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Jacob, superstar fundraiser!

Written by Jessica Bomford, April 19, 2023

When seven-year-old Jacob decided to raise £100 for the Haemophilia Society he had no idea it would snowball into a community event which collected a whopping £1,400.

Jacob, who has severe haemophilia A, signed up to do a sponsored 5.5 mile coastal walk to raise money for our Race Around The World fundraising challenge. When he announced the plans at his school assembly, his teachers and classmates were so impressed that they offered to walk with him. The next thing he knew, his football club wanted in too.

More than 60 people took part in the walk, including Jacob’s headteacher, his football coach, team mates, classmates, friends and members of the Lincolnshire and East Midlands local haemophilia group. Jacob is pictured, above right, with his best friend Joshua.

The walk, along a stretch of the coast near Skegness, was such a spectacle with everyone in their red t-shirts, that they collected more than £500 from well-wishers along the way.

‘Jacob wanted to raise this money to make sure that other children with bleeding disorders would have the chance to go to fun events too.’

Nicola, Jacob’s mum

Jacob’s mum, Nicola, who is an active member of our Lincolnshire and East Midlands group, said: ‘Jacob started off by aiming to raise £100, but he’s such an infectious person that every time he told people about the walk, they decided they wanted to come along to support him.

‘Last year our family went to HaemFest, organised by the Haemophilia Society (THS), and Jacob loved it. He said he wanted to raise this money to make sure that other children with bleeding disorders would have the chance to go to fun events too. I’m very proud of what he’s achieved.’

Jacob Green and his friends on RATW walk

As a special treat for all his hard work, football-mad Jacob is getting his bedroom redecorated with a footie theme, which he is very excited about.

Nicola said: ‘I’ve always made sure Jacob is involved decisions about his treatment and how to manage his haemophilia. He loves sport but also knows that he has to take responsibility for doing it as safely as possible. He benefits a lot from knowing other boys with haemophilia, which wouldn’t be possible without THS. It’s easy to feel isolated with a bleeding disorder, so I’m really grateful for the community that we have found.’

It’s not too late to add to Jacob’s fantastic fundraising. His JustGiving page is here.