Big Hearted Scotland. Les Hoey

DAD HELPS KIDS MEET THEIR IDOLS

CARING Les Hoey has made dreams come true for hundreds of kids with cancer - by fixing it so they can meet their idols.

Rail worker Les, 47, has been on a mission to put stars in kids' eyes since he arranged for his daughter Shelley to meet Boyzone after she was diagnosed with leukaemia at 12.

And now he has been nominated for our Bighearted Scot of the Year.

In a bid to boost her spirits he was determined to set up a meeting with her pop favourites Boyzone.

After a series of calls to the band's agent and manager, Shelley, by then 14, and her sister Donna, 12, met the lads after a concert in Glasgow.

"It really boosted Shelley's morale and helped her carry on with treatment," recalls Les, "So I thought I'd do the same thing for other children."

Shelley, now 29, was saved by a bone marrow donor after two years at Glasgow's Yorkhill - and now Les has raised more than £300,000 for the hospital and charities CLIC Sargent and Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust.

And Ronan Keating's band have carried on Les's work too - meeting Kirsty Graham of Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, last month. The 15-year-old was hit by cancer in July 2007 and has finished treatment, just needing check-ups. She said last night: "Les is fantastic. He made my dream come true. He's such a lovely guy."

Les has become a mega Mr Fixit, arranging backstage meetings for ailing youngsters with stars like McFly, Blue, Kylie Minogue, Westlife, Travis, the Proclaimers and The Fratellis.

Celtic skip Stephen McManus, boxer Ricky Burns and actress Kathleen McDermott are among the stars who turn up for Les's annual fundraising Christmas parties and soccer matches.

And Airdrie mum Rona Lawrie says: "Les is the real superstar, nothing is too much trouble, no star is too big."

Her daughter Helena, 12, was thrilled when Les set up a meeting with X Factor star Leon Jackson as she recovered from cancer, which struck when she was three.

Rona, 48, adds: "Les is totally genuine, so the stars' agents respond."

Nominate YOUR hero on the form here or at bigheartedscotland.org.

Winners will be announced at a bash hosted by BBC Sportscene presenter Dougie Vipond in Glasgow's Marriott Hotel on September 4.

The Bighearted Scotland charities are Alcohol Focus Scotland, CLIC Sargent, Epilepsy Scotland, Momentum, Penumbra and Scottish Native Woods.

Your comments

This article has 1 comment

a star big or small les seems to get them all the look on the childrens faces must be amazing and lift their hearts so much as most have a lot to cope with he is always on a mission helping others to the children with life threatening illnesses les is the biggest shining star

By mary mclelland. Posted June 29 2009 at 10:32 PM.

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