Yard.
A training course back in 2015 inspired financial services professional, Leigh McArthur, to go on to raise over £10,000 for a local disabled children’s charity, which has since grown close to her heart. Leigh has single-handedly raised £11,266.14 for The Yard, a charity supporting disabled children and their families through adventure play in Edinburgh, Fife and Dundee.
Over the last five years, Leigh has taken part in all kinds of sporting challenges, from 5ks to half marathons, and even a half ironman triathlon. She also got her personal trainer involved to run a charity fitness class at her local gym to generate donations from regular gym-goers.
She said: “I first visited The Yard Edinburgh on a one-day training programme with my work. They showed us a short video, which had lots of children playing, and showed all the charity does for disabled children and their families. I thought it was magical. One of my family members was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome as a child, and The Yard would have made a huge difference if we had it in our lives then. So I wanted to fundraise to support all the other families who rely on their services.
“Since 2015, I’ve turned my hand to quite a few creative hobbies to raise money. As well as my fitness challenges, I volunteer to bake and sell cakes at The Yard on Sundays, and sell homemade tablet, hand knitted scarfs and Christmas decorations to my colleagues, friends and family, and at the gym. I really want to thank all these people for helping me support The Yard. My employer has also been very generous in match funding some of my efforts.”
The Yard runs schools sessions, drop-in play sessions for families and youth clubs from its flagship centre in Canonmills, working with disabled children and young people aged up to 25. The centre is also open to the public every Sunday for families to play from 10am to 4pm.
Christy Thomson, community and volunteering manager for The Yard, said: “We are amazed by Leigh’s fantastic fundraising efforts! She now volunteers on our board of trustees and continues to help the charity in any way she can. Leigh’s fundraising is making a real difference for our children and families, by funding our vital adventure play and family support services. We always need volunteer fundraisers, so if you would like to get involved in supporting The Yard, just go to our website.”
