Teenager from Kempston thanked for boosting firefighters' charity

Cameron Moore, 13, raised almost £500 for The Firefighters Charity last year, bringing his total donated so far to around £2,000 through a number of activities.

He was presented with a certificate for his efforts at Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Headquarters by chief fire officer Paul Fuller and service operational commander Andy Peckham.

Cameron raised £500 last year after he organised The Flame Run, a virtual race that anyone could take part in, running 5K, 10K or 20k over a period time or in one go. 95 people took part in The Flame Run and posted updates on their progress to his Facebook page.

Cameron created a QR code which took entrants to an application form which then linked to a spreadsheet where all of the entrants were recorded. He sent out medals to all the participants which he sourced and designed himself.

Cameron said: “From a young age I have admired the work the fire service does. My nan has been a firefighter for 28 years and my mum is a home safety adviser. I decided in 2014 that I was going to fundraise for the Fire Fighters Charity as they provide life changing support for the fire service community and I have been coming up with different fundraising ideas since then.”

Mr Peckham said: “Cameron is a real inspiration. He has family ties to the Fire and Rescue Service, however his commitment toward fundraising for our charity is his own choice and we are most grateful to him for it. So far he has raised around £2,000 through a variety of activities from running a stall to taking part in a Tough Mudder run to climbing a mountain, and he’s now planning his next event - kayaking 75 miles!”

Laura Harden, regional fundraising officer from The Firefighters Charity, said: “All at The Fire Fighters Charity are hugely grateful for Cameron’s support over the last couple of years. Cameron has raised in total just enough to pay for a firefighter from Bedfordshire to attend a week’s rehabilitation at one of our charity’s centres should they need to. Cameron really is an inspiration and a great example to others of how you can use your spare time to better yours and other people’s lives. Cameron has needed very little support in raising the funds, with all the drive and energy coming from him. We’re in awe of the Virtual Run he organised last year and that he managed to get so many people to take part and raise funds for our charity. Thanks so much Cameron, you truly deserve this certificate in recognition of your effort and hard work.”

Anyone who would like to raise funds for The Fire Fighters Charity can join the #My75Mile campaign at https://www.firefighterscharity.org.uk/my75miles-challenge-launched/