BARNEY Thomas was just a month old when he was diagnosed with two holes in his heart and underwent life-saving heart surgery before his first birthday.
Aged six, and inspired by the fundraising of Captain Tom Moore during the pandemic, Barney undertook his first fundraiser for the Wallace and Gromit Appeal for Bristol Children’s Hospital, walking 16 miles from his home town of Yate to Bath and raising £3,500.
Barney’s walks have become an annual event, and to date the Wellesley Primary School pupil has raised more than £13,000 as a thank-you for the care he received, to help buy toys and gaming gear for sick children.
His efforts saw him crowned the overall winner of this year’s Community of Purpose Bristol Young Hero awards and shortlisted for a BBC Make a Difference fundraiser award.
Having walked a marathon, then completed a 12-hour ‘Midnight March’ around London in 2023, Barney and dad Darren decided to take things up a notch with a 24-hour walk around The Mall at Cribbs Causeway.
Barney (pictured above, centre) completed it between December 13 and 14, walking for 43 miles accompanied by Darren (right) and godfather Bradley Hackett (left).
Darren said: “I wanted it to take place indoors for safety reasons. Luckily The Mall agreed to accommodate us and were really supportive.”
The trio were cheered on by mum Jodene, brother Buster and Ding Crusaders rugby coach Neil Dobbin, and kept spirits up through the night, by passing a rugby ball around and listening to Oasis.
‘It was tough’
Barney said: “It was tough but, you know, I had a job to do and one thing’s certain – I never want to visit a mall ever again!”
Darren said: “Barney is a kind and caring young man and will hopefully maintain these values throughout his adult life.
“With his age increasing, people are less inclined to support with fundraising, so it’s imperative that the challenges exceed what’s expected of someone his age.
“It’s something that we do as a father and son each year and one that we look forward to.
“It’s difficult to think of something to top this but we do have a few ideas, such as a 100-mile bike ride.”
As of January 3 Barney had raised £2,761 from the challenge.
His JustGiving online donation page is open and can be found here.