Henry, a two-year-old deaf child from Wrexham conquering Britain’s toughest sports
Henry Freeman, 2, from Wrexham in North Wales this week began a fundraising campaign to raise thousands of pounds for deaf children across the UK.
Henry, who is deaf himself, will take on a new challenge every day to raise money to give other deaf children the support they need when they are growing up.
From attempting an egg and spoon race, throwing beanbags in a bucket, seeing how many tries he can score in rugby and taking on a sack race, to driving his toy car around the garden – the two-year-old fundraiser will be taking on some of the UK’s most notoriously difficult sports in aid of charity, all while dressed as superman.
All the sports will be filmed in the garden by parents Adam and Kayleigh, and they hope to raise thousands of pounds for the National Deaf Children’s Society. The Access Group a leading provider of business software to mid-sized UK organisations, has already agreed to support Henry’s challenge as part of their Charity of the Year initiative with the National Deaf Children’s Society. Access employees have taken Henry’s challenge to heart and are excited to join the public campaign to support him on his journey to conquer as many different sports as he can.
Speaking about why Henry took on this challenge, his dad, Adam Freeman, said: “This is the start of Henry’s legacy and him giving back and setting an example to other deaf children and adults everywhere. Henry is a very sociable little boy and lockdown has been hard for him, so this gave him something to be excited about. Henry is really looking forward to completing his challenges and especially loves his new outfit.”
Henry’s mum, Kayleigh Simms, said: “Raising money to support the National Deaf Children’s Society means so much to us. They met us at our lowest and have seen us through some tough times. Especially now with everything that is going on, they need your support more than ever. Just knowing that when things get hard the National Deaf Children’s Society is on the end of the line is a huge comfort to us and we completely support all the amazing work they do for children all over the UK and abroad.”
Speaking about their own journey as parents of a newly-diagnosed deaf child, mum Kayleigh added: “The current situation is hard enough and especially with lockdown you can feel so isolated. I know how hard it will be for parents of newly-diagnosed deaf children at this time, but remember you’re not alone.
“I think back to when Henry was first diagnosed and how frightened and sad I felt, but believe me it will all be ok. Your little one will amaze you with their strength and determination and you will look back like I often do and think why was I so worried? I’m not saying it will be easy and we still have bumps in the road, but the good days completely outweigh the bad.”
Susan Daniels OBE, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “Henry is an absolutely star – and we’re all absolutely thrilled to have his support, his dedication and his sporting prowess!”
“By raising money for us, he is a great role model and is helping us to break down the barriers that so many deaf children face, and make sure the UK’s 50,000 deaf children get the start in life they deserve. With the incredible generosity of supporters like Henry, we can continue to be a hand to hold for families all across the country, and a place to turn to when life becomes tough.”
Chris Bayne, CEO of The Access Group, who are supporting Henry’s challenge this week and throughout the coming year, said: “I am incredibly proud of our commitment to The National Deaf Children’s society and having seen the effort made by everyone at Access in previous years to raise funds and awareness for our chosen charity I’m sure this year will be even bigger. The fact there is such a personal connection within our Access family to Henry and his family will only strengthen our determination to raise as much as we possibly can.”
The National Deaf Children’s Society
- The National Deaf Children’s Society is the leading charity dedicated to creating a world without barriers for deaf children and their families.
- The National Deaf Children’s Society helps deaf children and young people thrive by providing impartial, practical and emotional support to them and their families, and by challenging governments and society to meet their needs.
- For more information visit www.ndcs.org.uk. For further support, parents can contact the National Deaf Children’s Society Freephone Helpline on 0808 800 8880 (voice and text), email [email protected], or chat online at www.ndcs.org.uk/livechat.
