Community blog: Community is Strength, Community is Kindness
June 12, 2020
Former patient: Sallyanne’s inspirational story
June 18, 2020
Nine-year-old ‘pogo-ninja’ Owen from Gloucestershire has taken on a very special challenge during lockdown, aiming to complete 10,000 hops on his pogo stick across the month of June, all to raise money for his local air ambulance, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC).
Owen is currently being home-schooled whilst his school is closed, and so decided to do something to keep himself busy during lockdown, and having seen the charity’s helicopter fly over his house, chose to fundraise for them – setting himself a target of £150 and 15 minutes of pogo-hopping a day!
Owen’s dad, Chris, said: “He notices GWAAC when they fly overhead with their distinctive green and blue colours. He knows they can only save lives if they receive charitable donations, so that’s why he wanted to raise some money.”
To date, Owen has already managed to raise over £700 – smashing his original target and has completed over 5,000 pogo hops since the beginning of June.
Owen, who survived brain damage as a baby and was left with mild cerebral palsy, loves jumping on his pogo stick wearing his Ninjago mask. During lockdown, he is a great example of those who are keeping themselves busy and helping their local communities.
Chris continued: “He constantly amazes us with his drive and determination to succeed at life. We are very proud of him.”
As a charity, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity receives no day-to-day Government or NHS funding, and have remained operational, stepping up to support the NHS during COVID-19. They rely on vital charitable donations and support from their local community to raise the £4 million a year needed to remain operational, to provide their lifesaving service to those in urgent need across the region. None of this would be possible without people like Owen.
