A CHARITY which has bounced back from the brink of closure after raising half of its £1m target, has thanked dedicated young fundraisers.

The Lake District Calvert Trust has now raised more than half of the £1m it lost during the pandemic and recently thanked Ashfield Junior School pupil Lucy Nawrockj for her contribution to the bounce back campaign.

It said: “A huge thank you and well done to Lucy for walking an incredible 52 miles in 28 days. What a star!”

Lucy, who is only eight, completed her fundraising challenge with a wet and windy walk up Latrigg on February 24 with her proud mum, Theresa Dawson, who said: “It was amazing, all Lucy’s idea, she did it off her own back.”

Lucy felt inspired to get involved when she saw Oliver Voysey’s appearance with the trust on ‘This Morning,’ she said: “I’ve got a cousin and he’s autistic and I wanted to help him.”

Her mum said: “She’s such a caring little girl,- always thinking of others. She came downstairs after getting ready and said ' mum, I want to keep that place open'.”

After hearing her daughter want to help the trust and people with learning difficulties, they set out on a mission to gather donations from loved ones and generous strangers who had heard the plea on Facebook and Gofundme. This included Lucy’s final eight-mile walk which finished at the trust's site.

Lucy plans to visit once it is open in the summer.