DONNA MILLER'S BROTHER BRAVES ARCTIC FOR LATE SISTER'S FUNDRAISER

THE brother of tragic brain tumour mum Donna Miller has returned from a gruelling Arctic Trek to raise funds for charity.
Beautiful Donna, wife of former Scotland international footballer Lee Miller, and mother to two of his children, died in April 2012 after battling a brain tumour for more than four years.
Her brother Sean Gilhoolie, 24, is just home after embarking on a three day trek into minus forty temperatures in the arctic circle to help Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity.
Sean headed to Rovaniemi in Finland for the Trek.
Having already helped to raise £100,000 in the four and a half years since she passed away, he said: "The Arctic Trek idea was put forward to me by Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity and what an experience I have had over the past week. Mentally and physically it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I never want to see a hill, snow or a tents again. I have met some great people and there were high and low moments but I couldn't have felt prouder standing on the finish line with the Donna Miller foundation across my chest. I just want to thank everyone for their support.


Sean added: "I was pushing myself and although my family were not too keen and my mum was worried sick I'm wasn't doing it half heartedly. I'm not a massive fitness person and my biggest worry was how I'd deal with a lack of sleep and walking all those hours every day.
Donna wouldn't have wanted me to go as she was so protective but her kids were behind me and it was a great experience - and I didn't come back with just five toes."
Sean only realised how serious his trek was after picking up some of the equipment he needs for it. He said: "We were training on The West Highland Way and I had to buy a nine hundred pound sleeping bag for nighttime and a special jacket to walk in. Luckily my friends had given me a whole load of vouchers for my birthday so I got my equipment with that."
Sean took a picture of Donna with him as well as a lucky charm from his mum.
He said: "Donna's oldest child Lennon was so excited for me and made a personal donation. I don't think her youngest Bobby understood at first but I was showing him photos and he understood how cold it was going to be."
"The kids even sent me a video message congratulating me on the trek."

- Posted with love from Scotland by theShowbizLion.com

JUDY MURRAY CHANNELS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FOR CHARITY

JUDY Murray was in her element as she put her best foot forward in a new spoof music video.
The world famous tennis coach and mum to champs Andy and Jamie took part in the cover of Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling for The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice.
Just got involved in the video thanks to Speirs Gumley’s ongoing support of her Tennis on the Road programme, designed to make tennis accessible to children of all backgrounds and encourage take-up of the sport.
She said: “What a fun and novel way to raise money for a such a deserving cause. Speirs Gumley has also supported my Tennis on the Road programme, which builds workforces in local communities across Scotland so that kids, teens and adults from all backgrounds can get involved in tennis. It’s great to see their innovative and light-hearted style applied to fund raising for the ”
The film features staff from the Glasgow Speirs Gumley office as well as the hospice get into the groove at well-known city landmarks, from the Hydro and Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum to Hampden, the Science Centre and Kelvingrove Bandstand.
It's hoped it will raise £10,000 for the hospice’s Brick by Brick Appeal to build a new home at Bellahouston Park.
The film was made to be shared on social media and drive donations to the hospice’s JustGiving page – www.justgiving.com/cantstopthefeeling. Donations of £5 can also be made simply by texting DANCE to 70660.
The hospice’s Brick by Brick Appeal is raising the £21m needed to build a new, purpose-built facility in the city’s Bellahouston Park.
The foundations go down this summer and patients are expected to move there in 2018. The aim is to bring 21st-century hospice care to the people of Glasgow, a major step forward in the provision of palliative care services, providing the flexibility to develop and improve services and lower the age limit of patients to 15 years and over.
The video was the brainchild of Lorraine MacDonald, owner of Speirs Gumley, who was soon inundated with volunteers who loved the idea and wanted to be involved.
Speirs Gumley is part of the hospice’s 50-10 Club: 50 companies who have agreed to raise at least £10,000 each for the new hospice. Speirs Gumley has already raised £4000 and decided to take an innovative and fun approach to raising the remaining £6000.
Lorraine said: “We have been long-term supporters of The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice and our team wanted to do something a little bit different to raise much-needed funds for the appeal. Thanks to a comedy night, we are nearly half-way to our target but wanted to do something a bit different to raise the remainder, and hopefully more.
“The team and I have had so much fun making this video. I hope it makes people smile, laugh and, most importantly, put their hands in their pockets for this fantastic charity that has touched the lives of so many people in Glasgow.”



- From Scotland with love from theshowbizlion.com

BEN HAENOW PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE SCOTS FUNDRAISER

SINGER Ben Haenow paid tribute to the late Donna Mortimer Ballantyne after he appeared at a fundraiser in her honour.
The former X Factor winner was a special guest at the Thistle Hotel and helped raise a whopping £164,000 to help the Kilbryde Hospice in memory of the late Bothwell born businesswoman, who died aged 39 after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma.
Donna raised funds to help the build of Kilbride hospice before her death, and her family, who own Lynnet Leisure, parent company of well-known Glasgow restaurants and clubs 29, Rogano and One Up, continue to work in her name.
Ben, who performed for VIPs on the night including new Rangers manager Mark Warburton and some of Celtic's finest, said of Donna: "This lady did such a lot of amazing things for charity and helped with charities in the West of Scotland and she helped to raise money to build Kilbryde hospice and continues to do lots even after she sadly passed away.


He added: "My granddad passed away not too long ago and was in a hospice. It does happen and the importance of this thing is that it does touch somebody at some point in their lives. At some time we know someone who has been affected from it and it's a great thing to help with it and raise money for any kind of charity.
"I've visited a few hospices, some purely for children which is quite a tough thing to see but to see the quality these hospices give people towards the end of their lives and the support they for to everyone around is a great thing and a really important network."
Ben is due to appear at Hamilton racecourse this Thursday and admitted he loves visiting Scotland
He said: "I've been in Glasgow many a times before and the crowds are cool. We were here for the X Factor tour for two days and we went out on one of the nights. But I can't give too much away about it. We're doing a lot of things just now and have a lot of gigs set up for the summer. I'm in talks about recording a new EP too."



- From Scotland with love from theshowbizlion.com