Harry de Gruchy-Wilson has challenged himself to cycle a total of three miles, in various stages, along Gorey Harbour with the aim of raising £1,000 for the charity.
Born prematurely with a genetic condition, the Mont à l’Abbé pupil visits Southampton Hospital up to five times a year for operations and deals with a number of medical challenges on a daily basis, including walking, sensory problems and being able to communicate.
Harry decided to raise money for the charity after watching BBC1’s The One Show and seeing this year’s team taking part in the Rickshaw Challenge, which is a 500-mile cycle between London and Glasgow.
His fundraising page says: ‘Hi, I’m Harry and I am 6. I have only just started to cycle on my bike on my own. I have a special bike to hold my body and legs in place so I can cycle on my own but I find it very tiring so I can only cycle a little way but I love it! This year, I saw the Rickshaw Challenge and I told mummy: “Me cycle too Mummy” so I’m doing my thing and raising money for BBC Children in Need. I am going to try and cycle 3 miles in total (probably over a couple of rides as my legs get sore) which is a very long way for me.’
Harry’s mother, Cirsty de Gruchy, said it was amazing to see her son cycling – something that six months ago he was not able to do.
She said: ‘It’s children like Harry that Children in Need raises money for. It’s a charity which is very close to my heart. Harry still needs to learn he can do things to help others.
‘We were told he would never walk or be able to speak.
‘It’s fantastic to be able to see him cycling because we didn’t expect he would be able to do that. Even just six months ago he wouldn’t be able to do this challenge.’
Harry has appeared on The One Show after posting his story on the Everyday Hero website, which is where people raising money for charity can share their stories.
Miss de Gruchy, the founder of Little Miracles – a charity set up to support parents with a baby in the Special Care Unit at the hospital, said: ‘The One Show got in touch and said they wanted to share Harry’s story on the show because he was doing his own version of The Rickshaw Challenge.
‘They said they were inspired by his story and wanted to share it. They asked us to send photos and a video of Harry cycling, which we did. He watched himself on TV and it was fantastic.’
Harry has been cycling along Gorey with Pudsey on his bike and plans to meet Pudsey at the Salvation Army café on Children in Need day next Friday.
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