Two five-year-old boys from Putney each completed a marathon and raised over £3500 for a community group in Wimbledon.
George Nicholson and his best friend Edward Wilcox-Ericcson covered the distance in aid of Dons Local Action Group, who supply food packages for people who need them across south west London.
Over the course of one month the boys walked, hopped, skipped and cycled across London, ending at the Dons Local Action One Year Event at AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane Stadium on 20 March.
George’s mother, Emily Nicholson, organised the fundraiser, and was amazed by the support they received from the charity.
She said: “They were really impressed that someone they didn’t know was trying to raise money for them.
“Although George doesn’t totally understand the full ins and outs, he really got that we were doing something for someone else and he was proud of doing that.”
Credit: Emily Nicholson
Dons Local Action Group, founded in March 2020, helps the communities across Merton, Wandsworth and Kingston to fight poverty and isolation.
Since the beginning of the first lockdown, they have donated more than 150,000 food boxes to the community, as well as laptops through their Keep Kids Connected scheme.
Nicholson had seen the charity’s stalls outside her local supermarket, and thought it would be an amazing idea to fundraise for them with George.
Edward, and his mother jumped onto the idea and their marathon began.
Their original target of £500, though this increased due to the overwhelming support the boys received.
Edward and George changed their goal from 26 miles between them to a staggering 26 miles each to mark the 52 weeks Dons Local Action Group had been in action.
They finished their fundraising at AFC Wimbledon’s stadium, taking a penalty against mascot, Haydon the Womble.
Laura Wilcox-Chandley, Edward’s mother, said: “Edward just thought he was a superhero, he really knew he was making a difference.”
Lily McConnell, Social Media Coordinator at Dons Local Action said: “They are like our very own mini-Captain Toms.
“Dons is an absolute representation of what we can do when we come together, and the boys did this and more.”
You can donate to the boys fundraiser here or take a look at the work Dons Local Action Group have been doing.
Featured Image Credit: Vivian Burch Photography
