MOVED by the tragic story of a mum who lost her baby in a car crash, a compassionate 12-year-old boy has completed a gruelling bike ride to raise money for her charity.
Tyler Hersey was touched after hearing Charlotte Joliffe speaking at a first aid course run by her Freddie’s Wish charity about how her 13-month-old son Freddie Fox died in 2014.
Deciding he wanted to do something to support the charity, he set himself the target of riding 20 miles from Tesco Express in Brownsover to Draycote Water, around the reservoir and back again.
Having trained by riding to school every day come rain or shine, he completed the challenge – raising over £500 in the process.
He said: “I felt moved when I heard Charlotte speak about her son and I really enjoyed learning about how to deliver first aid on the course.
“So I felt that I wanted to do something to raise money for such a worthwhile cause. I had recently got a bike and thought a bike ride would be a good challenge.
“It was such a buzz to do the bike ride and I am so grateful to everyone who sponsored me as I’m thrilled to beat my target of £500.
“I hope that more children will feel inspired to do challenges like this as they can make a huge difference. Bring on 30 miles next!”
Charlotte said she was very grateful to Tyler for taking on the challenge in Freddie’s memory.
She said: “To take on the 20 mile route would be enough for most people, but the fact that Tyler took it upon himself to organise the whole thing shows that he is a truly inspirational young man.
“The money he has raised will enable us to hold two paediatric first aid awareness courses, training a further 60 people with these vital skills. I hope he is as proud of himself as we are.”
Founded by Charlotte – who has won numerous awards for her fundraising efforts, including a Pride of Rugby Award last year – Freddie’s Wish has to date raised over £100,000 to train more than 500 adults in paediatric first-aid and deliver bereavement training to staff at 55 schools across Warwickshire.
The charity has also developed a partnership with Child Bereavement UK (CBUK) to provide a bereavement specialist two days per month in Rugby, giving parents and families the opportunity to get advice and support at a time when they need it most.
Visit www.freddieswish.org or follow @freddies_wish on twitter for more information. Contact [email protected] to donate or get involved.
