Everest climb Oscar, 6, hails £10,000 donation as a ‘pleasant surprise’

By Jill Dando News

A boy climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest to support a children’s hospice said getting a £10,000 donation was a “brilliant surprise”.

Oscar Burrow, from Lancaster, set a target of raising £29,000 to allow 29 “poorly children to go on holiday”.

And, thanks to the kindness of stranger Mark Dunn, that goal is one step closer.

The six-year-old is in the process of climbing 12 peaks to match Everest’s 29,030ft (8,849m) height.

The funds he raises will go to Derian House in Chorley, which provides respite and end-of-life care to more than 400 children across the North West.

Mr Dunn, from the Houghton Dunn Charitable Trust, heard about Oscar’s challenge on BBC North West Tonight earlier this month and decided to make a £10,000 donation, which he surprised the youngster with at the hospice on Friday.

Mr Dunn told BBC News Oscar’s age was one of the reasons he felt compelled to help.

“Oscar has been making a fantastic effort for someone so young – he’s very brave,” he said.

Oscar said: “Wow, that was a brilliant surprise.

“Mark has helped us and I’m almost there – I only need £2,000 and we have done it.”

Oscar scaled his eighth mountain – Glyder Fawr in Snowdonia, Wales – on Saturday, and one day wants to become the youngest person to summit Mount Everest.

The 12 mountains feat was dreamt up by Oscar’s father, Matt Burrow, 38, a project manager in the NHS.

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While climbing Glyder Fawr, Oscar told his dad the hike was “really good”.

“We’ve had good weather all the way up and we’ve had no fog,” he said.

Mr Burrow said it was a major achievement for his son, especially because the weather was “awful” closer to the summit.

Oscar’s mother Kim, 37, who works in pathology laboratories as part of the NHS, said Mr Dunn’s generosity “just blew me away”.