A Leicester four-year-old with cerebral palsy is going from strength to strength in 2025 after winning a major award for fundraising – and welcoming a new baby brother!
Leicester’s Lola James, four, has been winning hearts for several years now due to her determination to take on physical challenges and raise money for charities that have helped her gain vital strength in her younger years.
This year is proving Lola’s best yet after she won a “Fantastic Fundraiser” in the Children of Courage Awards after raising more than £1,000 for The Movement Centre charity by undertaking 14 miles on her tricycle – despite being unable to crawl, walk or talk.
Lola smashed the challenge and this year won the prize at Birmingham’s Children of Courage awards for her efforts. There was also a prize for The Movement Centre charity which has helped Lola and works with children who have Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and other conditions to achieve new skills through increased strength and control of their movement.
Lola’s mum Bethony said: “We were all so surprised when she won the award! As her parents we think what she did last summer to ride 14 miles on her trike was amazing. She got so much stronger during the course of the month which was great to see. It’s really lovely that her efforts have been recognised by other people. She really deserves the award and we are all so proud.”
When she was only two Lola took on a physically challenging walking challenge and raised more than £2,000 for Steps – a centre for children with disabilities affecting their motor development that relies entirely on donations.
Her fundraising has been boosted significantly by science company Lubrizol, where father Greg works, which has provided donations and also raised thousands when three students took on a half marathon to help pay for life-changing physio for Lola.
Bethony said: “Lubrizol has been brilliantly supportive for Lola and we are really grateful. Thanks to the physio she has received her strength has seen a big improvement. She is so much more independent than she used to be. She can stand in a standing frame – they never thought she would be able to stand in it. Lubrizol has donated to quite a few fundraisers over the years – as an employer they have been unbelievable, so supportive of Greg and life-changing for Lola. It’s so important to have employers who are supportive when you have a child with a disability and they really are. We’re incredibly grateful.”
Lola has also recently been benefiting from learning to use an iPad to communicate, tapping out ‘I love you’ for mum Bethony, and being able to join in family conversations for the first time. Through the iPad the family have learned lots about their daughter, such as her favourite colour – blue.
Now the family has even more to share after welcoming a baby brother for Lola, Isaac.
“They are lovely together,” said Bethony. Lola is obsessed with him and has pretty much been with him since we came home from hospital! They have an amazing bond already. It’s going to be really nice to watch them grow up together.”
Nathan Sawyer, of Lubrizol, was one of three students on placement at the company who with support from the company raised nearly £4,000 to help pay for life-changing physio for Lola.
He said he was delighted to hear of her award.
“I would like to congratulate Lola and her family not only on her award but all her amazing progress,” he said. “Lola and her family’s strength, determination, and resilience inspired our run last year and continues to inspire us today – congratulations once again on an incredible achievement.”
For more information, please contact Lucy Stephens at Penguin PR on [email protected] or 0771 983 9446.
