Thomas’s Short Fundraiser

A young boy from Moseley who challenged himself to wear shorts for over 150 days has raised more than £740 for us as thanks for the care he and his brother have received at our hospital.

Ten-year-old Thomas Dunlop committed to ditching his trousers in favour of their shorter counterparts during the school summer holidays until Christmas day, regardless of the weather, in a bid to raise funds and give back to our hospital.

Thomas has been a patient here since he was five-years-old when he was diagnosed with epilepsy, and visits for regular check-ups and ongoing care. However, Thomas isn’t the only member of his family to have been treated at the hospital – his eight-year-old brother, Benjamin had two operations as a baby, to treat a condition that affected his joints.

Thomas was on holiday with his family when he announced, out of the blue, that he would like to do something to raise money for us and say thank you for everything our doctors and nurses have done and continue to do for him. Thomas’s mum, Jen, asked him how he’d like to raise the money and without skipping a beat, he proposed wearing shorts until Christmas.

Jen was blown away by Thomas’s determined attitude to support the hospital they know so well, and helped him set up a fundraising page and spread the word about his challenge. Jen even shared his fundraiser with Thomas’s school, which allowed him to wear his summer uniform even while his classmates had transitioned back into their trousers for autumn.

Jen said: “I was quite surprised when Thomas came to us with his grand idea but he stuck to his word and didn’t even reach for his trousers when it snowed! We have had regular visits to Birmingham Children’s Hospital between Thomas’s appointments and various trips to the Emergency Department for our typical boys’ bumps and bruises, and Thomas just wanted to give something back.

“We initially set Thomas a fundraising target of £100 because we knew it wasn’t a difficult challenge but all of our friends and family have been so supportive because they know how much the hospital means to our family, so Thomas is over the moon to have raised so much more.”

Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Fundraising comes in all shapes and sizes and Thomas has definitely proven that you don’t always have to run a marathon or take on a skydive to raise money for a cause you care about. We still think he’s brave for wearing his shorts in the snow though!

“Thomas’s incredible fundraising will go towards helping us do more for the 100,000 sick kids our hospital treats every single year.”