Summit to brag about: Jack, 8, climbs Snowdon (From Bournemouth Echo)

Summit to brag about: Jack, 8, climbs Snowdon

9:00am Sunday 24th June 2012 in News By Caitlin Marsh

AN EIGHT-year-old schoolboy has climbed Mount Snowdon to raise money for a cancer charity.

Jack Channon joined his dad Mark, 40, to take on the seven-mile walk after a friend of his mum lost her battle with cancer.

The Ringwood Junior School pupil has raised more £370 towards his £500 target, and is hoping that the donations will keep coming in, so he can help more people.

His proud dad, Mark, said: “Jack came up with the idea all by himself, and as I’ve done the climb a few times already, I think he wanted to copy me.”

He added: “He met this friend of his mum’s and said ‘I really want to do this, but I want to do it for charity’. You just don’t expect an eight-year-old to say that.

“We only organised it about 5-6 weeks ago, as we wanted to try and get the best weather conditions, but Saturday June 9 wasn’t very good.

“We planned to go somewhere and do some training sessions, but with the best will in the world, that didn’t happen and so it was sort of throwing him in at the deep end.

“However, he swims for around five hours a week with Swim Bournemouth swimming team, so I knew from a stamina point of view, he had the level of fitness to do it.”

Mark added: “Jack was just wonderful about it. He just trooped on.

“That was my fourth time climbing Mount Snowdon and I’m a bit mad with these kind of things. I really enjoy it, so I think he sees his dad do it and he wants to do the same.

For more information, go to: Justgiving.com/Jack-Channon