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Fundraising efforts celebrated
Posted: 20th March 2018A teenager has devoted the last six years to fundraising in support of various causes close to the hearts of his friends and family.
Matthew Hart was just nine when he took on his first charity mission and got the bug for helping those in need.
The 15-year-old Year 10 student at Burnt Mill Academy has just completed his latest fundraiser – handing over £1,645.50 raised at a race night to Princess Alexandra Hospital maternity unit to go towards a cold cuddle cot.
But, this is just the latest in a long line of causes which have caught his attention.
Matthew’s other events have included –
· Completing a three-and-a-half mile run in memory of his great uncle when he was just eight, raising £850 for Streets2Homes
· Running around the pitch at Tottenham Hotspur FC 27 times at the age of nine, raising £855 for Running For Sarah, a charity to send a family friend to America for treatment for a brain tumour
· Climbing the O2, raising £600 for the MS Society as his nan lives with the disease
· Climbing the Gherkin, raising £300 for the NSPCC
· Organising a fun day and teachers versus pupils baseball match when a pupil at Cooks Spinney Primary Academy. Money raised went towards new PE equipment for the school, as well as creating outdoor learning spaces
He is now planning to host an event for the Lung Foundation as his grandad is battling lung cancer.
The teenager said: “I have been fundraising since I was eight or nine. When I see someone less fortunate than us, I just want to help.
“I am always looking for things to do to raise money. It makes me feel good to be able to help in this way. It is something I enjoy doing in my free time. It’s amazing to be able to help others.”
Matthew’s family help him to organise events and his mum, dad and uncle Gary have taken part in events with him, with other relatives and friends always showing support.
Proud mum Joanne said: “He really does put his heart into doing these things to help others. He is such a caring young man and his dad and I, as well as his family and friends, are so proud of the man he is becoming.
“We always look forward to hearing his ideas about what he wants to do next. He has a heart of gold, is very humble and would put others first in all situations.”
