A YOUNG rugby fan's initiative resulted in her raising £100 for the Jamie Adamson Memorial Fund.

Sophie Clarke, aged 10, had just finished playing a game of rugby when she spotted Welsh rugby hero Gavin Henson walking nearby.

On the spur of the moment, the All Saints Primary School pupil rushed over to Gavin and asked him to sign her mum Marie's Welsh rugby shirt.

Sophie, whose family are friends and neighbours to the Adamsons, then decided to try and sell the shirt on an auction website to raise a bit of cash for the fund.

Mum Marie said: "This is just the kind of thing Sophie would do. She's got a really caring attitude."

Paul Adamson, who leads the charity that raises money to combat childhood leukaemia following the death of his young son Jamie, said: "I am so pleased and grateful for what Sophie has done for us."

* PAUL is calling on the people of Barry and the Vale to join him and 15 others to run the Cardiff Marathon or Half Marathon to generate more cash for the appeal.

In 2005 the charity raised £43,000, and Paul hopes that if more runners join him at the starting line on October 15, then 2006 will be as successful for the fund, which this year aims to buy a static caravan in West Wales for the use of children with cancer and their families.

The event includes a city centre start with a fast and flat course taking in Cardiff Bay, across the barrage, around the residential streets of Grangetown and Riverside, through the parkland of Pontcanna and Bute Park, into the grounds of Cardiff Castle and finishing with a lap inside the Millennium Stadium.

Paul said: "We are asking for a £100 minimum sponsorship, which is very achievable. That also covers the entrance fee and we will be giving all our runners special running vests. There'll also be a post-run reception in Barry."

Interested in running 26.2miles or 13.1miles for the Jamie Adamson Memorial Fund? Contact Paul on 01446 411646.