Not coming up short!

8-year-old- Malcolm Tarbert has raised more than £400 for St. Vincent’s Hospice in a very unique way – by wearing shorts every single day since September 2018.

Malcolm, a pupil from Ralston Primary School, decided to support the local charity after they took care of his Grandpa and always made him feel welcome when he came to visit. After seeing a similar idea on television, he took up the challenge and lasted an incredible 181 days through the Scottish winter wearing shorts every day to raise sponsor money.

Malcolm’s Mum, Abigail Tarbert, said: “We are so proud of Malcolm. Honestly, it has been all him! When he first said he was going to wear shorts every day, we just assumed he would lose interest, so we just left it to see if it fizzled out. It didn’t – all through winter and right into spring, he was adamant he was wearing shorts for the Hospice.

“St. Vincent’s looked after his Grandpa towards the end of his life, and we all remember how welcome and comfortable we were made to feel any time we came in to visit him. The place holds a special place in all of our hearts, we already have a tree and a brick on the Woodland Walk in his memory. Malcolm decided he wanted to do something on his own and he’s already trying to think of what else he can do for his next ‘challenge’…I heard something about breaking a world record, but we’ll take it one at a time.”

St. Vincent’s Hospice is a specialist provider of palliative and Hospice care for people and families across Renfrewshire who are affected by life-limiting conditions. This includes bereavement support for relatives, as well as children and young people who have suffered the loss of a loved one.

Fundraiser for St. Vincent’s Hospice, Laura McDade, said: “We are all so impressed by Malcolm and his dedication to raising money for our Hospice. For someone who is just eight to already understand how important the work we do is, and feel connected enough to our services to get sponsors and stick to a challenge for so long is amazing!

“Every year, it costs nearly £2.5 million every year to run our Hospice, and donations like this go directly towards offering real care and support for local people who are going through some very difficult times. On behalf of all of us, thank you Malcolm!”

For more information on how you can support St. Vincent’s Hospice, visit: www.SVH.co.uk.