English Heroes #5

An occasional series recording Englishmen, women and children who have done great things for themselves or others and reflected well on the country of their birth.

Step forward Charlie Simpson aged 7.


Times.

A seven-year-old boy has raised more than £50,000 for survivors of the Haitian earthquake in one day after seeing images of children being pulled alive from the rubble.

Charlie Simpson set out to raise £500 for the Unicef Haiti Appeal by riding his bike five miles around his local park. Instead his efforts inspired hundreds of people online.

Charlie, from Fulham, West London, said: “I just think it was quite sad when I saw the pictures on the TV.” He asked his mother, Leonora, to help to create a sponsorship form that they put on the internet. Mrs Simpson said: “What started off as a little cycle round the park with his dad has turned into something a lot bigger than that and we can’t believe it. I am extremely proud of our Charlie.”

She said that when her son saw the images on television he “burst into tears”. “Then we had about a chat about the things he could do, and how he could go about it.”

His JustGiving page is here. Should you want to contribute.

Now I know I have said that charity begins at home, however I do believe that what people do with their money is up to them and certainly not up to the government of any stripe. So what Charlie did was both amazing and constructive and will help the Haitians to recover from the tragic events in their country.

Well done that (young) man.