A TEENAGER from near Conwy who walked at least 10,000 steps each day from March 1 – April 2 has received a personalised card and certificate to mark his achievements.
Matthew Lokier, 16, from Rowen, who has a diagnosis of autism, and traits of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), completed the challenge to raise money for autism projects across the UK and Ireland.
In total, he walked 303,011 steps during the “Walk For Autism 2023” challenge, which also aims to improve the quality of life of people with autism, and surpassed his £500 target by raising £759.36.
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Autistic boy, 16, from near Conwy walks 303,000 steps in a month for charity
Following this, he was sent a certificate and a card to congratulate him from Walk For Autism.
His mother, Anwen, said: “It was so lovely for him to receive a very personal card with all the details of what he had done, the raffle, the article in the paper spreading the word about autism, his steps, and the amount he raised.
“Out of the thousands of people who were involved, to acknowledge Matthew in this way was extra special.
“I feel so proud of him for achieving the actual goal; well over and above what it was meant to be.”
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He wanted to show how determined he is to raise funds and awareness of exactly how the disability affects people with autism, and that they are “different, not less” than any other person.
Matthew joined thousands of people across the UK and Ireland who also walked 10,000 steps a day between March 26 and April 2.
But he chose to start his own steps challenge more than three weeks earlier on March 1, to mark Autism Awareness Day.
The challenge was part of the sixth annual Walk for Autism - last year, more than 3,800 walkers stepped up to the challenge of Walk For Autism 2022.
These funds have supported thousands of autistic individuals and funded many projects, which encourage the pursuit of specialised interests, promote physical activity and help autistic adults and children to socialise in supportive communities.
Walk For Autism was founded in the 1970s by Pat Minshull, a dedicated mother of a child with autism.
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