CHARITY DONATES MONEY TO YORKHILL IN NAME OF RALLY LEGEND

Alison McRae, wife of the late World Rally Champion Colin McRae, presented a cheque for £35,000 on Friday 29 January 2010 to purchase the specialist medical equipment for a new paediatric intensive care ambulance, for which funds are currently being raised by the Yorkhill Children’s Foundation.

The specially-fitted out ambulance for Yorkhill Children’s Hospital is the first major project to benefit from a donation from The Colin McRae Vision Charity, set up by the McRae family in April 2008 in response to the overwhelming number of messages of sympathy and donations received from members of the public around the world.

The money will allow the fit out of the ambulance with state-of-the-art monitoring equipment, which could help save the lives of 300 of children a year.
Accepting the donation on behalf of Yorkhill Children’s Foundation was Dr Andrew McIntyre, who launched the appeal after identifying the potential life saving benefits of a designated intensive care ambulance capable of providing vital emergency cover within a two hour range of the Glasgow hospital.

He said: “This is an incredibly generous donation from The Colin McRae Vision Charity and puts us a step closer to reaching our target of £120,000. The new ambulance will allow us to treat patients as soon as we arrive on the scene, which really can make the difference between life and death.

“Having already raised £60,000 at The Yorkhill Dinner in November 2009, we are optimistic that with the continued support of the public we will be able to raise the remaining £25,000 required to reach our target in the near future.”

Also attending the presentation was Tallulah McConnachie (6) who was rushed to Yorkhill Hospital after being badly bitten on the throat by a friend’s dog on December 13th. The little girl, from Millport, was in intensive care for a week following the accident. Although now back at school, Tallulah faces a further operation to check her windpipe is healing properly.

Grateful mum Lesley McCracken said: “Our local GP, Doctor Walker’s quick reaction ensured Tallulah was rushed to Yorkhill, I can’t even begin to imagine what would have happened if he had not responded so quickly. To have the reassurance that a designated ambulance is available in future could well prove vital for parents facing a similar situation.

“I am eternally grateful for the treatment Tallulah received from the staff at Yorkhill Hospital and that I have my little girl sitting beside me today, looking so happy and well.”

Alison McRae said that she was delighted that The Colin McRae Vision Charity had been able to contribute to such an important appeal. The charity was set up by the McRae family who were persuaded by the generosity of fans that there could be real benefits derived from utilising the profile of Colin’s name and achievements to raise funds for charitable and worthwhile cases.

The ‘Vision’ was established with the main focus being on providing support for children’s health and education initiatives.

Alison said: “This donation is the first of many we plan to make and it is particularly important that it is going towards such a worthwhile project. Colin’s fans have been amazing in their fundraising efforts, for example the McRae Gathering organised a convoy of Subaru Owners to drive from Lanark to Banbury, raising more than £53,000 through sales of stickers, posters and memorabilia.

“I am very honoured to be presenting this cheque today on their behalf.”

Further information on the McRae Vision can be found at www.colinmcrae.com and Yorkhill Children’s Foundation by logging on to www.yorkhillchildrensfoundation.com.