Meet the 96 year-old walking half-a-mile every day to raise money for Save the Children

“I live alone but fundraising has given me a purpose to get up and out every day” - 96 year old Terry Holt from Gately, Greater Manchester
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Terry Holt has walked up to half-a-mile every day since 23rd March in a bid to raise at least £1,000 for Save the Children’s coronavirus appeal – not bad going for a 96-year-old.

Terry, who has been a volunteer for Save the Children’s Cheadle and Gatley Volunteering Branch for more than 61 years, wanted to do something to keep herself motivated.

“I live on my own and my family are not nearby, so in the beginning I was struggling and feeling lonely,” said Terry.

“Coronavirus is keeping us all stuck indoors but, being 96 and walking with a walker, I wanted to keep mobile. I accepted middle age when I got to 90 so I’m still only middle aged now and if I stop moving, I feel like I might get old. Each day I do a daily walk and I’m using this as an opportunity to continue fundraising.

 “Some days I did feel like giving up,” added Terry, who has been living alone in lockdown for 69 days. “It really is difficult not seeing anyone and it has really got me down. But I have been volunteering since the age of 20 and helping others helps me to stay positive and keep going.

“I had an early experience of how conflict can damage children’s lives, during the Second World War. I was in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and was posted to the Middle East. There I became a pay clerk for a company of locally enlisted Jewish girls who were mainly from Palestine. Through them I heard first-hand about their experience of escaping from fascist regimes. This was my first experience of hearing about the fate of children growing up in war-torn areas and it is a passion I have carried through the rest of my life.”

Save the Children volunteer manager Deborah Forster said: “Terry’s tenacity is inspiring and shows exactly why we want to say such a huge thank you to her and all of our volunteers and fundraisers.

“Even before the coronavirus outbreak, four million children lived in poverty in the UK and we can’t let this number rise.  The money Terry has raised will go to our emergency coronavirus appeal, helping children survive and thrive both here in the UK and around the world. It’s acts of generosity, like Terry’s, that make this all possible”.

Terry’s JustGiving page is open until October.

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