Oliver has raised almost £700 and counting from his Filey to Whitby hike
Oliver, six, finished a ‘little legs, lots of miles’ walking challenge for the Veterans for Veterans in Care charity(Image: Gemma Gittens)
A proud mum from East Yorkshire has spoken about her “caring little boy” who is always wanting to do something to help others. Gemma Gittens’ son, Oliver, was only four when he ran and cycled 55 miles for Alzheimer’s Research UK, a tribute to his beloved great-nanna.
Now, at the age of six, he has just tackled a Filey to Whitby hike, covering 30 miles in two days. He covered over 60 miles in the previous two weeks just to get his practice walks in.
Gemma, who lives in a village between Driffield and Bridlington, said: “Oliver has got a really good head on his shoulders. He is a really caring young man and all he wants to do is help people.”
The recent walk was for Veterans for Veterans in Care, a charity dedicated to identifying, recognising and supporting former members of the Armed Forces who are now living in care homes. Gemma said: “It’s an amazing charity.
“Their motto is ‘Here to find and help our Forgotten Army’. They believe that no veteran should ever feel forgotten simply because they have moved into residential care and through their Veteran Visitor Programme and empowerment workshops for care homes.”
Gemma said: “I was telling Oliver and my partner about the charity and Oliver said, ‘can we do something for them, then?’ We have some family members who are serving.
“My dad did the walk with us as well – there were three generations doing it together – and Oliver loved it; he loves spending time with his grandad. He was less tired than I was!”
A GoFundMe appeal page was set up by Gemma, under the banner, “Little legs, lots of miles – walking for veterans in care”, and is still open for supporters to add donations. Gemma said on the page: “Ollie and I are raising money to benefit Veterans for Veterans in Care, and any donations would be much appreciated.”
She explained it would be “two solid days of walking” for her son’s little legs. Gemma said: “I am for sure biased as his mum, but I would love Oliver’s kindness and dedication to helping others at such a young age to be recognised. I would also like to raise awareness for this charity and the work they do, as I feel so many care homes in the area could benefit from their expertise when caring for our veterans.”
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