Carlisle friends taking on Hadrian’s Wall hike to help seven-year-old with cerebral palsy

A Carlisle dad and his childhood friend are aiming to walk Hadrian’s Wall to raise funds to help his son Harry, who has cerebral palsy, achieve his dreams.

Harry Calvert, aged 7, wears splints on his right arm and right leg and finds it increasingly frustrating as he gets older. His family want to send him for intensive Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy to help improve his movement and mobility as soon as possible.

Dad Simon Calvert, 40, who works at Aldi, is hoping to complete the walk in around five days with his friend since childhood Ashley Mahoney, 40, a barber.

Simon said: ‘Harry can’t use his right hand at all and just wants to be able to do things that other people take for granted.

‘He loves computer games but can’t operate them properly, we don’t even really know if he’s right or left-handed as he can’t use that hand at all.

‘His ultimate aims are to drive a rainbow Ferrari and play football at the Paris St Germain stadium, but he’d dearly love to simply be able to use his limbs in the same way as his friends first.’

The family is being supported by children’s charity Tree of Hope, which helps families raise money for children and young people like Harry for medical treatments and healthcare services not freely available to them through the NHS and social care. The charity provides fundraising guidance, campaign development, financial management, charity registration and emotional support from the Family Support team. Families like Harry’s benefit from gift aid, corporate support while also providing donor reassurance.

To learn more about Harry or to donate to the ‘Give Harry a Helping Hand’ fund, visit https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/get-involved/childrens-campaigns/giving-harry-a-helping-hand/ or sponsor Simon and Ash's walk here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/simon-calvert-2