10-Year-Old Walks From Italy To London Just To Give Grandma A Hug

Boy walks from Italy to England to see grandma

Planning a trip during the pandemic comes with tons of obstacles to overcome. For example, you might have to spend weeks in quarantine and pay a hefty sum for a health check and COVID-19 test – that’s if you can even catch a flight in the first place. Besides, various countries are still under lockdown, which means no flights and international trips allowed.

However, this 10-year-old boy didn’t give up amid the pandemic and decided to take a 2,800km walk from Sicily to London just to hug his granny.

Spent over 3 months getting to grandma

Romeo walked to London
Image credit: Just Giving

Romeo Cox is a 10-year-old boy who moved from London to Sicily in Italy for a year with his mom and dad, leaving 77-year-old grandma back home in London.

Romeo walked to London
Image credit: @romeos_big_journey_home

The family had planned to visit grandma, but the pandemic and lockdown soon stopped them from making plans. There were no flights to go back to London, but Romeo missed his granny and was worried about her health. So, since Romeo couldn’t fly, he decided to take a walk to give his grandma a hug.

Walks to London to see grandma
Romeo and his dad
Image credit: @romeos_big_journey_home

His parents refused over and over again before finally coming to an agreement with the little guy. Firstly, Romeo had to bring dad along, and secondly, both had to keep themselves safe from the virus.

Romeo walked to London
Image credit: @romeos_big_journey_home

After planning their trip and spending time practising important skills like pitching a tent, the pair started their trip in Palermo on 20th June 2020. They had to travel across 4 countries – from Italy to Switzerland, and France to England.

Walks to London to see grandma
Image credit: @romeos_big_journey_home

80% of the trip was done by walking, but also included some cycling, sailing, and even walking with a donkey.

Romeo walked to London
Images adapted from: @romeos_big_journey_home

Along the way, Romeo made new friends, and many people who kept up with their journey also invited them to stay over and dine with them.

Romeo walked to London
Images adapted from: @romeos_big_journey_home

After a little over 3 months, Romeo and his dad reached London on 21st September 2020 and had to spend 14 days self-quarantining before seeing granny.

Walks to London to see grandma
Source

And on 5th October 2020, it was finally time to give granny a hug. Understandably, there were tears of joy during the reunion.

A trip for a good cause

Romeo walked to London
His granny, Rosemary
Image credit: Triangle News

Another objective of this trip was to raise money for the Refugee Education Across Conflicts Trust. Romeo managed to get over £14,000 (~฿560,000) for the organisation.

He shared that this amount of money will go directly to refugees, through manners such as new tables and WiFi connection for online studying. Romeo’s mum also runs REACT, a charity that helps vulnerable refugees – it’s no wonder where the kiddo got his inspiration from.

You can catch up on their journey and check out what Romeo encountered during the trip on his Instagram account, @romeos_big_journey_home. You can also head over to his donation page to contribute and help Romeo hit his target.

The pandemic has made our lives difficult and put many in situations where they are far from home and their loved ones. However, it also allows us to learn many things – just like Romeo who decided to overcome distance for his family.

We hope the story can inspire you to go ahead with a big dream despite the current circumstances.

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Featured image adapted from: Just Giving and Triangle News

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