WHEN the Journal kicked off the South Wiltshire Hero Awards little did we expect a young footballer to be among the first of the heroes to be nominated.
But 13-year-old Alfie Pawlak-Walsh from Amesbury used his skills in keeping a ball in the air to raise £1,250 for the NHS.
His mum Amy Ireland explained lockdown had been tough for the youngster.
MORE - Nominate your pandemic heroes
She said: “Alfie usually plays football six days a week and is very sociable and rarely at home, so it has been a really hard time for him."
As many of us have found though, the power of the internet and social media can keep people connected even when they are apart.
Amy added: “We set up an Instagram account so he could share his lockdown football journey with other children in a similar situation and it went crazy really quickly.
“He helped to motivate so many other children in the same situation and eventually decided to use his love for football to raise some money for the NHS."
Alfie didn't stop there, though, and set himself a tough challenge for his fundraising efforts.
Amy said: “At the start of lockdown, Alfie could complete around 250 football keep ups.
"He decided that he was going to raise money for the NHS by challenging himself to practice until he could do 1,000 without dropping the ball!"
Not only did Alfie beat his tricky target - but he smashed it, live on Instagram.
His mum beamed: “He managed an incredible 3,712 live on Instagram, and absolutely smashed his goal!
“He is inspiring, hard working and most of all charitable.”
Alfie’s improved skills have also paid off for him as he has been selected to represent England in a Futsal tournament in Barcelona next January.
His family have launched a Justgiving appeal to get him there.
Find out more about the hero awards or nominate your own hero.
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