Five-year-old Fraser gets on his bike for hospice charity

Fraser, who goes to Lyndhurst Infant School, will be spending the rest of the day cycling laps of the lake at Brooklands Park, raising money for the hospice that cared for his beloved Nanny, Linda. Remarkably, Fraser’s fundraising now stands at £700 after his family initially set a target of £100. He has had lots of support from the community, including King Pizza in Salvington Road where customers have donated their change.

Linda Pritchard, who lived in central Worthing, was very close to all four of her grandchildren: “She was your typical nanny, buying them treats and sweets,” says Fraser’s mum, Claire. “She would do anything for all her grandchildren.”

Linda sadly died in October after a short illness, which came as a shock to all the family – her death came only four weeks after a diagnosis of bone cancer. “Fraser was absolutely heartbroken,” says his mum, Claire Holden. “We didn't expect him to understand as well as he did. Soon afterwards, he said: “Mummy, I want to do something for the people that looked after Nanny.”

Fraser came up with the idea of cycling in Brooklands Park – and he chose Easter Sunday because he’d have lots of energy from all the chocolate he’s planning to eat that day. “It’s quite funny, because we’ll obviously be cycling with him,” says Claire. “Winter, Fraser’s dad, suggested that we all wear St Barnabas t-shirts and Fraser said ‘No! It’s MY sponsored cycle!’ Having something to work towards has helped him to process his grief. Sometimes he looks up and asks if we think Nanny would be proud.”

The money Fraser has raised has so far surpassed their expectations that Fraser struggles to understand how much he has raised. “We’ve tried to explain it by reminding him of the electric bed that Linda had at home,” says Claire. “When he first visited Linda, she really wasn’t doing very well, and he was a bit afraid. But when we went round a few days later, he was sitting with her in the lounge when we heard them howling with laughter. They were having the best fun with that electric bed. We’ve told him that the money he has raised might buy a bed for St Barnabas – and maybe another grandson can spend time with his Nanny there.”

If you’d like to support Fraser with his fundraising, the family has invited people to join them at Brooklands from 12.30 on 31 March. You can also donate here.