An 11-year-old boy from Welwyn Garden City is camping out to raise money for rescue dogs.
Inspired by Max Woosey, who slept in a tent for a year to raise money for North Devon Hospice, Ashley Owens, of Brookswood Lane, has been camping in his garden since March 27 to fundraise for ‘Helen McGarry Rehoming Cyprus Dogs’.
Ashley’s family found out about the charity through a friend his mother had met on Facebook, and he wanted to raise money as they do not get any public funding.
Ashley's mother Emma explained that the family are “really proud” of the commitment he has shown, sleeping outside through the cold weather, with temperatures dropping to -7 degrees.
When Emma asked him if he was ever scared by the noises of the animals, he said it did not worry him, even when he would hear the foxes outside the tent.
Although Ashley was initially using a two-man tent which the family already owned, he had to switch to a bigger tent because the seams were gone and so it was not suitable for the wet weather.
This did not discourage Ashley, who even told his mother that he found the storms calming.
While his aim was initially to raise £100, Ashley has now raised over £1,000 and he plans to keep going until his birthday in August.
Emma was initially worried about how this would impact Ashley’s performance at school, but she has praised how he is dealing with it, saying that he still wakes up on time every day and “treats it as though it is a normal day".
Not only has he not allowed this campaign to affect his schoolwork but Ashley, who attends Beaumont School in St Albans, has even been supported by his school - receiving a sponsorship from his form tutor.
The charity was founded to shelter and rehome the “countless abandoned and unwanted dogs in Cyprus”, where many are “simply discarded like rubbish”. According to Ashley’s fundraising page, many of these dogs are shot and poisoned in Cyprus.
Ashley’s family have been sheltering and finding homes for many dogs over the last five years and his campaign continues his commitment to supporting the cause.
To support Ashley go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/helen-mcgarry-cyprus-dogs-rescue
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here