By Damian Chilton
A dedicated six-year-old boy inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore is in the process of walking an extraordinary 100 miles in one month for the Captain Tom Foundation.
Toby Taylor, from Thurmaston, Leicester, has already walked 59 miles of his 100-mile target, walking more than four miles a day along with his mum Sarah.
Despite being only halfway through the month, Toby has already raised an amazing £1,210 for the charity, smashing his original goal of £250.
Toby said: “I want to help the doctors and the hospitals.”
He added that Captain Tom was his hero and someone who inspired him.
Sarah, 28, keeps track of Toby’s miles using an app called ‘MapMyRun’ to get an accurate measurement on their walk.
They stay local on their walks, often walking through areas such as Houghton and Thurnby Lodge, and often uploading pictures to their Facebook page.
Mum-of-two Sarah said tat they have received a lot of support with donations and awareness, with several social media users playing their part in sharing the story.
She confirmed that Toby’s terrific idea caught the attention of BBC sports presenter Mike Bushell and television’s Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood who both showed their support to Toby through Twitter.
Toby was inspired to take up his challenge after taking part in the 35-mile ‘race at your own pace’ event during lockdown with his mum.
Sarah said: “Toby coped fine with the event, he has always been active.
“He originally completed 10 miles and then, because of lockdown, had to complete 35 miles with myself which he found no problem.”
Toby’s hero Sir Captain Tom died on Tuesday, February 2, at the age of 100 after making global headlines for walking 100 lengths of his garden in order to raise money for the NHS during the first lockdown period.
Despite being only six years old, Toby has not been affected by having to walk 25 miles each week in order to reach his objective, showing no signs of slowing down, and keeping to his routine of at least four miles a day.
After raising a large amount of money for the foundation already, Toby said: “Thank you to everyone who has donated.”
Anyone can donate to Toby’s 100-mile challenge by accessing the go fund me link below.
Updates on Toby’s progress can also be found on their Facebook page ‘Toby’s 100 miles in 1 month’
