Plympton schoolboy superhero Taylor Hardy has spent the last two months ‘virtually’ cycling the 603 miles from Lands End to John O’Groats, to raise money for Plymouth-based charity Friends and Families of Special Children.
On Sunday January 10 Taylor finally crossed the finish line, surrounded by his parents and brothers, and with a host of family, friends and supporters cheering him on via social media.
So far Taylor has raised £4000 (and counting) and you can still help him surpass that by donating at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Theresa-Hardy
Taylor, who is 12, is a young carer for two of his three brothers, who have additional needs. Taylor’s family have had a particularly challenging year, even by 2020 standards, and more than ever they have really needed the support they’ve received from Friends and Families.
Taylor decided to take on this challenge to give something back.
Friends and Families’ mission is to make families with disabled children feel valued and experience the best quality of life possible.
Thanks to the charity, Taylor’s whole family have regularly accessed a hydrotherapy pool – a fun activity they could all enjoy together. Danny, 13, and nine-year-old Sonny have tried new activities, such as pottery painting, at Adventure Club.
Taylor said:
“I’m really proud of how much I’ve raised and I hope that if there are families like ours that didn’t know about Friends and Families of Special Children and how they can help, that they do now.”
He added that he was ‘blown away at raising £4000. It’s four times more than I ever hoped for and I can’t believe I’ve done all of those miles!’
Taylor’s Mum Theresa said:
“In the two months he has been doing this, Taylor’s been very motivated and has only taken four days off. It’s been a huge challenge and it was all Taylor’s idea – he drove the whole thing. We’re really impressed. We are so proud of him and his positive attitude.”
The charity’s founder, Kay O’Shaughnessy, said
“Taylor is an inspirational young man who has raised an amazing amount of money. Life for everybody has been very challenging over the past few months, so for him to be spurred on to do this is really incredible”.
The money that Taylor raises will help Friends and Families continue to provide vital advice and support, and host great activities that can be accessed by all members of the family.
Anyone wanting to help this local charity can donate to Taylor’s fundraiser, or by following Friends and Families on Facebook @FriendsAndFamiliesOfSpecialChildren or Twitter @FAFplymouth.
