Terminally ill girl raises £20,000 for charity

Rebecca Dalgleish has raised £20,000. Picture: Comp

Rebecca Dalgleish, 17, was diagnosed with a malignant tumour last year and underwent gruelling bouts of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

She learnt in January that her cancer was terminal, and decided to dedicate the rest of her life to raising at least £10,000 for the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS).

And now, she has doubled the amount and raised a staggering £20,000 by organising fundraising events - and is still planning a 130ft bungee jump.

The brave youngster, who lives near North Berwick, East Lothian, has had to keep raising her targets as generous family members, friends and complete strangers donate to her cause.

CHAS supports more than 300 families, and is the only charity of its kind in the country that provides vital hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions.

The most recent event was a special film and quiz night held at Gullane Village Hall, which was organised by her classmates at North Berwick High School, and raised over £1,000.

Rebecca said: “It’s really nice that people are thinking about me and doing this. Organising the event is really hard work and it is good to have a wee team like this.

“The night was really, really good. It has raised much more than I expected.”

It capped a memorable 24 hours for the teen, who had travelled to Glasgow last Friday to watch McBusted play at the SSE Hydro with her mum, Pam.

She even got to meet the band and they recorded a personal video for her.

Rebecca described it as “one of the best days ever”.

She said: It was amazing, it was so good. My mum enjoyed it too and didn’t embarrass me too much.

“I’m telling you, extreme excitement and ecstaticness don’t even begin to cover how I was feeling.”

Meeting the band was just one of the things on a long bucket-list which the teenager has drawn up.

Other aspirations include skydiving, going for a speed boat ride, meeting Dara O’Briain and staying a night in the Balmoral in Edinburgh.

A fundraising ceilidh is also being planned for May at the secondary school, while local band The Flying Aspidistras will take to the stage at Dirleton Kirk on Sunday Evening.

Band member Sadie Maskery said: “I’ve been friends Rebecca’s mum since our youngest kids were about two or three years old.

“I’ve known her and her family for years and it just seemed to be a good thing to do.

“Rebecca is such a genuine sweetheart of a girl. If she decided to raise money for charity and not because she was ill, people would still be supporting her.”

Laura Foreman, fundraiser for CHAS, said: “We are incredibly proud of Rebecca; she is an inspiration to all and has shown that truly great things can be achieved when you put your mind to it.

“She’s a remarkably kind and caring girl and we’re so pleased the community is really getting behind her and continuing to support her efforts.”

• www.justgiving.com/Rebecca-Dalgleish