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6-year-old Calum Hartgrove, from Harleston, is well on his way with his mission to help the homeless during these colder months.

Calum aims to complete 100 laps of the BMX track at the Harleston rec. He cycles there most days after school.

After his first encounter of a homeless person earlier this year in Norwich, Calum had lots of questions. “We had just seen a movie at the cinema and were on our way to McDonald’s for tea when we passed a homeless man sitting within an archway on a side street. When we had ordered our food, Calum was asking lots of questions, and I felt the time was right to share an insight into those less fortunate,” explains his mum, Lisa.

“We spoke about not having a home to go to, some of the reasons why, lack of money for food, the struggle to keep warm and how cardboard is used for bedding. With that, Calum decided to buy a burger meal and hot chocolate to take back to the homeless man we passed earlier.”

After looking on Facebook to find out about local groups who help the homeless in Norwich, Lisa stumbled upon the People’s Picnic. She discovered information about how to help with food, clothing and other essentials, such as sleeping bags. Lisa explains, “I found this really comforting to know that I could literally help straight away. I knew exactly what the money was going on and could purchase items, knowing they will be sent directly to those who need them most.”

This is Calum’s first charity fundraising effort. He is almost at his £700 target. Calum has always been a massive fan of bikes, so incorporating this was an obvious choice for him. Mum, Lisa, also believes that she can use this simple strategy for raising money to teach a valuable lesson to Calum and other children, “Anything you do, big or small, will make a difference!”

If you’d like to support Calum’s fantastic fundraising, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/help-4-the-homeless

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