Lennie and Tobias go all-out to help 'wonderful' Sheffield school find £3.5m new building

Now the families of eight-year-old pianist Lennie Street and nine-year-old ‘Captain’ Tobias Weller have spoken of how much the “wonderful” school they have raised a combined £70,000 for means to them.

Paces, a special school in Sheffield, is currently raising £3.5m to build a new school to replace the run-down building it currently uses. And two of its inspirational pupils have taken it upon themselves to help the school reach its target - with both amassing Facebook fans and Twitter followers in their hundreds as their efforts capture the hearts of the public.

Inspired by Captain Tom Moore, Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, hit national headlines when he challenged himself to walk the distance of a marathon. He is now on his second major challenge, his ‘Tobiathlon’, using a race runner, a custom-built trike without pedals, to run a marathon and add to the more than £132,000 he has already raised, which will be split between Paces and Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.

Tobias’s mother, Ruth Garbutt, from Sheffield, said: “It’s been hard for him to get used to the trike, but it has allowed him to run for the first time in his life. Originally he only wanted to walk 1km but he has been so stimulated by the attention he’s been getting. Once he finished the challenge it felt natural to do something else.”

Tobias has attended Paces, a specialist centre, school and charity which supports children and adults with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and brain injury, since the age of three.

“It has made an absolutely enormous difference to us as a family,” Ms Garbutt, 51, said. “It’s not just a physical difference, it’s the ‘can do and crack on’ attitude. The current accommodation is woefully inadequate and they deserve a new building that suits all their needs.”

Paces is currently supporting 78 families but demand for its service continues to grow. Over the last three years it has had to turn away almost 100 families who wish to access the school but this could change with the new building, which will be at the Advanced Manufacturing Park, just off the Sheffield Parkway

It will offer a 64-place school, 12-place adult day centre, a session programme supporting more than 100 adults a week, a state of the art hydrotherapy pool and overnight assisted living facility for 20 people.

For Lennie’s mother, Sally Street, 46, of Morley, Leeds, the chance to help even more children was part of the reason the family wanted to support the new build project.

She said: “We are so grateful that we’ve had access to a place like Paces. It’s like nothing else - there’s no limits and each child is pushed to reach their potential.”

Lennie has raised more than £9,000 by performing songs from Justin Bieber to the Beatles on his piano - attracting a host of celebrity fans, including Chris Kamara and Johnny Vegas.

Ms Street said: “For most things in life, Lennie needs support - music is the one thing that’s all about him. The support he’s been getting during his challenge has been wonderful for his self-esteem and confidence, and we’re hoping to continue fundraising, specifically for the new school’s accessible music room.”

The staff at Paces cannot speak highly enough of the “simply magnificent efforts” of Tobias and Lennie.

Chief executive Dr Spencer Pitfield said: “They are an inspiration to everyone here at Paces School and Charity, and indeed to many thousands of people across the whole of Yorkshire. Tobias and Lennie are simply incredible role models for other children facing significant challenges and I cannot begin to express how personally proud I am of them both.”

Paces has been supported by a range of businesses, including Westfield Health, Irwin Mitchell, Sheffield United and Switalskis Solicitors, but has some way to reach its goal. To help, visit www.pacessheffield.org.