Former Sunderland AFC footballer set to lead 24 hour fitness challenge for a seven-year-old girl with spina bifida

Ex-footballer turned fitness instructor, Simon Ramsden, who started his professional career at Sunderland AFC, is set to take on a 24-hour fitness challenge to raise money for seven-year-old Rubie O’Brien.

On Thursday, April 28, SR Functional Fitness will hold the event at the Grand Hotel in Sunderland, with Simon personally completely 24 hours of back-to-back fitness classes.

Doctors told Rubie’s mum, Ciara Heffernan, 31, that she may have spina bifida, a condition spine and spinal cord does not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine, during her 20-week scan.

The condition means that Rubie, who lives with her sisters Lillie, 10, and Mila, one, is affected from the waist down and has left her with no feeling in her legs, meaning she needs a wheelchair to get around.

Ciara raised money last year to get Rubie a new wheelchair so the money will go towards anything that Rubie may need in the future.

The mum-of-three said: “After meeting Rubie, Simon wanted to do something to help out however there is nothing see really needs at the moment as we fundraised more than £4,000 last year to buy her a new wheelchair.

"We set the target at £500 and it will go towards her future as there is no way on Earth I could afford the cost of a new wheelchair or the repairs needed.

"It takes the pressure off worrying about money or where it will come from especially as the wheelchair doesn’t grow with her, they get more expensive as she gets older.

“It is really overwhelming the amount of support that we’ve received so far, people have been so generous.

"We obviously see Rubie everyday and know how amazing she is, you don’t realise that other people also see her as amazing as we do.”

Rubie, who won the Child of Courage Award in The Best of Wearside Awards, caught the attention of Simon after she joined one of his SR Functional Fitness Kids’ bootcamps.

Simon commented: “Rubie is an absolute gem. She is a true inspiration and despite everything she has gone through she is always smiling, and I love to see the joy that fitness brings to her and how she pushes herself at each session.

“I would love it for people to get behind the fundraising drive by taking part in either the classes, sponsorship, or donations for raffle prizes to support the event and to make the maximum impact.

"After hearing more about Rubies story it was clear that there was a lot of ongoing pressure on the family to fundraise for key development and growth stages. Funds raised from the event will go into a pot for Rubie whenever she next needs equipment.”

Over the 24-hour period, there will be 40 spaces per class, with every penny raised going into a pot for Rubie, with class bookings currently live – you can book in by visiting: https://srfunctional.fitness.

If you wish to donate to Rubie’s fundraiser, then you can do so by clicking here.

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