80-year-old raises over £20,000 with 80 kilometre charity walk

Colin Barrett, from Droitwich, endeavours to cover an average of 4.25km per day for 19 days leading up to his 80th birthday, in aid of Little Hearts Matter (LHM).

The venture mirrored the fundraising efforts of Captain Sir Tom Moore who raised over £33,000,000 for the NHS, and was inspired by his grandson.

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When Mr Barrett's initial fundraising target of £5,000 was swiftly doubled to £10,000 due to overwhelming support, he managed to exceed even his own heightened expectations, raising over £20,000 for LHM.

Despite suffering a knee injury during training, which ruled out the possibility of walking that distance every day, the whole Barrett family rallied around to ensure the walk would be completed through a relay system throughout November and December.

The funding has come from a variety of sources, with several individuals donating online, and a group of 40 online shoppers also contributing, in addition to bucket collections at superstores and garden centres.

Reflecting on his efforts, Mr Barrett said: "Regardless of how much is eventually raised, the overwhelming motivation is to help raise funds to enable the board and staff to continue to provide magnificent support to all LHM families."

The Barrett family's fundraising originates from a personal connection with the charity, due to their experiences with Mr Barrett's grandson, Thomas, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

Thomas's father, Spencer Barrett, said: "Through the whole of his life and the months prior to his birth after that first scan, our family has received outstanding support from the staff at Little Hearts Matter.

"We feel we owe it to the team and Trustees at LHM to do regular fundraising as our way of saying thank you for their compassion and support."

To contribute to Colin's 80/80 Walk and bolster his efforts to support Little Hearts Matter, please visit his JustGiving page.