Thousands raised in memory of little Adam

Adam Watson sadly died on Wednesday due to the aggressive form of leukaemia he had been diagnosed with.

The Abercorn Primary School pupil was described as “an amazing young man” at his funeral on Friday.

A fundraising 24-hour walk around Craigavon Lakes went ahead on Saturday and Sunday after Adam’s parents, David and Sara, urged people to take part in his honour.

Known as the “24 Hours for Little Heroes”, the fundraiser was in aid of the Cancer Fund for Children.

Organised by a group of locals under the ‘Hiking for Little Heroes’ banner, the walking challenge had generated around £52,000 by yesterday evening through the online JustGiving platform, and another £1,700 through the GoFundMe platform.

The biggest donation came through Adam’s school, Abercorn Primary, where fundraising efforts resulted in an impressive £4,160.19 donation.

Tributes to the brave nine-year-old have poured in over recent days.

He was a member of the scouting organisation, progressing from the squirrels to the beavers and into the cubs.

He was the cymbal player in the William Sterritt Memorial Flute Band and also made a guest appearance in the Downshire Guiding Star Flute Band as their first-ever cymbal player.

In a statement, the Hiking for Little Heroes group described the challenge as “an emotional and a tough day for all involved” but stressed the “duty to finish what Adam started” in his memory.

On the JustGiving page, the group said: “It was Adam’s decision to choose Cancer Fund for Children as our charity for 2022. It was Adam’s dad David, who came up with the idea of the 24-hour walk and along with the committee, is the driving force to ensuring this is a fantastic event and a huge fundraiser for the charity.”

At his funeral on Friday at Holy Trinity Church in Banbridge, Archdeacon Roderic West told mourners: “Adam may not have lived a long life, but in his life and through his life he has impacted on many people’s lives, and will continue to impact on many people’s lives.”