A courageous seven-year-old boy from Essex has climbed to the summit of Mount Snowdon and raised hundreds of pounds of vital funds for a charity that supports him.
Jacob Tompkins, from Hatfield Peverel near Chelmsford, completed the charity challenge with mum Abbie Tompkins and grandad James Tompkins last week.
Jacob was once described as a ‘miracle baby’ after he was stillborn with asphyxia, a severe brain injury, but survived.
He was born without a heart rate and it took doctors 22 minutes to resuscitate him before he started breathing. Parents Abbie and Laura, who have two other children, were told Jacob would never walk.
But inspirational Jacob battled against the odds and is able to walk and talk.
Even before the ascent of Mount Snowdon – the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) which the trio completed in seven hours – Jacob had undertaken a 50-mile charity run and a fundraising bike ride within the last year.
Proud parents Abbie and Laura said: “Jacob absolutely smashed it! We’re just so proud of him.
“We all made sure he was well looked-after and supported during the day, and he was just smiling and enjoying himself the whole time. He’s completely fine and was running about playing football a few nights later!
“The whole experience was amazing and the views across Snowdonia were incredible. We’d just like to thank everyone who has donated so far – every pound will make a big difference.”
Jacob has raised just under £2,000 for The Dream Factory which fulfils wishes for children and young adults with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions or severe disabilities. Jacob is an ambassador for the charity which helped him visit Lapland UK in 2021.
The total amount raised currently stands at £1,950, just shy of his £2,000 target.
Jacob was supported in his Snowdon trek by local company County Broadband which donated hundreds of pounds worth of climbing gear and equipment and distributed thousands of leaflets to help spread awareness of the charity climb.
Sid Verrier, Regional Sales Manager at County Broadband, based in Aldham, Essex, said: “Jacob is a huge inspiration to everyone here at County Broadband and we would like to send our heartfelt congratulations to him and his amazing family who supported him every step of the way to reach the summit of Mount Snowdon.
“As a local community provider, as soon as we heard about Jacob’s challenge, we wanted to support any way we could. We loved meeting up with Jacob and donating climbing gear for his trek, and we have also match-funded £500 to help reach his target for The Dream Factory.”
To donate to Jacob’s fundraising campaign, visit: https://justgiving.com/page/jacob-tompkins-snowdon.
