Lewes boy, 11, trains for 100-mile trek across South Downs Way to raise money for charity
An 11-year-old boy from Lewes is taking on an epic hiking challenge to raise funds for a charity that is close to his heart.
Tom Pattison aims to walk all 100 miles of the South Downs Way from Winchester to Eastbourne over six days.
He has already raised more than £1,500 for the Angus Lawson Memorial Trust and hopes to raise £2,000. People can donate to his online fundraiser at thealmt.enthuse.com/pf/hikeahundred.
Parents Guy and Helen said Tom has been training for his challenge for the past ten months and building up his stamina gradually.
Guy, 49, said: “We’re super proud. I wouldn’t have done anything like this at his age.”
The Angus Lawson Memorial Trust was set up by Tom’s uncle and aunt in memory of Tom’s cousin Angus and is marking its 20th anniversary year.
Guy said: “Tom was really keen to raise a bit of money for them.”
He explained that Tom has wanted to take on some sort of challenge since Guy cycled to Paris with Tom’s older brother last year. Guy added that he and Helen actually did the South Downs challenge themselves 20 years ago, which might have also inspired Tom.
And Tom has found his own ways of enjoying the challenge, as well as all of the training he has had to do.
Guy said: “Tom’s a big Star Wars fan so we’ve already spent quite a few of the practice walks discussing some of the plot points. He’s made a couple of guessing games around characters and things like that.”
Guy also said he and Tom have planned stop points along the way, including a stay at a youth hostel, one at a shepherd’s hut and others at B&Bs. He said: “Tom’s really excited about the various different places we’re staying at, and about what the different food looks like. He’s got his eye on pizzas and burgers because he’s going to need loads of fuel.”
Tom is also happy he has been put in charge of deciding the various snacks the duo will need for the week.
Their six-day challenge is set to start on Wednesday, May 20, and the pair are aiming to average between 14 and 20 miles each day.
Guy said he is particularly looking forward to spending more time with his son outside of seeing him after school and at weekend events like football matches. He said: “I’m hoping it’ll be a really good bonding experience.”