10-Year-Old Boy Walks 1,700 Miles to Surprise Grandma and Raise Money for Refugee Children

grandmother Fundraising refugee children

By Veronica Chan , Parent Herald Oct 21, 12:50 am

A ten-year-old boy walked 1,700 miles with his dad to surprise his grandma. Despite the pandemic restrictions, the grandson traveled from Sicily to the UK to hug her.

Romeo Cox did not let the pandemic stop him from hugging his 77-year-old grandmother. Since no flights are available from his home to his native, he decided to walk the little bumpy roads, just to see his grandma.

Not seen grandma for one and a half years

Cox told The Times of London during an interview that he had not seen his "Granny" for one and a half years. He decided to plan in secret during the lockdown to surprise his grandma by going there to see her.

The boy had to convince his parents to let him go after they have rejected his idea many times. He said that he had asked his parents for more than 50 times before they finally agreed to let him visit his Granny as long as everything was safe from COVID.

(Photo : Instagram/romeos_big_journey_home)

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Cox turned his plans into action after his parents allowed him to go with his plan. He told the Times that after drawing a map, he would walk and take boats during the trip. He also said that he wanted to do it naturally to help the planet. He knew that it would be handy to have an adult with him, so he took his dad too.

The ten-year-old's father is handy because he is a veteran journalist. Apart from that, dad Phil Cox is a filmmaker who covered war zones firsthand. For this reason, the 46-year-old helped the boy make his way in less than ideal conditions by giving him invaluable knowledge.

On June 20, the father and son duo set off on their journey, traveling across Italy, Switzerland, and France. They spent many nights under the stars plus many other experiences. Other than getting lost at one time, the two also suffered sore feet and had to befriend a wild donkey.

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Another reason to see grandma

They also got forced to shoo away wild dogs and volunteered at a refugee camp in Northern Calais. The duo just kept going even though there were many unusual conditions. Cox also had another reason for seeing his Granny.

The boy wanted to raise money to help refugee children. He shared that one of his best buds, Randolph, had to walk from Ghana to Italy without food and water, risking his life. His friend had helped him when he first arrived in the city so he wanted to give back.

Read: 10-Year-Old to Sleep in a Tent for a Year, Raising Money for Deceased Friend

Cox has already raised over $16,500 for the Refugee Education Across Conflicts Trust, out of his goal of $17,000. The father and son arrived in Trafalgar Square in London on September 21. The two spent two weeks in quarantine before going to see Cox's grandmother.

The boy said that even though he felt like a hundred-year-old man, their trip was so fun. He runs to his grandma and embraced her for finally seeing her.