A big-hearted East Kilbride mum is a hop, skip and a jump away from raising £1000 for a cause close to her heart.
Amanda Meechan, 55, has taken on Cancer Research UK’s skipping challenge which asks supporters to raise funds for lifesaving cancer research by challenging themselves to skip 100 times a day in October.
The pharmacy advisor was inspired to take on the fundraiser in tribute to her dad Billy Masterson who lost his battle with the disease eight years ago.
She was further spurred on by her sister Deborah Loughran’s bravery after recently surviving breast cancer.
To make the challenge more interesting, Amanda has skipped her way round Glasgow and beyond sharing her travels on social media.
She told Lanarkshire Live: “My dad passed away eight years ago after twice surviving kidney and bowel cancer. We were devastated to hear it had returned for a third time and spread throughout his body. It is a terrible disease and he fought until the end. It was heartbreaking to watch him, he was a brilliant dad and grandad.
“So you can imagine how distressed we were a few years later when my sister got diagnosed with breast cancer. We are a very close family and did all we could to help. She has now thankfully totally recovered and I will always be so proud of how brave she was.
“When I heard of the 100 skips a day for Cancer Research I thought I can do this challenge. At age 55 with two grown up kids and not having skipped in about 40 years I really needed some practice. So night times have been spent skipping in the garden.
“I found myself enjoying this and decided to make it more fun and interesting, going somewhere different each day to skip in and around Glasgow, and sometimes further afield.”
Mum-of-two Amanda has skipped in George Square, Glasgow Green, The Barras, at STV Studios, The Kelpies, Hampden Park, Ibrox and Parkhead, to name a few. She also took her skipping ropes to The Beatson Cancer Centre to spread awareness, and incredibly to the top of Conic Hill in Balmaha.
She added: “I went through to Edinburgh this week and got my picture taken up at the castle and with the pipers – I just went for it and I’ve had really good fun doing it while sharing some interesting facts about each place for my videos on social media.
“The response I have had has been overwhelming. People have been so kind and loving my wee video clips on social media. Friends have asked me not to stop as they are enjoying it. I now do about 500 skips a day. I’m not sure how much I was expecting to raise, thought maybe a couple of hundred pounds but I am nearly at £1000 and so hope to achieve that by the end of the month.
“I am taking on this challenge to help in any way I can to raise the funds required for this lifesaving research that needs to keep going for the future of our families. We all have someone who has been affected by this.”
Make a donation to Amanda’s fundraising page here.
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