Double amputee 5-year-old Tony Hudgell raises more than £300,000 for NHS after being inspired by Captain Tom Moore

The little boy lost his legs after suffering injuries at the hands of his biological parents
Paula Hudgell
Imogen Braddick8 June 2020

A five-year-old boy who lost both his legs after being abused by his biological parents has raised more than £300,000 for the NHS after being inspired by Captain Tom Moore's efforts.

Tony Hudgell, from West Malling in Kent, has set himself a challenge to walk 10km in June to raise money for Evelina London Children's Hospital.

Using prosthetics and crutches, the five-year-old has already raised £310,000 after just one week. He had originally hoped to raise £500 for the hospital which saved his life.

Aged just 41 days, Tony was rushed to hospital with multiple injuries after being swung by his ankles by his biological parents.

He had suffered multiple fractures, toxic shock and sepsis, the fundraising page says, and had both his legs amputated in 2017.

"The positive side to this is he is today a bright happy, confident little boy who loves life," his family said.

"Over the last week he has been learning to walk on his new legs with crutches, and he wanted to raise some pennies for the wonderful hospital the Evelina Children's Hospital whom is his second home.

"Please help him and encourage him to walk every day of June hoping to reach his target of 10 kilometres."

Tony has raised more than £300,000 so far
Paula Hudgell

Tony, who is deaf in his right ear, was discharged from hospital at four-months-old and placed into the care of Mark and Paula Hudgell in Kent.

The little boy told his parents that he wanted decided to start fundraising after he was inspired by Captain Tom Moore, who raised millions for the NHS by walking laps of his garden in Bedfordshire in the lead up to his 100th birthday.

Tony lost both his legs after suffering abuse at the hands of his biological parents
Paula Hudgell

Speaking to the BBC, Paula said: "He saw Captain Tom walking in the garden with his frame and Tony had a frame like that to start with and he said 'Oh I could do that'.

"Then we decided to set this challenge and raise some money for the Evelina that saved his life."

Tony was thrilled to receive a message Captain Tom's daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and grandchildren Georgia and Benji, who wished him all the best on his challenge and said they are "so proud" of him.

The Evelina London Children's Hospital said it has been "overwhelmed" by the support for Tony.

"We have been overwhelmed to see the support for Tony as he takes on his own 10K to support our hospital," a Twitter post said.

Tony wants to raise money for the hospital which saved his life
Paula Hudgell

"Words cannot express our gratitude and admiration for this incredibly brave boy."

Back in March, Tony, who is a Chelsea football fan, appeared on This Morning with his parents to speak about his new prosthetic legs.

He was surprised with a video message from Chelsea star Frank Lampard who promised him free match tickets as the "guest of honour" after the coronavirus outbreak.