Glasgow family of four raise hundreds for refugee charity

Gillian Armstrong, 45, Vikki Graham, 46, and their two daughters, Ines, 9, and Margot, 6, recently raised more than £600 for Refuweegee, a community-led charity which provides a space for forcibly displaced people arriving in Glasgow.

The Shawlands family of four decided to raise funds for the charity after being inspired by stories of refugees in both films and books. 

Gillian said: "What jolted us into doing this was actually a young adult fiction book called The Boy at the Back of the Class, which is about a young boy who comes to London from Syria. We read it in our book club and with our kids. 

"The book was really inspiring and it certainly made an impact and impression on us and the girls too. 

"After that, my wife and I watched The Swimmers on Netflix, which is a true story about girls in Syria who end up having to swim while travelling to Germany after their boat runs into trouble.

"The more we got inspired by these, we came to realise that the global number of refugees is ever rising and just now, people's lives seem a lot more precarious.

"So, this challenge seemed a good and relevant way to help out a local charity that is doing such great work."

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For the challenge, Gillian did a three-hour swim, Vikki and Ines did a 12k row, and Margot did a 12k run spread over 10 days. 

Gillian said: "The girls have never done 12k of anything before, so it was definitely a challenge, but no-one was giving up on it at all. 

"It's been a great thing to do and we're proud of what we’ve achieved.

"It was also really great to do something as a family and for us all to be part of this."

The family have managed to smash their target and raise hundreds for the Glasgow charity. 

Gillian said: "We wanted to raise about £500 but have ended up with over £650. Somehow we've smashed it, and we are just so fortunate for people who have donated. 

"People have been so generous, especially given the current cost-of-living crisis and it is just unbelievable seeing people give money for this cause when things aren’t easy at home.

"I think people are aware that life is really tough for people out there at the moment, and anything we can do to help is just vital. I think our cause just really resonated with people." 

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Even though they have just finished their challenge, the family aren't ready to stop there. 

Gillian said: "There are so many great charities out there doing great work, so I have no doubt that we'll do this again and undertake something different." 

You can donate to the family's GoFundMe HERE