A 10-year-old Gwynedd boy has raised over £800 for the Dementia UK charity by taking up a challenge to walk 1 kilometre everyday throughout February.

Harry Sumner from Llanfair has always enjoyed helping people. In December 2023, he was inspired by his scout cubs group to raise money for charity. 

When Harry and his mum heard a family member had been diagnosed with dementia, Harry knew he wanted to raise money for Dementia UK.

The charity organised the Walk 1k a Day in February challenge, which tasked people with walking 1 kilometre everyday that month.  

Harry’s mum Laura Roberts said: “Harry has always been thoughtful and has always enjoyed helping people. He has been inspired by his cubs group to help people. “Before the challenge started on 1 February he planned some routes and went on a few test walks around the village. Once the challenge started, he was out walking in all weathers through torrential rain, winds and ice.

“He set his own alarm for 6am to go before school and even walked through a painful toe injury. Harry enjoyed every walk, even the ones where he got soaked through from rain, but a highlight was walking up one of the steepest streets in the world, Ffordd Pen Llech. The most difficult aspect of the challenge was fitting the walks around school, work and other commitments such as after school clubs.”

Harry wanted to end the challenge on a high, the highest peak in Wales in fact. He wanted to walk up Snowdon, but was encouraged to try it in the next couple of months, as the conditions weren’t “favourable” according to Laura. He looks forward to reaching the top in the next couple of months.

Harry’s family are ‘immensely proud’ of his achievement, and the amount of money raised. 

He set a target of £400, but he has raised more than double that, having raised £879 in total.

Laura said: “The whole family are immensely proud of Harry for completing the challenge, and raising so much money for a very worthy cause that is so close to our hearts.

“Harry says he feels great to have helped people with dementia and to have raised lots of money and says it was good to be out in the fresh air every day and it was a good thing to do.”

If you would like to donate towards Harry’s fundraiser, visit https://shorturl.at/lpvKM