Son of murdered Fusilier Lee Rigby could end up raising £100,000 for charity
A fundraising effort by the son of murdered British Army soldier Fusilier Lee Rigby is being supercharged thanks to a collaboration between his mother and the Pride of Britain Awards.
Jack Rigby, 13, started raising money this year for Scotty's Little Soldiers, a charity close to his heart, to mark the 10th anniversary of his father's death.
Fus Rigby of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was attacked and killed by Islamist terrorists on 22 May 2013 while he was off-duty near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London.
His son Jack, who was two at the time, has been supported by Scotty's Little Soldiers ever since, and has already raised almost £55,000 for the charity. And with the help of the Pride of Britain Awards, that amount could reach £100,000.
Jack wants to raise money for the charity to turn his pain into something positive, and in response to the public's outpouring of support, he recorded a video in May in which he said: "It means more than any of you would know.
"Just to know that we are helping hundreds of other bereaved children, just like me, in my dad's name.
"Please, if you can, keep donating and sharing because it's creating so much awareness as well – thank you."
Jack's mother Rebecca has now teamed up with the Pride of Britain Awards, which celebrates the achievements of remarkable people who help make the world a better place, along with crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to supercharge his efforts.
The Pride of Britain Awards said: "We know how much it would mean to Jack to hit a total of £100,000 - £10,000 for every year since he lost his dad."
Jack recently took part in Scotty's March, a 10 kilometre run, walk or jog to raise funds to ensure specialised support is available for bereaved children and young people from military families.
Earlier this year, Jack took part in another Scotty's Little Soldier's fundraising challenge called May Marathon, an annual event in which participants walk, run or jog 26.2 miles throughout the month of May.
Jack was initially unsure if his fundraising efforts would even reach his initial target of £250.
However, after seeing how many people were donating, he set himself the challenge to raise £10,000 - an amount he has since far surpassed.
The teenager has now raised £54,900 thanks to 2,533 donations and his determination to continue taking on additional challenges.
In response to the rapid increase in donations and generosity shown by the public in May, Jack said: "Thanks to everyone who has donated.
"I think my dad would be really pleased if he knew we were raising all this money in his memory."
Jack took part in the May Marathon to turn his pain into something positive, saying at the time: "I feel proud doing the May Marathon in honour of my dad.
"It also helps distract me from everything... and reminds me it's not all bad.
"Scotty's have done so much for me and just having their support and knowing other people are going through the same kind of stuff makes a big difference."
Scotty's Little Soldiers is a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the Armed Forces.
It was founded by Nikki Scott following the death of her husband Corporal Lee Scott in Afghanistan in 2009, and provides support and guidance to hundreds of bereaved military children and young people to remind them they are not alone in their grief.
Nikki said: "It means so much to us that Jack is so determined to raise funds for Scotty's and that the charity is so important to him.
"He’s an incredible young man and it's absolutely fantastic that the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards want to help him to raise more.
"It will be a great surprise for Jack and these funds will enable us to make a difference to the lives of hundreds of children and young people who, like Jack, have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces."
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