A SALISBURY teenager with autism and ADHD will be running 75km in one day to help fund a scholarship to support another young person.

Cameron Jacobs and his mum Polly will be running from Salisbury to Swindon along the Great Stones Way on July 17 to raise money to provide a scholarship for The True Athlete Project.

Over the last two years the 16-year-old has been mentored by Paralympic Judo gold medallist, Chris Skelley, as part of The True Athlete Project and he wants another young person to be able to benefit from it in the same way he has.

As part of the project his mentor will be doing his own rowing challenge to support Cameron.

On his online donation page, Cameron said: “I have been fortunate to have been given a scholarship through the True Athlete Project (TAP) for the last 2 years, which pairs up young sportspeople with current or former international athletes, many of them Olympians or Paralympians.

“The mentor scheme helps young athletes with the mental and emotional sides of their sport, enabling them learn about resilience and overcoming challenges.

He added: “People think my autism and ADHD are disabilities and barriers, but when it comes to running, I feel like they give me a superpower that enables me to just keep going.”

This is not his first fundraising challenge, in 2020 Cameron and his mum ran from Salisbury to Christchurch, 35 miles in one go, raising £1500 for Salisbury Area Young Musicians as music is another of the teenager’s passions.

His mum Polly says from a young age Cameron has always run long distances and that it has helped him gain confidence.

The pair have been busy putting in the miles and exploring the route to prepare for the challenge.

Polly said: “It’s definitely an adventure and a challenge. I just hope I will be able to keep up with him.”

Cameron will be meeting up with his mentor Chris in Swindon, which will be the first time they will have met in person after years of speaking over Zoom.

Cameron hopes to encourage others with hidden disabilities and show them that “they can achieve great things through sport”.

To support Cameron’s challenge and make a donation towards his fundraising efforts go to https://donorbox.org/cameron-chris-fundraiser

 

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