Inspirational 7 year old Harry raises over £38k for Children’s Hospices
Harry, an exceptional and inspiring 7-year-old boy, took on a multitude of challenges in 2021 to raise money for the hospices that cared for his younger brother, Reuben. Harry caught the nation’s hearts and imaginations when he decided to travel the distance around the moon and back.
By the end of the year and after all of Harry’s challenges, he’d raised an incredible £38,000. Thank you, Harry!
Two-year-old Reuben was born with an extremely rare condition, so rare that is has not been given a name and there have been less than 20 cases recorded globally. Due to the complexity of his condition, Reuben received support from both Naomi House & Jacksplace and Julia’s House. In December 2021, Reuben sadly passed away.
Reuben visited Naomi House & Jacksplace for respite stays. Respite care gave the family a chance to relax knowing Reuben was being caring for. As well as receiving expert medical care, Reuben could benefit from sensory play or time in the hydrotherapy pool, as well as other activities.
A poem written by Reuben’s dad and brother, Harry. In loving memory of Reuben AKA Reubear.
Reubear
Reu Reu, you weren’t like other children,
You would need a lot of love and care,
and in us you found love enough to spare.
We were delighted we had our own Reubear.
Much to outsiders’ surprise,
You haven’t been a challenge
but a blessing in disguise.
Your hard earned smiles and chuckles are pleasures you impart,
and will forever be etched upon our hearts.
We raced around the moon,
swam, played and laughed like we were in a cartoon.
We would often sprawl on the sofa in a huddle,
we will forever cherish our cuddle.
We are proud that we have been chosen,
to help you live and grow,
we loved you more than you will ever know.
You’re our precious gift from Heaven,
our treasure from above,
Now you’re with Olivia, another special dove.
You both taught us many things,
but most of all - True Love.
Challenge Number 1
Early 2021, Harry’s first challenge was walking 45 miles, the distance between Naomi House & Jacksplace and Julia’s House. Responding to Covid restrictions, Harry and his dad completed the challenge by walking the distance in 5 mile loops, three times a day for three days. They hoped to raise £1500 but their dedication and passion saw them raise over £14,500.
You can read more on this challenge HERE.
Challenge Number 2 - A race around the moon
To show his love for his little brother Reuben, Harry’s next challenge was to “race around the moon”. This meant walking the distance around the moon, 6,786 miles, in just three months!
Supporters from across the world were inspired and got involved to share some of Harry’s miles by walking, jumping, skipping and cycling – to help Harry reach his target.
Every day, Harry walked to and from school in an astronaut suit to raise awareness of his mission. When possible, Reuben joined Harry. Harry created lots of fun ways to complete his challenge: a moonlit fancy dress walk around Stonehenge, a 50 obstacle mud trail, cycling local areas for 6 hours, a holiday swim and even getting his football team involved in various park runs.
As the 3 month moon-mission drew to a close, the final miles were completed together, as a family. Reuben joined Harry on an adapted bike - kindly provided by Cycles 4all - to enjoy the thrill of cycling. Harry and Reuben completed the challenge in Eastleigh, at the Pavilion in the Park.
Harry’s mission was a huge success raising over £14,000 and covering an astounding a total of 16,490 miles, which is enough miles to go round the moon twice!
Well done Harry and thank you for raising such a lot of money for Naomi House & Jacksplace.
Challenge Number 3 - Reuben’s Christmas wish
Despite already exceeding all expectations with his Race Around the Moon, Harry didn’t stop there. He decided to lend Santa a hand and created a “Christmas Wish” to provide presents for children and young adults spending Christmas at the hospices. He wrote his brother Reuben’s Christmas letter to Santa, it reads:
"Dear Santa, for my little brother Reuben, I would like him to have the best year and all of his friends at the hospice please. I can help you ❤ Harry"
Starting off with donating his £2.50 from the Tooth Fairy and a further £11 from his own pocket money, Harry’s Christmas Wish has now received just under £7,000 by supporters, plus bags of toy donations.
The donations were divided between several local charities in time for Christmas.
We’re so thankful to Harry for all the amazing work he has done in support of Naomi House and Jacksplace. For Christmas, he donated a brand new Playstation 5 with games and accessories to the hospices. It’s been brilliant, it’s great to have state of the art technology here and the children and young adults have absolutely loved it, either flying through the air as Spiderman, or playing for Manchester United on Fifa.
Harry and his family embarked on a huge challenge in 2021 and have raised a fantastic amount of money, allowing our hospices to continue supporting other children like Reuben.
From everyone at Naomi House & Jacksplace we would like extend our greatest appreciation and thanks to Harry and his family for their support in 2021.
