A teenager has walked across the UK to raise awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Roy Ile, a former Seven Kings School student who lives in Manor Park, is putting his feet up for a bit after returning on July 18 from a walk that took him as far as Scotland.
And the 18-year-old is enjoying not only a sense of achievement at having completed the walk, but also at having smashed his target to raise £500 for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. Donations came from as far away as the USA and Middle East.
On what inspired the journey, Roy said: “I just woke up one day thinking, ‘I feel like walking from London to Scotland’.”
The decision came around the time of the Black Lives Matters (BLM) protests triggered by the death in custody of George Floyd in the USA.
“I wanted to give back to something trying to fight against inequality and raise money for charity. It’s crazy that people don’t agree with equal rights,” the former Kingsford Community School pupil said.
So Roy set out from London with his tent on June 29 in a bid to spread awareness across the country, taking in counties including Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.
“It was really hard, but I did it for the cause. I’m not an indoors person and quarantine was more than a struggle,” Roy said.
The youngster, whose ambition is to be an architect, took three weeks to complete his walk with breaks in Yorkshire and Cumbria.
It was while staying in York that Roy was presented with a free Nando’s meal in recognition of his efforts.
In Cambridge he was given a free pair of shoes from Shoe Zone.
But bleeding toes and pain in his knees meant part of the journey was completed using public transport.
Roy, who took part in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme as a student, walked part of the way across Scotland before taking a train to the country’s capital city.
One highlight of the lad’s trek was chatting to people and listening to different opinions on the BLM protests.
And Roy was touched by the support of Shipman Youth Centre, friends, family and strangers who helped him achieve his goal.
To donate visit GoFundMe.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here