A TIRELESS Pershore teenager has been honoured for his efforts in raising cash for the Blue Cross with a major award from the charity.
Ben Atkin, a 16-year-old animal lover who volunteers in the town’s Blue Cross shop, was awarded ‘Blue Cross Ambassador of the Year’ at a reception to mark his outstanding efforts with both helping in the local Blue Cross shop and his ambitious fund-raising activities.
In 2017, Ben sacrificed a chunk of his summer school holidays to do a gruelling eight-day challenge to raise funds for the charity. He hiked more than 200 miles across the breadth of Scotland, the equivalent of a marathon a day.
Accompanied by his father, Ian, Ben aimed to raise £400 but ended up receiving more than £1,900 in support.
Last year Ben set out on a new challenge – to climb the oldest extinct volcano in East Africa. Mount Elgon is on the Uganda Kenyan border and stands at more than 14,000ft high. He achieved this despite only having his appendix removed the month before. Again, he exceeded his target of £500 and raised over £1,100.
In August, the tireless teen will attempt to run the 135km along Hadrian’s Wall and cover a staggering 30km a day in a bid to wrap up another charity challenge in just four days.
Liz Martin, assistant manager at the Blue Cross Pershore Shop said: “Ben truly deserves to be the Blue Cross Ambassador of the Year and we couldn’t be more proud of him.
“He is a dedicated and enthusiastic volunteer in the shop, always willing to help out and a valued member of the team. We hope animal lovers get behind him and show their support by donating to this brave new challenge.”
Ben has volunteered with Blue Cross since he was 14-years-old. He helps in the Pershore shop by sorting out donated stock, filling shelves and checking DVDs and computer games for damage before they go on sale.
He also steps in to wear heavy pet mascot costumes on shop open days.
The youngster picked up a further award on Tuesday (June 25) when he was named Young Volunteer of the Year at the Charity Retail Association awards.
Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ben-atkin3 to support Ben’s 2019 challenge.
