Words by Smiley Team
A two-year-old girl worked with her parents to raise an incredible £50k for NHS Charities Together through a sponsored 'Pretty Pebble Hunt'.
Beatrice George, who lives in Kingholm Quay on the outskirts of Dumfries, South West Scotland, completed the hunt along with her dad, Matthew.
“We were inspired as a family by Captain Sir Tom Moore last year, so in April 2020 we decided to do something a little different to try to raise money for the same charity, NHS Charities Together,” says Matthew.
“We did a Sponsored Pretty Pebble Hunt where Beatrice would look for pebbles on our walks during the first lockdown (and ever since!) and people donated for her to do this. A bit like the old sponsored silence in school, but collecting pebbles instead!”
[Read more: ‘Helping young people survive and thrive’]
Matthew says they chose the same charity as Captain Sir Tom, as they have friends who are frontlines nurses and doctors, so they wanted to try to give a little back in whatever way. “And without the NHS, midwives and nurses, doctors etc, we like other parents wouldn’t have Beatrice,” he says.
Soon after he put a couple of photos of Beatrice on Twitter, celebrities started throwing their support behind her with video messages of support: “Dame Judi Dench, Stephen Fry, Alex Salmond (who made a substantial donation himself!), John Barrowman, Beverley Knight and Ant and Dec probably being the best ones,” he says.
Beatrice also had a written message from Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. And Welsh actor Michael Sheen tweeted about her fundraising efforts, which helped bring in loads more donations and awareness.
[Read more: Meet the man making London edible]
The family had donations from famous people from all around the world, “including a few very substantial donations from a couple of former professional footballers which has helped raise over £50,000”. The target was just £50, he said.
“Beatrice is probably still a bit too young to know too much about the money raised and the celebrity support she’s received but she’s just loved collecting pebbles,” says Matthew. “We have quite a few now!”
The two-year-old has been officially commended in Scottish Parliament for her efforts. She also received a certificate from NHS Charities for her efforts. What an inspiration!
You can still donate to Beatrice on her JustGiving page.
