A FIVE year-old Holywood girl has walked and ran over 140 miles in aid of the charity Young Lives vs Cancer.
Belle Brewer began the challenge earlier this summer and has amazed her family with her stamina and determination. Her father, Dave Brewer, said his daughter has always had a remarkable level of energy and has accompanied him climbing mountains around the UK.
“She’s quite a fit and active individual even though she’s just turned five,” he said.
“She’s climbed Mount Snowdon, she’s also done the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge and does parkruns as well as taking part in gymnastics and MMA (mixed martial arts) classes every week.”
Dave explained that he and his partner and Belle’s mum, Adriana Gamble, believe strongly in both fitness and voluntary work, and this inspired Belle to take part in the challenge.
“We’re quite a fitness orientated family,” he said. “I was always brought up doing a lot of voluntary work. Belle saw some of my medals and she asked about getting some of her own so I began looking up some charities she could help out with.
“I think probably as a parent, it’s really good to encourage children to think about other people than themselves, which is obviously always going to be a challenge at a young age. So I just thought as parents, it’s probably a good opportunity to keep her fit and active and give her a target to aim for, and secondly, to think about other people and how we can have positive effects on other people.”
The family began tracking Belle’s progress for the challenge during a holiday around Ireland where she racked up a large number of miles. Dave said the routine has simply become part of their everyday lives.
He said: “We just kind of take it day-by-day, but just finding that she’s completed quite a lot of miles, 142 so far, is an incredible achievement for someone so young. We’re here to encourage Belle, but the fact that she’s even capable of doing what she’s doing is incredible.
“She did a park run, not last week, but the week before, which was her eighth 5k parkrun so far,” he added.
As well as her physical achievements, Belle has managed to raise £285 towards her £300 goal with the hope she will surpass it soon.
To see Belle’s donation page, visit https://fundraise.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/fundraisers/adrianagamble
