AN ENERGETIC seven-year-old from Warwick has raised over £1,000 for a life-saving charity after he completed his first ever junior triathlon.
Nathan Edmunds raised £1,025 by completing a 25m swim, a 1k cycle and a 500m run at the Henley-on-Thames Triathlon in July after he was inspired by the work of Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) which often flies over the family home.
In preparation for his formidable challenge, the youngster trained hard every day and even battled through the pain after he had fallen off his off his bike and sustained a nasty bruise to his leg while training.
On the day of the triathlon, Nathan’s hard work and determination paid off. He placed fifth out of 77 junior contestants and third out of all seven-year-olds.
Nathan has also signed up to become a member of WNAA’s Children’s Air Ambulance fund-raising club, #TheCrew, and is already planning his next event.
“Nathan loves the air ambulance and always runs out to the garden to try and spot it when he hears it flying overhead,” explained Mum Nikki.
“He chose which charity he wanted the money to go to, as he believes it to be a fantastic charity that saves so many lives across our county. When he is older, Nathan says he wants to work on a rescue helicopter”.
WNAA fundraising executive Lee Bunting thanked Nathan for his efforts.
He said: “For Nathan to have done so well in his first junior triathlon is just brilliant. We also had the pleasure of taking him to our base to present the money and show him just want his fund-raising will go towards.
“We are so very, very grateful that Nathan chose to support us and I look forward to working with him and his family again when he does his next one”.
The charity receives no funding from the government or National Lottery and relies entirely on donations to raise the £1,700 we need for each rescue mission.
Visit www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk to find out more about WNAA.
