A kind-hearted boy has raised over £2,500 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity since the start of the pandemic, taking his total fundraising for the hospital to an impressive £12,000.

14-year-old Louis Johnson, from Wolverhampton, has been fundraising for various charities since he was just five-years-old, when he began raising money for the hospice where his beloved Nan spent her final days. With a taste for making a difference, Louis kept on going, even picking up awards for his charity work along the way, including the prestigious British Citizen Youth Award in 2016.

At one award ceremony, Louis and his mum, Teresa, found themselves sharing a table with fellow nominee, nine-year-old Isabella Lyttle, and it was her story that inspired Louis to begin fundraising for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where Isabella was undergoing treatment for Neuroblastoma.

Louis and Isabella became great friends and before long, Louis had begun holding raffles, tea-parties and tombolas, and in 2019 even walked the 17-mile distance from his home in Tettenhall Wood to the hospital dressed as a Storm Trooper for the charity. Sadly, just eight days after Louis’s sponsored walk, brave Isabella lost her battle with cancer and passed away, but Louis has kept on fundraising in her memory.

At the start of 2020, Louis had a full year of fundraising planned, including another walk for Isabella, but one-by-one they were forced to cancel when COVID-19 hit, so this award-winning fundraiser changed his tactics. Taking on the Prudential My Ride London challenge, Louis got on his bike, clocking a huge 19-mile ride near his home, and once restrictions eased, he began holding socially distant table-top sales on his mum’s driveway, selling all manner of kindly donated goods. Altogether, he was able to add £2,500 to his total fundraising for the charity last year.

Louis’s mum, Teresa, said: “Louis really lives for his fundraising and whether he raises £1 or £1,000 for this special hospital, he knows it all adds up and he’s just so glad to be making a difference. I’m so proud of his outlook and his determination to inspire more kids and even adults to fundraise too.”

Miranda Williams, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Louis is a true friend of our charity. Lockdown has been a notoriously difficult time for fundraising, but Louis never fails to amaze us with his endless passion and enthusiasm. We’re so grateful for Louis’s continuing hard work and effort that helps us continue to do more for the 90,000 sick kids we treat at our hospital every year.”

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