The Walk
"Dont let anyone tell you, you cant do something"- David Lofthouse
On the 27th of May 2021, David Lofthouse embarked on his challenge to walk 5km with Cerebral Palsy. Having planned it for 2 years, David remarkably finished in 9 hours and 59 minutes, in an extremely emotional and inspirational finish, in front of the whole school!
David who was born with Cerebral Palsy, 2 years ago decided that he wanted to take part in the Kingsleys with the rest of the school. Having originally meant to take place last year, he and a group of 5th form Picton turned this challenge into a fundraiser. Sparking the creation of the Cerebral Palsy Trust, this group wanted to help raise funds for a child or two, to have Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery, the same kind David had when he was younger. This drastically improves the mobility for those with Cerebral Palsy and allowed David to walk short distances with crutches. However, this surgery can cost upwards of £70,000 and for the average child, is simply unattainable. With the original walk cancelled due to COVID, the Cerebral Palsy Trust has worked hard to share their message and David’s inspirational story, with their figure before the walk standing at around £60,000.
Starting at 11:15 on Thursday the 27th of May, David smashed the first 2 hours, reaching the golf course just after 15:00! The next 3 hours were the hardest for David, with the never-ending stretch leading up to Killer Hill proving not only a physical but mental hurdle for David to climb. David however continued to slowly grind away at the gruelling course and climbed Killer Hill in his fastest time. Leading up to the lake, David’s entourage grew, and he picked up the pace. Climbing through Swan Lake in front of the whole school gave everyone witnessing this marvel goosebumps!
The greatest moment of the day came at the end.
David walked the last 5 metres completely unaided without crutches. As the whole school fell silent and David crossed the finish line, he proved that there are no boundaries that surround disability, and if you put your mind to something, you can achieve anything, even when the odds are stacked against you!
In total, himself and the CPT team raised an amazing £145,000, with this figure still climbing today!
As David sums his challenge up, “Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do something
