More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Teenage fundraiser Jonjo Heuerman made sure he remembered every person lost to cancer who he walks for every year when he was invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
The 14-year-old was decked out again in a slick, silk waistcoat into which hundreds of names were stitched to form the stripes of the claret-coloured garment.
Jonjo was invited to attend the party, having been presented with his British Empire Medal by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Viscount De L’Isle MBE, at Penshurst Place on May 12, where his waistcoat got its first outing.
The teenager, from Wilmington, was the youngest BEM recipient named in the New Year Honours for his efforts in supporting the Bobby Moore Fund and Cancer Research UK.
His waistcoat was crafted by Savile Row tailors Kent, Haste & Lachter, who have made clothes for the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Duke of Edinburgh.
He tweeted photos of himself and his mum, Donna, enjoying the garden party, saying: “Great day at Buckingham Palace. Proud to have taken all the Angel names I have walked for with me on my waistcoat.”
West Ham fan Jonjo has walked and cycled thousands of miles to raise money for the cancer charities, inspired by his football hero Bobby Moore and beloved nan, who died of bowel cancer in 2009.
His efforts in raising £255,000 have attracted plenty of support, including famous faces from the world of sport and television.
Despite all the recognition, his charity work shows no sign of slowing down.
Last Saturday he took part in a football match at West Ham’s Boleyn Ground which raised another £3,300, and he is also organising a junior World Cup at Wembley’s Power League Soccer Centre, to be contested between 32 teams on June 25 and June
26.
Jonjo is also hosting a World Cup gala dinner at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, held in the same banqueting room in which England’s 1966 World Cup winners celebrated their triumph, on September 24.
