Boy with cerebral palsy smashes fundraising target for Sheffield school

Lennie Street, from Leeds, initially set himself a fundraising target of £750 to support Paces Sheffield, the specialist school he attends in High Green, which wants to build a new home and be the Yorkshire hub for Conductive Education.

The eight-year-old cannot stand or walk independently but loves music and decided to challenge himself during lockdown to play 100 songs on the piano, all of which were picked by his supporters.

He has had thousands of views on his social media accounts as he tried and mastered everything from Beethoven to Justin Bieber and Stevie Wonder.

As the donations mounted, he increased his target to £5,000 and, on Wednesday, May 27, he said he had now smashed that milestone with donations from more than 230 supporters.

Lennie said: "What a huge amount of money. I never dreamed I would be able to raise so much just by playing the piano. Thank you to everyone who has supported me."

His mother, Sally Street, said: "I am so proud of Lennie. His efforts and the amount he's raised are staggering and he amazes me every day.

"Paces is a school that deserves our support and I am excited by what the money will mean for Lennie and all the other amazing pupils who achieve their potential thanks to the amazing care and support they provide."

Conductive Education is the approach used by Paces to teach young people vital skills such as sitting, standing, walking, communication and self-care so they achieve their potential.

Lennie has been encouraged in his challenge by fellow Paces pupil Tobias Weller, who has been emulating Captain Tom Moore by walking a marathon using his frame, doing 750m a day outside his home in Beauchief.

Tobias is hoping to complete his challenge this weekend.

You can listen to Lennie's Tunes on his Facebook page at www.bit.ly/ListenToLennie and donate at his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/campaign/Lenniestunes.

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