Walter, age six, set to walk 50 miles for Saint Catherine’s in memory of his dad

Walter, age six, set to walk 50 miles for Saint Catherine’s in memory of his dad

A kind-hearted youngster from Staxton, near Scarborough, is aiming to walk 50 miles during January in memory of his dad.

Walter McNeil, age six, lost his dad Paul two years ago and after talking to his mum Juliet, they decided to raise money for Saint Catherine’s by taking on a walking challenge.

Juliet explained: “We do like going for a walk and thought why don’t we raise a bit of money while we’re doing it. Walter was so little when Paul was in Saint Catherine’s, so he doesn’t remember too much about it, so we talk about it and I tell him how well his daddy was looked after.”

Paul was 38 and had been battling cancer for two and a half years. He passed away on January 6, 2019.

Walter, a pupil at Hertford Vale School, said: “I want to raise some money for Saint Catherine’s Hospice because they really looked after my daddy and I want to help them.”

Juliet said that as soon as she put the idea on Facebook, the response was amazing. Walter has smashed his initial target of £100 and has currently raised around £1,400 on Facebook and Just Giving.

She added: “We just couldn’t believe it. I keep reading all the messages to him and he sits there with a big smile on his face. At first he thought we were doing 50 miles every day! Now he says ‘are we going out for a walk to get some more money?’

“I’m just so proud of him. So many people have said how well he’s doing and how proud Paul would have been of him too. People are stopping us in the village to say how brilliantly he’s doing.

“We appreciate all the donations so much – it’s a difficult time and there’s not much money going around. It’s amazing that so many people have donated.”

Walter is currently up to 34 miles and is likely to pass his target of 50 miles by the end of January.

If you would like to sponsor him, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/juliet-mcneil