A local father and son team have walked 100 miles to raise vital funds for Teddington based disability charity Ruils, which provides support services for local families with disabled children.

Alex Hardy and son Alfie, 13, who is severely autistic, completed the walk over 20 days to raise money for the charity's Sitting and Befriending service for disabled young people.

The service enables disabled young people to get out and about and enjoy activities of their choice, with someone outside of the family.

The duo are hoping to reach a fundraising target of £1000 and can be sponsored by clicking HERE

Alex Hardy, who runs the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) advice service at Ruils said: "I am so proud of Alfie for participating in this event, and overcoming the challenges created by the current situation.

"Social distancing can be difficult for a child with autism so we split the walk into manageable chunks and walked at times when it was safe to do so. The Sitting and Befriending service at Ruils is so important to us as a family.

"Our befriender helps Alfie to access social activities in the community and gives him independence – we would be lost without it."

Ruils supports children and adults with disabilities and the elderly to live independently by providing information, advice, befriending and activities to our clients and their families.

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Cathy Maker, CEO of Ruils added: "This fantastic accessible challenge has enabled people who use our services to participate and help raise the funds we need to keep it running.

"There are so many families in and around the borough who have children with additional needs and rely on the information and support that Ruils provides.

"Our goal is to help them to get the support they need, at home, school & in the community, to participate fully & reach their potential."

The service, which was originally funded by the local council, sadly had its funding cut in 2015, and has had the challenge of raising £30k a year ever since in order to keep it running.

Due to coronavirus pandemic social distancing rules, the service is sadly on hold, however the charity is committed to fundraising to ensure it will open again with a flourish when possible.

The challenge formed part of the 'At Home Superheroes' challenge, organised by the Superhero Series, the UK's only mass-participation sports series dedicated to disabled people.

The duo was joined by a number of other fundraisers, including 22-year-old Sophie, who walked 22 miles in 22 days to celebrate turning 22. Sophie, who has Down's Syndrome completed the challenge during her break from college.

Sophie can be sponsored by clicking HERE

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