An “inspirational” Elgin teenager who organised a charity ice hockey match has handed over nearly £13,000 to the Archie Foundation.
Lucy Stewart, 13, delighted bosses at the sick kids charity after handing over a whopping £12,875.
That was the sum raised at Aberdeen Lynx Arena on Saturday, where Aberdeen Predators took on RAF Lossiemouth Jets in a match organised by Lucy to raise money for Archie.
Here we go: the teams step onto the ice
Archie has been a great help to Lucy and her family throughout her life.
Lucy was born with Tracheo-oesophageal Fistula and Oesophageal Atresia, a rare condition which means she struggles to breathe and is susceptible to pneumonia and chest infections.
She is forced to miss large chunks of school at Elgin High School as she is in and out of hospital.
Archie has provided play staff, entertainers, accommodation, and a comforting environment during her multiple hospital stays in Elgin and Aberdeen.
Lucy wanted to give back to Archie and approached both team captains with her idea for a big match. Both were on board from the get-go.
Thought ‘nobody would turn up’ to ice hockey match
Having thought they would raise “a couple of hundred pounds”, mum Claire said she couldn’t believe the final figure.
She was also nervous that “nobody would turn up”, so was left overwhelmed as nearly 1,000 people packed into the stands.
Having sold programmes at the door, Lucy made her way onto the ice at the start of the match to drop the ceremonial first puck.
The Jets fan also got to present medals to the players afterward, as well as a trophy to the victorious Jets captain.
In a tense, close game, the Jets – featuring Lucy’s dad Barry – eventually ran out 7-5 winners. Mum Claire described the final period as the “longest 15 minutes of my life”.
“Lucy took it all in her stride,” said Claire. “I on the other hand started crying.
“More and more people kept coming in. I just couldn’t understand where all these people were coming from. But Lucy just didn’t seem phased by the amount of people.”
‘I thought – it’s too big, we’ll never fill it. But Lucy just said ‘let’s do it”
She added: “We thought we’d raise a couple of hundred pounds, with a raffle and maybe some donations, and that that would help a few families.
“So to raise nearly £13,000 is just incredible.
“We got so much help from people we didn’t know. For all these strangers to come out and help was really quite something.
“John Colley, who’s the chairman of Aberdeen Lynx and Scottish Ice Hockey, heard about Lucy’s plans to organise a match.
“He wanted to help, and so it was him that got the ice rink to agree to host the match.
“I just thought – it’s too big, we’ll never fill it. But Lucy just said ‘let’s do it’.
“And when we saw how many people came she was like: ‘see, my idea worked!’.
“Already we’ve had people asking us about next year, and whether it’ll be an annual event. But I still need to recover from Saturday, I’m still overwhelmed at how big it was.
“Lucy and I were in Costa this week and a lady in there was talking about the game. And Lucy said, ‘that was my game!'”
Lucy’s condition means that she often feels tired and lethargic. But she kept going until midnight on the big day.
“After Saturday she was absolutely shattered all day Sunday and into Monday,” said Claire. “But it didn’t matter, she was absolutely delighted.”
‘Courageous’, ‘determined’, ‘inspiring’: Plaudits for Lucy pour in
John Colley said after the match: “Lucy is a courageous young lady who clearly doesn’t let anything get in her way when it comes to living life to the full.
“Without doubt she inspired every person in the rink on Saturday.”
Lucy hands out the medals at the end of the match
And Paula Cormack, chief executive of the Archie Foundation, said people like Lucy are worth their weight in gold.
“Quite simply The Archie Foundation could not support as many children and families as we do without people like Lucy,” said Paula.
“She is extremely determined, not only in how she deals with her health challenges, but in how she wants to give back to help others.
“The money Lucy raised will be used to help other children who are in and out of hospital, just like her.
“To put this into perspective, £20 covers the cost of a night’s accommodation for parents or family members at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, £1,000 could provide essential training for staff members while £10,000 would pay for a year’s worth of hospital-based art workshops.”
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