Local financial services professional, Leigh McArthur, got involved in fundraising four years ago after being inspired by a visit to The Yard. In this time, Leigh has raised £12,681 for our services. Leigh says,

 “I visited The Yard on a one-day training programme with my work. They showed us a short video, which had lots of children playing, and it showed all the charity does for disabled children and their families. I thought it was magical.”

Leigh has a family member who was diagnosed with Aspergers as a child, a disorder which can cause difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication. As Leigh’s family member is now an adult, she reflected on the kind of difference The Yard would have made in their lives if they used it as a child. “Although The Yard isn’t able to support my family, I wanted to fundraise to support all the other families who rely on their services.”

As Leigh enjoys staying active, she couldn’t wait to see how much she could raise through different challenge events. In 2016, she took part in everything from 5Ks to half marathons. She also asked her personal trainer to run a charity fitness class at her local gym for donations. By the end of year, she had taken part in 12 events and raised £12,681 for The Yard.

Leigh got creative and turned her hand to other hobbies to raise money. Between 2017 and 2019, she took part in Brew and Bake, where she volunteered to bake and sell cakes on Sunday Funday at The Yard. She also created a festive fundraiser to sell homemade tablet, hand knitted scarfs and decorations to colleagues and friends. One year, with help from her knitting group, she sold over 150 Christmas decorations.

In addition to her many challenge events over the years, Leigh has used the support around her to maximise the funds raised for The Yard. She asked her local gym to advertise and sell her Christmas decorations, as well as asking her employers to match fund the original fundraising totals. All this has resulted in Leigh raising a fantastic £12,681 to support disabled children and their families. 

We are amazed by Leigh’s fantastic fundraising efforts! She now volunteers on our Board of Trustees and continues to help the charity in any way she can. Leigh’s fundraising is making a real difference for our children and families, by funding our vital adventure play and family support services. We always need volunteer fundraisers, so if you would like to get involved in supporting The Yard, just get in touch with our fundraising team.