A determined six-year-old girl, who put her best foot forward to walk 10,000 steps every day for a month, has inspired friends at her Rainbow unit to do the same, raising over £1,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

Little Emma Insley, from Hagley, has been cared for by Birmingham Children’s Hospital ever since she was born with a condition called Congenital Heart Block, which means her heart beats at a slower rate than it should. Emma’s mum, Sally, was well prepared for her to need a pacemaker from birth, but Emma proved everyone wrong and began to thrive without one.

Now an active young lady, Emma enjoys going to Rainbows and completing badges, but there was one that didn’t really fit with her lifestyle. While all Emma’s friends at 2^nd Hagley Rainbows were taking on a ‘Digital Detox’, knowing that she may soon need to have a pacemaker fitted, and the interference certain technology could have on its battery, Sally had been mindful to limit Emma’s access to technology, to make it easier on her when the time came.

Instead, Emma chose to complete her badge by spending as much time outdoors as possible and decided to take on the extra challenge of completing 10,000 steps every day for one month for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity. Through her dedication, Emma raised a brilliant £400 and, to top it off, her friends and Rainbow leader were also inspired to join her fundraising efforts.

The unit planned a sponsored walk through the bluebells at Hagley Hall and were joined and hosted by owner, Lord Cobham himself. The group of 30 had a fantastic time exploring the grounds on their walk and, combined with a sponsored sports day event, they raised more than £1,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

Emma’s mum, Sally, said: “Despite her condition, Emma is just as active as any other child her age and she continues to impress and surprise us with just how much energy she has. For now Emma just has regular check-ups at Birmingham Children’s Hospital but we know one day she’ll need to stay in to have her pacemaker fitted so her challenge was all about giving something back.

“For now, Emma just has regular check-ups at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, but we know one day she’ll need to stay in to have her pacemaker fitted, so her challenge was all about giving something back.”

Miranda Williams, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “What started off as a personal thank you from Emma inspired some incredible fundraising by the 2^nd Hagley Rainbows and we couldn’t be more grateful for all their support.

“Their fundraising will go towards helping us do more for the 90,000 sick kids we treat at our hospital every single year.”