Howwood teenager to take on bungee jump and raise funds for charity close to his heart

A Howwood teenager is set to take on a bungee jump to raise funds for the charity that his gran has worked at for almost five decades.

Mitchell Strachan has signed up for an exhilarating challenge – to jump off a towering 160ft bungee platform in a heartfelt effort to raise vital funds for Quarriers Social Care charity where his grandmother has worked since 1975.

The 15-year-old is doing the bungee jump at the Riverside Museum on Sunday, May 19, to raise funds for Quarriers Renfrewshire Supported Living Service, which supports adults with challenging and complex support needs to live an independent life.

Mitchell’s motivation stems from a personal connection to Quarriers as his gran Helen Crawford has worked for Quarriers for 49 years and his mum has recently started work with one of Scotland’s leading social care providers.

Gran Helen was initially an assistant house mother when the charity was a children’s home, and she now works for the supported living service, which she loves.

Johnstone High School pupil Mitchell works at Structure Barbers in Johnstone at the weekend and attends two nights a week for training.

He hopes that his regular customers will be generous with their donations when they find out what he is doing.

He told the Paisley Daily Express: “I bought some clippers online and started cutting my friend’s hair in school.

“I was at the barber’s the following week and my barber, Mark Whittaker, was talking about a boy who was cutting hair at school, and I said, “That’s me!” He offered me a job and I’ve been there ever since.”

Expressing her pride in her grandson, Helen said: “I’m so proud of Mitchell for taking on this challenge, but then I’m always proud of him and his brother Josh. I’ll go along to support him, but I won’t watch when he jumps.”

Mitchell added: “I wanted to raise money and I think it will be fun. Some of my friends think I am crazy, and some others are now thinking about doing it with me.”

As Helen has worked with the charity since 1975, the people she supports are very dear to her, she added: “I moved to Renfrewshire Supported Living Service in 2002 when the people that I supported in Quarriers Village were moving into their own homes. My job is to empower the people we support to live independent lives.

“There are two people that I support now, that I have worked with since 1982 – they are basically part of my family.

“I retired from full-time work in 2012, but I am still a relief support worker. Seeing the difference your support can make to help people reach their potential is always rewarding. I’ve really enjoyed my time at Quarriers.”

And Buddies can join Mitchell as Quarriers has some spaces left for anyone brave enough to take the leap. There is a reservation fee of £20, and fundraisers will be fully supported in setting up a Just Giving page. Contact events@quarriers.org.uk to sign up.

You can donate to Mitchell’s Bungee jump fundraiser online here

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