A GROUP of Barrhead mums and toddlers are putting on their walking shoes to raise vital funds for a worthy cause.

Members of the Barrhead Muthabubbas will be using their daily exercise throughout the month of May to walk 10K as they bring in cash for the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.

Lockdown has had a huge impact on the group, especially the toddlers, aged two and three, who have been missing their friends and weekly socialising.

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Now the group has decided to combine daily exercise with an effort to raise awareness and funds, whilst maintaining social distancing.

Debbie Connor, of the Barrhead Muthabubbas, said: “There are 14 parents and babies in our group and, during lockdown, we haven’t been able to see each other, so we’ve been going out on our daily walks to try to tire out our toddlers.

“I joked to my husband that, by the end of lockdown, we’d have walked some mileage.

“Then I got home, put on the TV and saw the war veteran, Captain Tom Moore, who had been fundraising and I thought we could do something as a group.

“We had already been putting together a video message in support of the NHS because some of the mums in the group are frontline workers, so we thought it would be good to combine the two and do a little fundraiser.”

The team launched a JustGiving page on Monday night with a target of £250 but more than £1,000 was donated in just 24 hours.

“We started small,” said Debbie. “The idea was each of us could donate £20 and aim to walk 10K over the month but, within 24 hours, we hit £1,000, which is just incredible.

“It just shows how generous people can be at this time.”

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Kirsten Sinclair, chief operating officer at the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “It is always humbling to hear about our supporters going above and beyond to make a difference.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Muthabubbas group for their fundraising efforts and would like to wish each of them the best of luck in reaching their 10km target.

“Life has slowed down for many of us but life at Glasgow’s busiest children’s hospital has not. Approximately 60 per cent of our income traditionally comes from fundraising and events, many of which have now been postponed or cancelled.

“This undoubtedly puts a strain on our ability to continue providing the same level of support to many of the maternity, neonatal and paediatric sites across the West of Scotland.

“Now more than ever, fundraising at home during lockdown can make a massive difference and will allow us to continue our work supporting our hospital heroes, young patients and their families.”

Kirsten is urging people to get behind the charity’s 2.6 Challenge, which runs from April 26 until May 1, with all proceeds going to its Emergency Covid-19 Appeal.

The challenge aims to inspire people to create their own athletic activities based around the numbers 2.6 or 26.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to get sponsored for a challenge at home,” said Kirsten.

“There are so many ways to help make a difference and money raised will go a long way in supporting our emergency appeal.”

If you would like to donate to the Barrhead Muthabubbas - you can visit the JustGiving page HERE.