Isle of Lewis youngsters take ‘A Million Steps for Matthew’

Twins Arran and Lewis Goetz, and Charlie and Grace Morrison, are all set for ‘A Million Steps for Matthew’.

On August 27, 2018, Matthew Woodman passed away on the Isle of Lewis while on holiday at his granny’s house.

Matthew was from Greenock, and his parents still live there with their older son Harvey. His mother, Kim Woodman, set up a community foundation in Matthew’s memory.

Twins Arran and Lewis Goetz (9), and their friends Charlie (10) and Grace (5) Morrison, all pupils at Sgoil an Taobh Siar in Barvas, decided they wanted to raise money for a good cause.

The four friends hope their challenge will raise lots of money for the Matthew Woodman Foundation.

So today (Thursday, August 27), on the second anniversary of Matthew’s passing, they are beginning their ‘A Million Steps for Matthew’ challenge to raise as much money as possible for the Matthew Woodman Foundation.

Donna Morrison, mum of Charlie and Grace, said: “Charlie and the twins are best pals and the four of them got together to come up with the idea of raising money for a good cause.

“They decided to support the Matthew Woodman Foundation as it is something close to them.”

Arran and Lewis are cousins of Matthew, so they decided that their fundraising efforts would be a tribute to him. The idea of ‘A Million Steps for Matthew’ comes from Matthew’s final journey from the Isle of Lewis back home to be laid to rest in Greenock.

One million steps equals around 500 miles for an adult, so the families reckon that for a child that might be just over 300 miles – which is roughly the distance from the kids’ homes on the Isle of Lewis to Greenock.

Arran, Lewis, Charlie and Grace initially set themselves a fundraising target of £500, but they’ve already passed that, so now they are looking to raise as much as possible.

They’ve even got the support of Greenock Morton Football Club, who have agreed to send them shirts with Matthew’s name on the back. And the club will promote their fundraising efforts on social media.

Matthew’s mum Kim has also posted a message of support on their JustGiving page, saying: “So proud of the four of you – such an incredible thing you are doing.”

To support Arran, Lewis, Charlie and Grace in their challenge, go to JustGiving: A Million Steps for Matthew