A young Manchester United fan has raised thousands for foodbanks after setting off to Old Trafford from Northern Ireland.
10-year-old schoolboy, Ben Dickinson, has smashed his 50,000-meal fundraising target within days of setting off on a charity walk from his hometown in Larne, Northern Ireland to Old Trafford, in aid of food poverty charity FareShare.
The monumental milestone, which equates to £12,500 in donations, was reached just six days into his ten-day ‘Ben’s Miles for Meals’ trek, and it will enable FareShare to tackle hunger in the most vulnerable communities by distributing food packages to charities and foodbanks in Northern Ireland, and across the rest of the UK.
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Ben has already exceeded his original target and that tally is set to increase even further with an online auction live this week, offering the opportunity to purchase signed memorabilia from some of the world’s best players, including some United legends.
The auction will include signed memorabilia from players such as George Best, Wayne Rooney, and David Beckham, and the charity campaign will culminate with a hero’s welcome for Ben at Old Trafford on Saturday as United play Tottenham.
"Now we're getting towards the end of the walk, it's getting a bit tiring," Ben told the Manchester Evening News . "I was inspired by Marcus Rashford. I like him as a player, but not only is he good on the pitch, but he's also a really good person off the pitch.
"I saw what he was doing for FairShare and thought why don't I do something the same! I was delighted to reach my target this week, I couldn't believe it. It's amazing and I just can't believe it's all happening."
Andrew Dickinson, Ben's father, who has been accompanying Ben every step of the way, explained his son's fundraising journey started in lockdown. Ben did a sponsored run, running a mile each day for 26 days and he raised over £7,300 for a children's hospice.
It was secretly arranged for Rashford to meet Ben over Zoom for his efforts and the Northern Ireland youngster was keen to continue raising money for fantastic causes, which inspired him to undertake the ambitious walking challenge to Old Trafford this year.
Proud dad Andrew said: "My wife is getting messages from back home from people that heard him on the radio, saying that his story brought tears to their eyes, for reaching his target so quickly.
"He's learning life lessons that he'll never forget, like when people need help. With the rising cost of living, people choosing between eating and heating, it becomes quite topical what he's doing. As a family, we're very, very proud of him.
"A big thank you to everyone who's already donated. We thought his target was ambitious at the start, we would have been delighted to reach that. We're now going to try to raise 75,000 meals, so he can say it's the equivalent to Old Trafford."
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For more information on how to support Ben’s Miles for Meals and take part in the online auction for a chance to win money-can’t-buy prizes, visit www.bensmilesformeals.com.
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