Defiant Optimism - Jacob Reddy: I Busked In Every Single City In England In 22 Days

Jacob Reddy: I Busked In Every Single City In England In 22 Days

02/20/22 • 19 min

16-year-old Jacob Reddy decided to use his summer holidays to busk in every city in England – all 51 of them – to raise money for a charity that looked after his brother.
He performed in all weathers, with big audiences and small ones – and managed to raise nearly £10,000 in the process.
Jacob was raising money for Derian House, a Chorley-based children’s hospice that provides respite and end-of-life care to more than 400 babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions. It was the hospice where his brother, Joseph, received regular care.
Joseph contracted meningitis when he was one month old, and the infection left his brain severely damaged. Joseph would have been 21 this year, so Jacob and his family wanted to mark the occasion in a special way.
We speak to Jacob about his tour – the reaction he got, the money he raised, and how he felt.
CHAPTER MARKERS:
1.17: Why I wanted to do this challenge
2.55: Preparing for the road trip
4.00: Notable moments while busking
5.56: Inspiration behind the challenge
6.57: The impact for Derian House charity
8.00: Further fundraising after the challenge
10.02: Advice for others
14.11: The best songs of the trip
15.23: The finish line
16.27: What’s next for Jacob?
17.29: What does defiant optimism mean to you?
18.43: Where to find out more

Support the charity: https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/
Donate to Jacob's fundraising page: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/buskingjacob
Follow Jacob and his music: https://www.facebook.com/jacobreddymusic/

Previous Episode

Andy Stone: I Did 35-Mile Triathlons For 35 Days

Andy Stone is on a triathlon challenge. He started with doing the "17s" (17-mile triathlons for 17 days), built up to the "35s" (35-mile triathlons in 35 days) and is now looking to achieve a World Record by completing the "70s" (70.3-mile triathlons in 70 consecutive days) – raising money along the way.
He has already raised money for the Blue Marine Foundation, the Shark Trust and the Stroke Association through his challenges, and is looking to raise even more with latest challenge for mental health and addiction charities.
As a former alcoholic, Andy speaks about overcoming challenges to get to where he is today, and the importance of mindset in "achieving the unachievable".
CHAPTER MARKERS:
1.26: Inspiration behind the challenge
3.33: Completing 17 triathlons initially
6.40: What did a day look like?
7.53: Aiming for the 70-mile triathlons in 70 days
10.49: Alcohol addiction and recovery
13.05: Fundraising for charities and how I chose them
15.35: The feeling of accomplishment
17.12: What advice would you give to others?
20.38: What does defiant optimism mean to you?

Follow Andy's journey: https://www.instagram.com/triathlon_worldrecord_andy/
Support the Blue Marine Foundation: https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/
Support the Shark Trust: https://www.sharktrust.org/
Support the Stroke Association: https://www.stroke.org.uk/donate/make-donation

Next Episode

Putney Gumps: ‘We’ve Spent 15 Years Raising Thousands Through Running'

The Putney Gumps are two friends – Johnnie Wraith and Adam Constable – in London, who have been completing various running challenges over the past 15 years to raise money for charity. They've raised more than £250,000.
In 2018, they completed 12 marathons in 12 months and raised over £76,000. Before that, they ran 126 miles over two races within a week, raising well over £36,000. They also ran the 65km Great Strides Ultra Marathon, raising over £10,000. Most recently, in 2021, the pair did 7 marathons in 7 days.
The pair raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Downs Syndrome Association. We sat down with Adam to find out more about the challenges and how the pair have carried on going all these years.
CHAPTER MARKERS:
0:22: Introduction to Adam
1:23: The beginning of our running journey
2:45: Deciding on the challenges
5:59: How they get through the challenges
8:35: 7 marathons in 7 days
11:05: Raising more than £250k
12:35: Inspiration behind the challenges
13:57: The impact of the fundraising
15:29: Advice for others
17:24: Getting through mental blocks
18:56: What’s next for the Putney Gumps
19:47: What does defiant optimism mean to you?

Find out more about them: https://www.putneygumps.co.uk/about
Donate to the Down's Syndrome Association: https://www.putneygumps.co.uk/about
Donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust: https://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/