Leeds schoolboy helps charity that supported his mum and partner

The ten-year-old first decided to make a difference when his mum Leonie Taylor’s partner Darren Taylor suffered a major brain bleed while working away from home in October 2018. Darren - who is now in a rehabilitation centre - initially spent four weeks in Addenbrooks Hospital in Cambridge, where Leonie received support with fuel, accommodation and food costs from Headway-Cambridgeshire.

Michael wanted to give something back, so he started off with a car boot sale before moving on to organising his own stall with a tombola and raffle at the local fun day. He raised £401.80, donating £250 to Headway and the remaining cash to Team Sunshine Sam, which is raising money for a Leeds boy who has cerebral palsy and needs to raise £70,000 for treatment in America.

After hearing about his fundraising, Michael’s fellow pupils and friends in year six at Hawksworth Wood Primary School collected a further £146.72 for Team Sunshine Sam. Michael - who is currently the youngest fundraiser for Headway-Cambridge - has also helped out in the local community by making dog poo bag dispensers to install at the local park to reduce the amount of dog fouling in the area. His hard work recently led to him receiving a McHale award for good citizenship.

Mum Leonie said: “Michael is a young boy with a massive heart and loves to help others. His brother Tommy, stepsister Naomi and stepbrothers Leighton and Mason are so proud of Michael and supported him through his fundraising day, along with Darren. It was a very emotional day. The whole school is also very proud of him and has been very supportive through his fundraising.”