Shropshire siblings star alongside TV's Matt Baker to take on challenge for Hope House
A pair of Shropshire siblings will appear on Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need with TV presenter, Matt Baker this weekend.
Shropshire siblings Alfie and Elizabeth Rixon will take part in the BBC Children in Need Ramble this year, not just walking but completing a mini triathlon.
The daring duo from Wem met up with presenter Matt Baker for a walk near their home and in the Lake District earlier this month.
Joined by Matt, the pair will embark on a challenging six-mile ramble triathlon in breathtaking North Ambleside, Cumbria, cycling and hiking tough mountain terrain before swimming across a mountain top lake.
Alfie and Elizabeth will explore the great outdoors, whilst sharing their inspirational story and talking about the support they receive from BBC Children in Need funded project, Hope House Children’s Hospice.
They are supporting Children in Need to highlight the help they both had from Hope House when Alfie had to have chemotherapy for Osteosarcoma, a type of cancer which resulted in him having his lower left leg amputated in 2018.
The 14-year old spent lockdown learning to walk again with his prosthetic leg – and get back on his bike since his diagnosis in 2018 and almost two years of chemotherapy.
At the start of October, the siblings, pupils at Thomas Adams School, featured on BBC Countryfile Extra walking in Corbett Woods with Matt Baker.
Alfie told Matt: "Without the people at Hope House this would have been a lot more difficult. They are like a second family."
Sister Elizabeth, 12, who has used the sibling support service, said: "They know what you’re going through and they understand. I also got to meet people who were going through the same thing and it made me feel like I’m not alone."
Alfie and Elizabeth’s dad, Dan, said: "Alfie is my hero and Elizabeth my star. They have both been through such a lot over the last few years and have done so with such determination and support for each other.
"Hope House has truly been the main staple of our lives throughout the pandemic when so many other services fell away.”
Their Lake District triathlon will be broadcast this Sunday, October 24 at 5.55pm on BBC One.