Oliver Stewart is one to watch on the British Kart Racing circuit and he has pledged to put his foot down to help raise awareness of The ARCHIE Foundation and the important work the charity does to help local sick children and their families. The charity welcomed Oliver and his family on board this week as Ambassadors for ARCHIE.

Oliver, aged 13 from Beauly, knows more than most the importance of the support provided by The ARCHIE Foundation. In 2019 his cousin Struan, also from Beauly, was treated for cancer at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH). Over the course of his treatment his parents Derek and Alison spent a total of 73 nights in ARCHIE’s Family Centre at RACH, which provides a home from home so parents can be close to their child day and night throughout their hospital stay. It costs just £20 to fund an overnight stay in ARCHIE’s Family Centre but the difference it makes for the young patients and their parents is priceless.

Struan’s mum Alison commented: “There are no words that can express our gratitude to ARCHIE. We couldn’t contemplate not being with Struan for all his treatment. ARCHIE made that possible. They were there for us in our darkest hour and helped us when we needed help the most.”

While Struan and his parents were in Aberdeen younger sibling, Torrin, stayed with Oliver and his family and through this developed even deeper bonds. Struan completed his treatment in October and is now fit and well. Oliver wanted to do something to help the charity that gave so much support to his cousin, aunt and uncle and jumped at the invitation to become an ambassador for the charity, using his growing profile as a kart racing champion to help promote the charity’s work.

Oliver now proudly sports ARCHIE’s branding on his kart and racing kit which has opened up many conversations as he tours the UK, testing out in preparation for the British Championships starting on 14th August. His performance has gone from strength to strength and hopes are high for the coming races.

Preparation for the British Championships continued at Rowrah, Cumbria on August 8 and 9 where Oliver scooped top place in the final.

Chief executive officer for The ARCHIE Foundation, David Wood, commented as he welcomed Oliver on board: “We feel really honoured to have such a remarkable young man acting as an ambassador for our charity. Oliver’s grit and determination on the racetrack reflects the strength and resilience his cousin, aunt and uncle showed when they spent so many extremely challenging days, weeks and months at RACH. We feel privileged to be able to make even a small difference to patients and parents like Struan, Derek and Alison and are so grateful to Oliver and his family for their help in raising awareness of what The ARCHIE Foundation does and the need to support the charity. We wish Oliver every success in the British Championships”

The ARCHIE Foundation provides a wide range of support and services for young patients and their families at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, Tayside Children’s Hospital and Highland Children’s Unit. The ARCHIE Foundation also encompasses Friends of the Neonatal Unit and Grampian Child Bereavement Network. To find out more about ARCHIE’s work and how you can help support a family in need please visit www.archie.org/donate

For further information about The ARCHIE Foundation, our fundraising campaigns and the support the charity provides please contact: Paula Cormack, paula.cormack@archie.org, 07818 514925.