What am I doing?

I aim to walk 257 km, (or around 160 Miles, roughly 1/3 of a 'Proclaimers'), in August 2023. If I reach my fundraising target, I am going to try and do this in the first 2 weeks of August, which would require an average of more than 18 km (roughly the distance from Bristol to Bath) each day

Why am I doing it?

Ten-year-old Oliver has alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC), an ultra-rare condition affecting less than one in a million people. It causes episodes of weakness in every muscle in Oliver’s body, from arms and legs to his breathing, and can last anywhere from a couple of hours to several days. Some episodes he never fully recovers from.

Oliver’s condition means that on a regular basis they have to travel the 257km roundtrip from Southampton to see the only specialist for his condition in the country at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. This is a huge journey for a ten-year-old and since the launch of his challenge this has more of an impact now than ever before as he is much more fatigable now.

Oliver has to miss a day of school to attend his appointments and has to take the following day off to recover from the journey. This has a big impact on the whole family. His dad cannot make every trip as he must take leave from work to do so, and childcare arrangements need to be made for his younger sister Alisia. As Oliver is getting older, he now requires two people to help him transfer out of his chair, meaning his dad has to take more time off work to help Oliver’s mum. Making the trip multiple times a year is expensive and often impractical, but absolutely necessary.

Currently there are estimated to be more than 100,000 children with serious health needs across the UK. Many of whom are spending months, even years, in hospital.

WellChild makes it possible for children and young people with exceptional health needs to be cared for at home instead of hospital. Your sponsorship will help WellChild support seriously ill children, young people and their families both emotionally and practically - such as through providing training to parents to enable them to support their child at home.