Walter helps care home in tribute to great-grandad
EIGHT-YEAR-OLD TAKES ON RUNNING CHALLENGE TO RAISE MONEY
A YOUNG boy who could not say goodbye to his beloved great-grandad after he died during the Covid19 lockdown has begun raising money for the Hull care home where he lived.
Bill King, 88, passed away on April 25 at Saltshouse Haven care home, in Saltshouse Road, east Hull.
It is not clear whether coronavirus played a part in his death, but he had lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a progressive condition that affects a person’s ability to breathe.
Because of the lockdown restrictions in place at the time, much of his family, including his eight-yearold great-grandson Walter-james Calvert, had to watch his funeral via a video link.
Now Walter has decided to do his own July challenge to raise money for his great-grandad’s care home by running a total of 50 miles over the course of the month.
“He’s very determined,” his mum Colleen, 37, said.
“Me and his dad are really proud of him especially because of why he wants to raise the money.
“He wants to raise it in memory of his great-grandad and I know he would have been really proud of him too.”
Colleen lived in Hull until she was 17, but moved to Watford as she and husband Jon both worked for the military, in the Navy and the RAF respectively.
But much of Colleen’s family still lives in Hull and she said her son enjoyed a special relationship with her grandad. They still travel up to Hull regularly and were last here at Christmas time.
“Walter had a really good relationship with his great-grandad. They both loved football and would chat for hours on Facetime or when we came to visit,” she said.
“He’s never experienced death before, it’s his first time so it’s hit him quite hard - more so because we couldn’t go. He just wanted to go and see his grandma and grandad after it happened.
“For me and my husband, both having a military background, we’re used to being away, but this was different, we were so close but felt so far away.”
But Walter is determined to complete his challenge in memory of his great-grandad and has managed to raise £150 so far through a Justgiving page.
After running 3.72 miles on Sunday, he had already completed 12 miles of the challenge.
Colleen said she was especially pleased that he was raising money for Saltshouse Haven.
“Care homes were hit hard by the pandemic,” she said.
“They were like these forgotten heroes. They didn’t get the recognition they deserved, and what they did for him in that care home was above and beyond.
“They were more like friends to him and he loved them all in there. They were brilliant with him.”
She said they were looking forward to “giving something back” as a family to try to improve the lives of people living and working at the care home.
Anyone who wants to support Walter’s challenge can donate to his Justgiving page at www.justgiving. com/crowdfunding/colleen-calvert