Ben Walton

Ben has been fundraising for 20 years. He has supported children in need with ventures all involving ironing ( he runs his own dry cleaning shop) including 24 hours pressing trousers at £1 each, ironing on the roof of our guildhall, and with the co-operation of every Premiership club, driving in 36 hours to each ground, ironing a shirt signed and donated by the club which were then sold, raising several thousand pounds.Bens fundraising changed in 2007 when his son was born 11 weeks premature, with cerebral palsy. No incubators were free at the local baby unit , so Zac was born in Southampton Hospital. Ben made a promise to fund an incubator for the neo-natal unit in Winchester. So far he has raised over £9000 through a variety of events, the most notable being a 60 hour non stop ironing marathon, in the Asda supermarket in Andover, under Guinness Book of Records rules.This alone raised £7000. In 2010 he ran the London Marathon and climbed Snowdon with an ironing board and iron on his back, ( doing a spot of ironing at the summit) in aid of BLISS the premature baby charity. He repeated the feat in 2011 this time climbing Ben Nevis.Soon he is planning to beat his ironing record by ironing for 75 hours again for charity. His plans for 2012 include the London Marathon and the Three Peaks challenge. He received a Pride of Andover award in 2008. He is a keen Round Tabler, and Coaches Streets Ahead, a football club for disabled children. I am proud to nominate my son Ben.