Selby St John Ambulance Cadet's Fundraising Challenge
Nathaniel (Natty) Greenhouse, a 13-year-old Selby Cadet, decided to set himself a fundraising challenge. He wanted to raise £100 for the York Vale network, of which Selby Cadets is part.
Natty did his trek in honour of all the St John Ambulance volunteers who stand on marathon routes across the country, helping to keep participants safe. He did a grand total of 28.9miles around the York Millenium Way. So far, this mammoth walk has raised over £1000.
Natty has been part of St John Ambulance since he was 7 years old. He joined the Selby unit as a Badger, then moved up to Cadets. His journey began because of his older brother, who lives with complex health needs, including uncontrolled epilepsy and learning disabilities. Growing up around the unpredictability of epilepsy, Natty learned from an early age how suddenly things can change and how crucial first aid skills can be in keeping someone safe. His brother has sustained some significant injuries during seizures, including a fractured femur during a seizure at school last year. His sat’s regularly drop to 30% during seizures, he has multiple seizures daily, lasting up to 20 minutes. Natty supported his brother through many frightening moments.That sense of responsibility and care sparked something powerful in him: a deep passion for helping others.
Now 13, Nathaniel was thrilled to complete his Cadet First Aider course, something he’d looked forward to for years. He’s a regular volunteer on local events and dreams of becoming a paramedic. He is always ready to step up, even when he’s not in uniform. As he proudly says, “my skin is my uniform.”
The trek was a real journey, a test of stamina. It was a full body workout as the route was uneven and quite overgrown in places, grasses and nettles taller than him. It was a hot day, 23°c, certainly more of a challenge than he had anticipated. He has asthma, so needed a few breaks. He was starting to waiver, but the trek took us through York Racecourse the races were on, so a break watching the horses (Naty’s other passion is horse riding), gave him the energy to keep going. His determination to complete the challenge was phenomenal.
If anyone would like to donate, the link is https://www.justgiving.com/page/annie-greenhouse-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015