Lanark teen Jodie rises high above her tragedy

Most of us would be left practically paralysed with grief by what Jodie has gone through since the start of the year, the deaths – in the most harrowing of circumstances – of both her parents within a few days of each other.

However, she and her pal, fellow Lanarkian Katie Urquhart, are now throwing themselves into a charity fundraising effort with the aim of preventing other families suffering the same heartbreak hers has.

Launching her campaign to attract sponsorship for her and Katie’s big descent, she said: “We are planning to abseil off the Finnieston Crane on May 31 to raise money for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), a charity very close to my heart.

“I lost my mother, Sharon Cringan, in January this year, due to her taking her own life.

“I also lost my father five days before my mother.

“Therefore, I want to raise as much as possible to help families suffering with mental health challenges.”

The 19-year-old is training to be a primary school teacher and is putting herself through her university course working in Lanark’s Tesco.

“I love to be involved with the community and make a difference,” she said. “I do a lot of charity events and like to help.”

Her fellow abseiler Katie is 24 years old and is the manager of Lanark’s Subway shop.

Said Jodie: “She is a great friend supporting me in this abseil. Katie also does many charity events and is passionate about helping others.”

“We have an online donation service. So people just have to go on to https://acefinnieston-may2015.everydayhero.com/uk/jodie or https://acefinnieston-may2015.everydayhero.com/uk/katie.”

The girls also have sponsor forms and money tubs in various Lanark businesses including Subway, Keystore, The Woodpecker, Bensons Hairdressers, Brantano and Fusion Hair.

Doubtless, when Jodie and Katie take that terrifying first step off the Finnieston Crane next month, they’ll not just have safety ropes but hundreds of Lanark Gazette readers to support them.