Mairi Holden raises £13,000, inspired by mystery samaritan

A MUM who was left 'overwhelmed' after a mystery good samaritan paid for a parking ticket slapped on her car outside the Sick Kids has raised more than £13,000 for the hospital.
Mairi Holden and son Oscar. Picture: contributedMairi Holden and son Oscar. Picture: contributed
Mairi Holden and son Oscar. Picture: contributed

And Mairi Holden has vowed to keep fundraising until she smashes her £1 million target.

Her story made headlines in February when a stranger randomly left £25 on her windscreen to pay for a parking ticket, which she was given after racing to the Sick Kids with son Oscar.

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Mairi, 35, said: “I was so overwhelmed when I found the money.

Mairi Holden and son Oscar. Picture: contributedMairi Holden and son Oscar. Picture: contributed
Mairi Holden and son Oscar. Picture: contributed

“I couldn’t believe that someone had done such a lovely and kind thing.

“That is what motivated me to begin raising money.

“I thought I would set up a JustGiving page so the mystery person could see that their random act of kindness could snowball and to show how much it helped.

“Everyone who is donating is helping with their own random act of kindness, that’s why the total has gone this high so far and I am excited to see how much more we can raise.”

The parking ticket, money and note. Picture: suppliedThe parking ticket, money and note. Picture: supplied
The parking ticket, money and note. Picture: supplied
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Four-year-old Oscar suffered a severe asthma attack on Wednesday, February 17 during a trip to a soft-play centre.

Mairi rushed him to hospital and parked in the first space she found, but unexpectedly, Oscar was kept in overnight.

When she emerged from the hospital the next day, she discovered two parking tickets slapped on the windscreen of her pink Honda Jazz in Sylvan Place.

But to her surprise, she also found tucked under the penalty charge notices a cash gift of £25 along with a handwritten note from her mystery benefactor saying: “Pay it then forget it happened.”

Mairi Holden and son Oscar. Picture: contributedMairi Holden and son Oscar. Picture: contributed
Mairi Holden and son Oscar. Picture: contributed
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Mairi shared her story on social media and when support flooded in from all over the world, she decided to set up a JustGiving page for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF), the charity that supports the work of the hospital.

Mairi, from Restalrig, said: “SKFF have been amazing with Oscar. I love the work that they do which is why I decided to raise money specifically for them. I really admire their efforts to help to transform the experiences 
of children and young people in hospital so they can be a child first and a patient second and I want to help them do this.”

Roslyn Neely, chief executive of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “We are so grateful to Mairi for undertaking this amazing fundraising effort.

“She has done brilliantly so far and the money raised will have a huge impact on the children being treated at the RHSC.”

The parking ticket, money and note. Picture: suppliedThe parking ticket, money and note. Picture: supplied
The parking ticket, money and note. Picture: supplied
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“Everyone at SKFF would like to thank Mairi and all those who have donated so far for all they have done.”

To help Mairi and her fundraising efforts for the Sick Kids, visit: www.justgiving.com/Mairi-Holden1