Nine-year-old Michael Vaughan set out to walk 100km and raise £100 for the  National Autistic Society.

He started his challenge on 17 June 2021 and did his final walk on 31 July 2021 smashing his fundraising target of £100. His JustGiving page is still open for donations if you want to add to the £705 he has already raised.

Sarah Jones, his mum, told Cwmbran Life in July that Michael was diagnosed with autism in year one but hadn’t used the ‘A’ word with him. She said during a well-being session at Ysgol Gymraeg Cwmbran they talked about autism.

“He got off the school bus and said to me, ‘mum, I think I’m autistic’. His classmates have been brilliant and asked him lots of questions. He asked us, ‘will it go away?’. He knows it won’t but there will be lots of people to support him as he gets older.

“So after learning that he is autistic and learning a lot about what it is and what help is out there he decided he wanted to do something to help too.”

He covered 100km over 31 walks at spots including Cwmbran Boating Lake and Oakfield Flower Gardens.

Sponsor Michael

Click here to sponsor him and donate to the National Autistic Society.