A 12-year-old boy has raised more than £20,000 for the charity Mary's
Meals by declining birthday presents since he was six and asking
friends and family to make donations to the charity instead.
Charlie Doherty, 12, from Crawley, West Sussex, who also raised the
money through a series of sponsored events, has had his generosity
rewarded with a trip to visit the school kitchen he helps to fund in
Malawi.
Charlie was given the surprise trip as a Christmas present by his
mother, who told him about it when they reached the top of Mount Snowdon
in Wales as part of a charity hike for Mary's Meals.
In 2011 he cycled
600 miles from Brighton to Scotland to raise money for the charity.
Charlie sponsors Ipyana Primary School in the northern district of
Karonga.
His donations helped set up the kitchen and have paid for the
1,429 pupils at the school to receive a daily meal from the charity for a
number of years.