Fife schoolboy's £500 fundraiser for charity after giving up electronic devices for Lent

Harris Buckingham (7), gave up his Nintendo Switch and iPad for 40 days to raise funds for seescape – the operational name of Fife Society for the Blind – which supports his gran, Dianne Waddell, who has a rare eye condition.

He came up with the idea after learning about Easter at school and decided that he wanted to give up something special in order to give back to the team that looks after his relative.

Louise Waddell, Harris’ mum, said: “Harris and his classmates were learning about Lent in school so he thought that it would be a nice thing to do to give up something that he is grateful for to help others.

"His gran lives with a rare eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa which means that cells in the retina break down slowly over time, causing vision loss.

“She can only see out of one eye, and she can only see the width of a straw out of her other one, so she goes to seescape for regular check-ups and treatments.”

Harris and his gran are great pals and have a wonderful bond as he helps her around the house, helps with daily chores, and mucks in tending to her beloved garden.

"Harris is such a kind wee soul. He helps his gran in her prized garden and they have been growing pumpkins together,” she said. “He really takes pride in himself for all of the help he gives her.

"When his gran found out that he was giving up his devices, which he loves so much, she burst into tears as she was so proud.

“We are all very proud of him – has done such a thoughtful and selfless thing by raising the money to help others.”

Lesley Carcary, seescape chief executive officer, said: “As a small charity, we always need support with raising funds to support our vital work to support those experiencing sight loss.

"It’s not often we come across such young supporters, so it was great to find out that Harris had taken his initiative to come up with his own unique fundraising idea – well done Harris!”

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