KentOnline

bannermobile

News

Sport

Business

What's On

Advertise

Contact

Other KM sites

CORONAVIRUS WATCH KMTV LIVE SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTERS LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS LISTEN TO KMFM
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
News

Freddie Reynolds, 9, walks 100km for Dementia UK and helps dog-walking mum of Pawsome Pet Services

By: Beth Robson

Published: 11:55, 24 February 2021

Updated: 14:35, 24 February 2021

A nine-year-old has smashed a 100km walk in aid of Dementia UK while helping his mum with her dog walking business.

Freddie Reynolds went out in the wind, the rain and sub-zero temperatures to raise a staggering £760 in just over a month.

Time for walkies: Freddie loved walking with the dogs his mum looks after

Mum Zoe Mortimer said he took the fundraising side of the challenge so seriously he even recorded videos to send to friends and family asking for sponsorship.

She said: "When a nine-year-old is doing that, it's difficult to say no!"

Freddie is a Year 4 pupil at Kingsdown and Ringwould Primary School.

mpu1

Initially it was a challenge that the whole class was going to be embarking on at school, but when schools closed in December and didn't reopen after the Christmas break, teacher Katy Allen said they would all have to do it in their own time.

Scroll down to see a picture gallery of Freddie's walks

Freddie with his certificate and medal

Ms Mortimer says she believes Freddie was the first to complete it.

The owner of Pawsome Pet Services said: "He came on loads of walks with me and the dogs I look after, even in the wind, the rain, even when it was in minus temperatures, he was dedicated to reaching his target so he's done very well."

Many walks were in the Kingsdown area, often with grandparents Philip and Debbie Mortimer who live in the village and who are in a support bubble with Zoe, Freddie and his older brother Harry, 13.

"My dad homeschools Freddie on Mondays and Tuesdays. On days he was there with them he would do a couple of kilometres, sometimes longer, on their treadmill. He'd get quite psyched up for it with music and water."

He enjoyed walks with his grandad on the cliffs in Kingsdown and with his mum and the dogs along the path from Kingsdown to St Margaret's Bay and quite a few walks round the North End by Sandown Castle Community Gardens.

Walking buddies are even better when they bring treats
Freddie completed his walking challenge one day at a time
He was dedicated to complete the feat
Freddie with some of the dogs his mum Zoe looks after
The dogs having just as much fun as Freddie
Walks around Kingsdown were enjoyed through the challenge
Freddie was determined to complete the 100k challenge

All were logged by fitness tracking app Strava and marked on a record sheet. But Freddie would have done many more than the 100km he logged because walks with his dad Benn may not have been tracked.

mpu2

"When we do the walks we play games like I-spy and word association to keep him occupied so he doesn't feel how far it is.

"He has been posting his progress on his online learning platform, and recording things like the route and how many dogs, sometimes six.

"He's so good with the dogs. Not many nine-year-olds could control six dogs like Freddie."

If you would like to donate to Freddie's fund for Dementia UK, you can do so by contacting Ms Mortimer by searching Pawsome Pet Services on Facebook.

Read more: All the latest news from Deal

Read more

More by this author

sticky

© KM Group - 2024