Big-hearted brother pledges to shed pounds for charity cash

Jan 25 2013 by Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post

A big-hearted brother will hop on his bike to raise charity cash.

John Smith is marking the tenth anniversary of his sister’s death with a special cycle in her honour.

And he’s using her memory as an inspiration to win his own fitness battle.

John, of Tarbolton, is cycling to raise money for Yorkhill Children’s Foundation.

His sister, Samantha, was treated at the hospital during her brave battle with cancer.

Now John is shedding the pounds in a desperate bid to raise money in her memory.

He said: “I’ve always wanted to do something for the unit up at Yorkhill which treated Samantha.

“They were absolutely fantastic and helped her out so much before she died.

“I haven’t done anything like this since then, and I thought the time was right for this cycle as I’ve been trying to lose a lot of weight.

“I was up at 25 stone and this has given me something to focus on.

“I’m even doing a zumbathon at the end of it so I’ll be in some shape by the finish!”

John, who was once on the books of Celtic after being signed by the legendary Billy McNeill, saw his football dream dashed by injury.

But he’s determined to get back on his bike and prove there’s plenty of life in the legs yet.

John, 38, said: “I’m really looking forward to it and the main thing is raising as much as we can for the great team at Yorkhill.”

John will cycle from Tarbolton to Castle Douglas and can be sponsored at www.justgiving.com/johnsmith24