A MEDICAL student has completed a challenge of walking the North Coast 500 in aid of charity set up by her mum following the death of her younger sister.
Nina Young, 20, from Edinburgh, took 34 days to walk from Inverness Castle to Applecross, Strathcarron, in Ross Shire, Scotland.
Her younger sister Verity suffered from Lupus and cancer. She loved drawing and painting but hated hospitals.
Her mother Laura set up The Teapot Trust, an art therapy charity she set up following the eight-year-old’s death.
The Teapot Trust funds art therapists all over Scotland and in London and Liverpool, giving seriously ill children a way of relaxing before demanding treatments or stressful appointments.
Ms Young set up a fundraiser in Verity’s memory and, together with two friends who split their journey, they have raised over £16,000.
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Along with two friends, Lunjika Nyirenda,19, a fellow Edinburgh Medical Student and Jessie Brown, 21, from Kircubbin, Northern Ireland, they completed their challenge on Sunday.
Miss Young said: "I couldn't be more chuffed that the walk's come to fruition. Even after being attacked by a bajillion midges and having our socks walked off our feet, I’ve enjoyed every minute and been blown away by the kindness of the people who've donated. Jika and Jessie have been amazing, I couldn't have done it without them. I cannot wait to have a proper shower though."
During the first nine days, Nina was joined by fellow medical student Lunjika Nyirenda, and Jessie Brown joined on day ten. However, Nina has done the whole trip being totally self-sufficient, carrying her food and camping gear along the way. This fundraiser to support medicalised lives was inspired with The Proclaimers famous song, which she has been singing as motivation along to feet-blistering journey.
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Like many other charities, Teapot Trust has been hit by the lack of community fundraising events and needs extra funds to help children and young people whose mental health has taken a battering due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is particularly difficult for those on immune suppression drugs and Teapot Trust has been instrumental in helping isolated children with video call art therapy sessions.
During the last three months the delivery of Teapot Trust services online has been important to many people. One young patient said: “I would have gone mad with anxiety over getting ill, and when I am on immune suppression drugs and my parents really worry about me too. If it wasn’t for my art therapy sessions calming me down, I don’t know where I would have been.”
Ms Young added: “As a medical student I really see how mental health takes a knock when you have physical health conditions to live with, every day of your life, constantly on medication or injections. The Teapot Trust’s art therapy sessions really build great coping strategies for kids and so I am delighted that the money I am raising is going towards that.”
Teapot Trust has helped more than 12,000 children and young people in Scotland giving them art therapy sessions since it came into existence.
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