Ollie Barlow, 11, from Pitton, has completed an epic 500km challenge to raise money for the Lewy Body Society.
Ollie’s Grandad, Nick Ludlow, suffers from the condition and this was the inspiration behind Ollie setting himself a challenge at the start of 2024 to walk, run and cycle a total of 500km before the end of the year.
There is no cure for Lewy Body, but Ollie hoped that by fundraising for the charity, he could make more people aware of the condition and help raise money for research into it.
The Lewy Body Society was founded in 2006 to support research into Lewy body dementia and to raise awareness of the disease. They aim to educate the public, the medical professions and those in decision-making positions about the disease, which unfortunately is still not well known.
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At the start of the year, Ollie said: “I think I can do the distance, but it’s going to be a challenge to do it consistently all year as I will need to be completing almost 10km every week for the whole of 2024.”
Now as the year has come to a close Ollie is reflecting on his amazing achievement, he said: “I am very happy that I managed to complete the 500km and raise so much money.
“I found the winter season the hardest and trying to fit in my runs before or after school in the dark.”
Ollie Barlow (Image: Dave Barlow) He goes to Bishop Wordsworth School and has also been playing football and rugby throughout the year on top of his mighty challenge.
Ollie’s mum, Laura Barlow, and dad, Dave Barlow, have been supporting him along the way and mum Laura said: “We are hugely proud of him for completely driving the challenge himself.
“He would always be the one getting his wellies on in the cold and dark and trudging on. It has been good for him physically and mentally but also it’s been amazing to see him take action for his grandad.”
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At the start of the year, Ollie set a target to raise £500 for the Lewy Body Society but as of Thursday, January 2, he has raised an incredible £1,335.
Laura said: “It’s a really cruel and incurable disease with hardly any awareness and not much research. We want to see more support for people with this disease and their families.”
Ollie finished his final kilometres on Tuesday, December 31 and he completed the last 100 metres or so with his grandad by his side. His grandad was delighted that Ollie had started all of this for him.
You can still donate to this amazing young man’s challenge and help raise money for the Lewy Body Society by clicking HERE.