Date published: 06 September 2016 by Anna Jackson

An eight-year-old girl from Swindon climbed Mount Snowdon in aid of Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity after being inspired by family stories on our website.

Tia Murray, from Redhouse, summited the 1,085-metre mountain in five and a half hours with her mother Helen on 6 August, raising £470 for Rainbow Trust, to help support families caring for a child with a life threatening or terminal illness.

Tia’s family also decided to support Rainbow Trust because their friend’s little girl is ill and they have experienced how hard it can be for families caring for a seriously ill child. Families supported by Rainbow Trust have a dedicated Family Support Worker who helps them at home, in hospital and in the community, in whatever way they can to make life a little easier.

Helen said they felt exhilarated when they reached the top of Wales’s biggest peak and they enjoyed glorious weather. Helen hopes highlighting Tia’s accomplishment will raise awareness of Rainbow Trust and encourage others to donate and raise money.

“Tia asked me if we could support a children’s charity,” Helen said. “We have a friend whose child isn’t well. We see the impact that this has on the family. That’s where Rainbow Trust comes in. Tia watched some of the videos on Rainbow Trust’s website and read the parent views and wanted to climb for Rainbow Trust.”

Fellow climbers on the way up pledged to donate to Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity after being so impressed with Tia’s efforts.

“We hope Rainbow Trust gets lots of publicity. The more that people are aware of what Rainbow Trust does then hopefully the more support it will get. People can underestimate how having an ill child can affect other siblings. These things impact so much more than you would know.”

Emma Haines, Director of Marketing and Fundraising at Rainbow Trust, said:

“We are tremendously grateful to little Tia and her mother for scaling Mount Snowdon and raising such a fantastic amount for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity. We hope her determination will encourage others to come forward and fundraise. It is down to the generosity of our supporters that we are able to continue raising vital funds to support families in need. We’d like to thank all our supporters, like Tia and her family, for helping us raise awareness of the work Rainbow Trust does.”

Just £168 pays for a day’s visit from a Family Support Worker and £1,690 is the cost of support for a family with a terminally ill child for a whole year.

To sponsor Tia, visit her Just Giving page online.