16-year-old receives Achievement Award for incredible charity fundraising!

At just 16 years old JonJo Heuerman has already raised over £300,000 for charity. Since sadly losing his Grandmother to bowel cancer in 2009, JonJo has been dedicated to fundraising for the Bobby Moore Fund in her memory. He has recently been recognised for his efforts with a Jack Petchey Foundation Achievement Award!

JonJo knew he wanted to do something to raise money in his Grandmother’s memory so he decided to fundraise for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. JonJo chose this charity as he is a big West Ham United fan and specifically a big fan of Bobby Moore, who he knew had also passed away from the same disease.

To reach this incredible target JonJo has completed many fantastic (and at times a little extreme) challenges. For his first challenge, at the young age of 9, he completed a walk from Wembley Stadium to the Champions Statue outside West Ham United’s stadium. And since then the challenges have got bigger and bigger. He has dribbled a football from Southend United to the centre circle of West Ham United, cycled and walked between all of the UK’s Premier League stadiums and in 2016 he completed a 450-mile challenge to celebrate 50 years since England won the world cup!

For each event he wears a shirt with the names of ‘angels’ printed on it. People from all over the world send in names of the ‘angels’ they have lost to cancer. Each year JonJo holds an angel ceremony where he reads out all of the names in front of a large audience.

JonJo recently received an Achievement Award from the Jack Petchey Foundation to recognise his amazing efforts. This is not the first time his work has been celebrated. In 2016 JonJo was the youngest recipient of an award in the New Year’s Honours List. He, coincidentally, received his award in the same year Sir Jack Petchey CBE was knighted. JonJo received the British Empire Medal for his contributions to charity.

He has also been awarded with a Points of Light Award, British Citizens Award and is one of only 20 worldwide recipients of the Diana Legacy award. JonJo’s fundraising as had a huge impact and his challenges only get more impressive each year.

As well as making a difference through fundraising, JonJo also delivers speeches at football stadiums in front of huge crowds. He spreads the word of his charity efforts by holding talks in schools and youth clubs, to encourage other young people to get involved in fundraising and do something to help make a difference.