Sussex seven-year-old walks the South Downs Way in 10 days

Lauris walked the South Downs Way from Eastbourne to Winchester, braving blizzards and sub-zero temperatures to support the fight for cleaner, healthier rivers in the national park. She arrived in Winchester on Monday (15th January), having clocked up an average of more than 11 miles per day over 9 days of walking, with just one rest day in the middle.

She says: “I live near Barcombe Mills and the river there is not clean enough for us to swim in because of sewage and chemicals from farms. This is also really bad for the plants and the fish. My favourite animals are beavers and otters, and I want the rivers to be clean enough so that they can live there.”

Lauris has managed to raise more than £600 so far through her Just Giving site, mainly by handing out homemade cards to people she met along the route. Her mum, Hanna Prince, who walked the route with her, says that the response from both friends and strangers has been amazing.

“We’re so grateful for everybody who has donated and supported Lauris along the way,” she says. “One of the best things about the whole experience was chatting with people we met on the Downs, many of whom had their own amazing stories.”

She adds: “Lauris has been absolutely incredible, we’re all so proud of her. She’s always been a keen walker and she’s been nagging us for a while to do a long-distance path – but I have to say, I never thought she’d be able to walk 100 miles in 10 days, particularly in the winter! We were taking it a day at a time, but she just carried on marching. She was so excited to see how much money she was raising for our local rivers too. When we got to the end, she asked when we were walking back.”

Lauris was supported by her dad, Guy Prince, and her grandmas, all of whom provided invaluable logistical help. Her four-year-old sister, Sylvie, also walked with her on two of the ten days. All of them are proud to support the work of the Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust, which does a fantastic job protecting and restoring our local waterways.

justgiving.com/page/lauris-walks-the-sdw