Robert Burns Academy pupils stroll for psychological well being and diabetes

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Two 17-year-old Robert Burns Academy students completed a running marathon for two fantastic charities.

Beth Senior and Evie Burns set out early Saturday morning (March 27), traveling from Glenbuck and walking 26 miles down the River Ayr before ending in Failford just before dark.

The couple raised funds for Diabetes UK and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) after they teamed up to come up with a donation idea and decide that they would do it for their respective charities.

Beth has had diabetes since childhood and has always gone out of her way to support the charity.

Beth and Evie’s mothers, Joanna and Sandra, take great pride in the girls’ efforts and in supporting two incredible charities.

Joanna said, “We (Sandra and I) have seen the impact diabetes and mental health problems can have on young people and the effects it can have on family and friends. The girls raised over £ 1000 for these two well-deserved charities. ”

Beth said the challenge of helping Diabetes UK was a breeze as the charity has supported it over the years.

She said, “This charity has always been there to offer support and it relies on donations to make it available to other families like mine.

“Donations also fund important research into new therapies, technologies, and drugs that are invaluable to people with diabetes.

“The walk was tough, yes, but it was absolutely worth it. We played music, enjoyed the scenery and before we knew it we were almost done.

“We both really appreciated the immense support from our two families and of course all of our great sponsors.

Evie said she knew she wanted to support SAMH as positive mental health was important during the lockdown.

She added, “I’ve seen the effects on the mental health of friends and family. I wanted to raise awareness that mental health is such a big problem and that it needs more recognition.

“Towards the end I felt very emotional that I could master this challenge and was very proud of myself.”