Hundreds of ‘Adam’s Army’ volunteers gathered at Craigavon Lakes last weekend to take part in the third and final 24-hour walk challenge for B Positive.
The event was in memory of nine-year-old Adam Watson from Banbridge, who passed away in August 2022 following a brave battle with acute myeloid leukaemia.
Prior to his passing Adam, who was diagnosed in October 2019, set up B Positive as a cancer charity with the help of his parents, David and Sara, who continue to run it in his memory.
The aim is to help improve the lives of children in Northern Ireland who have been diagnosed with cancer.
While the final total is yet to be confirmed, it’s estimated the walk has raised over £30,000, bringing the total amount raised across the three walks to over £200,000.
The first walk was held just days after Adam’s passing, in aid of the Cancer Fund for Children, with the two following walks in aid of B Positive.
As the third 24-hour challenge, the latest walk symbolises the three years in which Adam battled leukaemia.
The first walk was planned by Adam, and his ideas carried through to the next two.
“It went super,” Adam’s dad David said. “Everything went to plan and we had huge crowds that came for certain parts of the day. We couldn’t have asked for better.”
David estimates that over 1,000 people gathered to take part in the walk, with each walking according to their own ability.
“A few individuals did it themselves for the full 24 hours and then other teams did it on a relay basis, so there was always somebody out walking at any one time.
“That was the joy of it for us. It’s not an intense challenge that everybody has to walk the full time. Adam always wanted people to come together and have fun and that’s what we hoped to achieve, and we did achieve.”
With the recent walk being the last to be held, David reflected on the growth of the charity and how it has exceeded his wildest expectations.
“Adam would’ve loved to have been there on Saturday,” David said. “It gives us great strength and it helps me and Sara get through day-to-day with the support that people give us.
“It’s the fact that we’re fulfilling something that Adam was heavily involved in and it feels there’s a huge part of Adam when you’re trying to help other people. The charity has grew beyond anything me and Sara and even Adam at the time could even have imagine.”
It’s hoped that fundraising efforts will continue, with a roll out of Adam’s Merch planned for September, alongside plans for more fundraising events in the future.
When asked about the work of B Positive over the last number of years, David said: “Deep down it’s a great sense of pride and achievement, but obviously there’s always that bittersweet element to it – the fact that Adam isn’t here to see it and drive it forward the way he would have loved to have done.
“We can have all these events and they’re great fun, but at the back of your mind, there’s always that sadness that Adam’s not here to see it himself.”
He added: “It’s blown up beyond all our expectations and now we’ve just got the job of trying to keep driving it forward and getting bigger and we’re just trying to help as many people as we can.
“In an ideal world, we would love to not only help the kids in Northern Ireland, but the kids in the Republic of Ireland too.”
In closing, David said: “I would just like to thank everybody on behalf of the charity for their support in all the forms that it takes. It all helps to build the charity and get the word out there, so a big thank you.”
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart, who attended the walk, commented: ““It is hard to believe it has been a two years since the bright shining star of the County Down, little Adam passed away.
“In his nine short years on this earth he faced many difficult days and challenges but during that time Adam made a profound impact on so many people with his positive fight against cancer.
“While Adam is no longer with us physically, his legacy lives on powerfully within this community and once again at the third and final walk the attendance is a testament to just how much he meant to so many people.”
She added: “I want to commend Adam’s parents, David and Sara, I count them as great friends and pray daily for their very difficult journey. No parent should ever have to bury their child, but in the midst of their grief, they have found incredible strength and have dedicated themselves to campaigning for others facing the same battle they fought with Adam.
“It has been a privilege to assist them in some of this work, and I am hopeful that I can use my position in Westminster to help ensure we make practical changes to support families and children in similar situations.
“This was a wonderful and poignant event, and it reflects the strength of our community that so many turned out to support the Watsons and raise funds for B Positive. Adam, our shining light, continues to shine brightly in our hearts.”
