Yorkshire boy with rare congenital disorder determined to pay tribute to Stephen Lawrence

Determined to go the extra mile for the charity set up in memory of Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in an unprovoked racist attack in south-east London, on April 22, 1993 at the age of 18, Oliver Robinson plans to be part of a team walking 201 miles between now and Christmas Day.

The 15-year-old from Markington, who lives with arthrogryposis - a rare congenital disorder which means his arm and leg joints are contracted, aims to raise more than £500 for Blueprint for All.

Oliver's condition means he has difficulty with mobility and he can only walk for a few hundred yards at a time with a walking aid, but he has vowed to complete a mile in spite of this as part of a 24 pupil school team from his form, along with form tutor Richard Grime, from Ripon Grammar School.

The 201 mile challenge was coined in order to include Oliver's extra mile and raise money for the charity, formerly known as The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust which was rebranded this month, with the new name, 22 years after it was founded to advance social justice and tackle inequality.

Oliver said: "It’s going to be very difficult for me. I get really tired very easily and it takes quite a lot out of me. I will have to stop and have a rest every so often. I plan to do it down my lane at home, stopping to have regular breaks."

The teenager, who enjoys playing badminton and hockey using his wheelchair at school, explained how he wanted to do his part for the school’s charity fundraising this year: "I believe everyone should have the same opportunities and wanted to be a part of raising money for this cause.

"We are hoping to raise funds for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to recognise the hard work that this charity does and support the creation of an inclusive society for all ethnicities, people from different backgrounds and those with disabilities.

His mum Sandra said Oliver would be completing his mile by doing walks nearby to the family home in the village, with the help of his three siblings.

She said: "We are pleased the challenge has been set to include a contribution from Oliver. Inclusion in all things is key and his classmates are always very considerate of Oliver. Knowing him, I’m sure he will surpass the goal he has set himself of a mile!"

Dr Grime added: “We will be covering 201 miles, with 24 students and myself doing eight miles each and Oliver doing one mile on his walking frame. That extra mile is very significant to us and that’s why it’s 201.”

Keen runner and Oliver's class-mate Isaac Henson, whose father lived in the same street as Stephen Lawrence when the teenager was killed in 1993, came up with the idea for his form’s fundraising challenge.

Isaac, 15, from Winksley, who runs for North Yorkshire, said that because students couldn’t take part in the usual charity week fundraising events around school due to the pandemic, they had to come up with new ideas.

"It’s a charity we all feel strongly about, and this is something we can do collectively outside school. I thought it would be a challenge for everyone, some people haven’t run much and might do a little each day. It will push us to our limits to get it all done before Christmas.

“I really wanted to support this charity because what happened to Stephen Lawrence was such a horrific thing and the fact the police didn’t do much to solve it at the time just doesn’t seem right.

"The shock of him being murdered in an unprovoked attack at such a young age, when he was just a teenager, really hit home for me."

Fellow classmate Lucy Crum, 15, from Ripon said it was important to raise awareness of the issues the charity highlights: “It is an extremely good cause and a particularly poignant choice this year, following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement."

You can donate to Oliver and his classmates’ fundraising challenge here.

Blue Print for All

The charity, formerly known as The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust rebranded as Blueprint for All, this month.

Blue Print for All said its underpinning principles "remain the same and have never been more relevant" – with its new name reflecting its commitment to creating a more inclusive society.

The charity was previously named after Stephen Lawrence, an aspiring architect who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993.

The decision to change name comes after Lawrence’s mother, Doreen Lawrence, left the organisation in July to focus on a new charity, the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation. It is understood the Lawrence family wanted to have only one charity bearing Stephen’s name.

Blueprint for All will continue to be based in the Adjaye Associates-designed Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford and plans to expand its Building Future programme, which to date has helped 152 people become qualified architects.

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