8 year old fundraiser branded 'our hero' by Hunstanton RNLI

Johnathon Jarvis has raised almost 8 thousand pounds for the charity over the last few years.

“We just want to give Johnathon a huge round of applause for all he does,” says Kate Craven, who’s in charge of water safety at Hunstanton's RNLI.  She’s just about to give a lesson on the beach, which the 8 year old’s come along to, but wants to thank him first.

Kate with Johnathon

“He’s just an incredible individual, we can’t do what we do without people like him. He’s won a local hero award, and to us and our station he is our local hero,” Kate adds.

Johnathon Jarvis has been raising money since he was 5 for the town’s RNLI, totalling almost 8 thousand pounds. His last fundraiser was a walk from Happisburgh lifeboat station to Hunstanton in 4 days in May.

On the walk in May.  Image RNLI/Chris Bishop

And he's come to see the team to hand over the cheque for the amount raised.  

The 8 year old says he supports the RNLI because, “If they didn’t have any money they couldn’t get training done or anything - so how are they meant to go out and save people, it would be impossible.”

With his parents handing over the money raised in May

Last year Johnathon walked 42 miles from his home at Upwell, near Downham Market, and he’s also raised money by serving shoppers at Tesco. His advice for those who want to do the same, “I’d say start off on an easy task, and then go harder when you go along.”

Image RNLI/Chris Bishop

His parents Lee and Kayleigh tell me they’re ‘so proud of him and all he’s achieved’. “He’s a unique individual who puts others a lot ahead of himself,” says dad Lee. His mum adds, “He’s a determined boy. It all started when we bought him a pair of RNLI wellies aged 2, and as he’s got older it’s grown from there. When he’s old enough he’d like to be a hovercraft pilot.”

Johnathon (child on right) walking with his mum and dad.  Image RNLI/Chris Bishop

One of the hovercraft pilots, Jon Butler, describes him as an ‘outstanding member of the community’, saying, “He’s been doing these challenges for us and raising money, the RNLI is reliant on those efforts and what Johnathon has done is amazing. We look forward to working with him in the future.”

And that will be fairly soon as before he runs off to see the hovercraft he says, “Next year I’ve decided I’m going to walk a marathon in a day.”

As Kate says - what a hero!