Ten-year-old superhero Ted smashes foodbank fundraising target just halfway through epic walk

Ten-year-old charity superhero Ted Reader has smashed the target for his latest fundraiser – with half of a 150-mile trek still to go.

Ted, from Page Moss, has collected more than a £100 over his original £1,000 target for the North Liverpool Foodbank Network.

Now dad Simon says he’s hoping to double his goal as the pair continue their walk along the Wales Coast Path.

He said:

“It would be nice to double it and raise £2,000, Ted got to just over that last time – and that was matched by the company his aunt then worked for! – but we will have to see what happens in the second half.

“We need to keep pushing and trying to get the message out there and let people know what we’re doing.

“But, yes, £2,000 would be amazing.”

This is the third walk Ted has tackled for St Andrew’s Community Network which co-ordinates the foodbank network.

Over the last few years, inspired by the incredible efforts of the late former rugby player Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield, he’s undertaken a variety of tough tasks including a 15-mile walk through the city in 2024 and, in 2023, a journey around all the foodbank centres that make up the North Liverpool Foodbank Network.

So far the Runnymede St Edward’s Primary schoolboy has raised a total of almost £6,500 … and he’s still counting.

Ted says:

“I want to do my bit to make sure the Network can keep helping families who need it most.

“This will be my third time walking, and I want to carry on doing something that will make people’s lives better. 

“No one should have to go hungry, so I’m walking to help.”

Simon is a former social housing worker who now works for the breast care screening units at Broadgreen and the Royal Liverpool University Hospitals, and mum Rachel is an activities co-ordinator in a care home.

Ted has older siblings, George, 28; Ivy, 25, and Carys, 22, one of whom – George – works for the Whitechapel Centre doing outreach work for the homeless.

Simon says:

“Ted is mature for his age, and he’s learned about the different situations that bring people to foodbanks as he’s grown up.

“I guess it’s the environment we’re all in – and he wants to get involved and do stuff because he realises the need isn’t going away.”

When he’s not in school or playing football, Ted will usually be helping out at the foodbank centre in Old Swan with his parents.

And now, with support from Simon who walks with him, Ted’s taking his walking efforts to the next level with this latest hike crossing the border into Wales and along the coast.

They started their journey in January, powering through high winds, torrential rains, and freezing temperatures in the first of a series of walks as they travelled from Chester through to the halfway point in Bangor. 

Having completed five walks and 84 miles so far, the intrepid father and son are into the second half of their journey, with five more walks and 66 miles to go.

With those, they’ll be heading towards the tip of the Llyn Peninsula for their penultimate walk, before repeating one of their favourite 10-mile stretches from Conwy to Llandudno to cross the finish line at the Great Orme during the second Bank Holiday weekend in May.

Simon says:

“Ted has a genuine desire to help and we’re immensely proud of what he does. He doesn’t think twice about it, he just says ‘let’s go’.

“We’ve had good weather for the last two walks so let’s hope that continues for the next two so we can see a bit of the beautiful scenery.”

Charlotte Moorcroft, development lead at St Andrew’s Community Network, says:

“We can’t thank Ted and his family enough for their incredible fundraising efforts. 

“This is his third big fundraising challenge completed in aid of us, and every year we are blown away by Ted’s commitment to helping those in need and the support received. 

“We rely on the generosity of the public to support our life-changing work, and it is people like Ted and everyone donating who make it possible for us to continue this work. Everyone at the Network is beyond grateful for Ted and everything he does to raise essential funds and awareness for what we do.”

Follow Ted’s journey and donate to him here.

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