Six-year-old Derbyshire boy raises £1,300 to light up his village at Christmas

Billy Dawes, 6, will walk 10 miles on 31 October to raise money towards a Christmas lights event in the village of Pleasley.

Eve Dawes, Billy’s mum, said the idea came to them while they walked to school, as they wanted to help local volunteers achieve their goal of lighting up Pleasley again.

“There’s a Christmas lights fundraiser run by some volunteers in the village. There haven’t been any lights up for many years, but they want to have a switch-on event for the kids and their families.

“Especially after Covid, which hit everyone so hard, they want to put on something nice for the community.”

With five days to go before the big walk, Billy has already smashed through his initial £150 target. His sponsors have raised the entire £1300 needed for the event to go ahead, and any extra will be saved for next year’s lights.

Mrs Dawes said Billy’s efforts had already boosted spirits in Pleasley, with residents all doing their bit to support him.

“It’s really taken off. People are getting behind Billy, stopping to talk to him and sponsoring him. He’s taken it in his stride and he’s really excited.

“It’s nice because there’s a buzz around the village, and people are getting excited to see him. It's not just about raising money, it's about cheering everybody up and raising the community spirit.”

Billy and his mum will complete the walk dressed as Christmas elves, and will carry buckets for any final donations. Billy’s fundraiser can be found here.