Five-year-old takes up fundraising cycling challenge

A five-year-old boy from Deerness has raised over £1,400 – and counting – for a local charity after starting a cycling challenge earlier this week.

Oskar Thompson has been doing his part to raise money for the Orkney Foodbank during the coronavirus pandemic, having set out to raise £20 by cycling 20 miles in seven days, aiming to cycle around three miles each day.

His Mum and Dad, Sam Thompson and Leila Dearness, created a JustGiving page on Wednesday afternoon and it soon caught the attention of people online as his current total, at time of writing, stands at £1,425.

On the fundraising page it says Oskar is a very busy peedie boy who loves a challenge and recently he’s been asking lots of questions about Covid-19 and how it is affecting his friends, family and community.

Oskar said: “I was disappointed when my Mum told me that I couldn’t make medicine to make people feel better from the Coronavirus, so she told me there were other ways I could help people.”

“I chose the food bank to help when my Mum told me there’s people in Orkney who don’t have money for food.”

Asked if he thought his challenge will be tough, he said: “Yes but I love cycling on my bike.”

Sam said Oskar will be cycling down to nearby Newark beach, which is near their house and on some other roads in Deerness.

Leila also said he was inspired by his Dad’s efforts. She added: “Oskar chose a sponsored cycle because his Dad undertook a similar challenge a few years ago. He’s delighted his total surpassed his Dad’s after less than 24 hours.”

Asked if he had a message for people reading, Oskar said: “Please donate some even if it’s a little bit and thank you to everyone who’s given donations already.”

Leila said: “We’re very proud of Oskar, he’s done this all of his own accord. He set the target and the total and he’s delighted to have a challenge.”

Oskar’s fundraising page can be found here.