Cambridgeshire youngster's 7.1 million keepy-uppies challenge to help key workers

A 10-year-old girl has set out to do 7.1 million keepy-uppies, one for every UK key worker, to raise money for a series of charities.

Football fan Imogen Papworth-Heidel, from Hauxton near Cambridge, is averaging around 2,500 keepy-uppies per day as she works towards the total.

After being inspired by Captain Tom Moore, Imogen has passed her initial fundraising target of £1,300, with donations to her JustGiving page standing at more than £3,000 by Tuesday afternoon.

Imogen was inspired to do the challenge by Captain Tom Moore Credit: PA

"I saw Captain Tom on the news walking around his garden and he inspired me to do something to help as well," said Imogen, who trains with Cambridge United's youth academy and Essex County FA Girls Regional Talent Club.

"I wanted to do it for the NHS and all of the key workers.

"I thought if I went up and down my garden nobody would be interested because it's tiny, so I thought because I love football, I could do some keepy-uppies.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates the figure, with around 22% of all working-age people in the UK employed in key worker occupations.

Imogen, an Arsenal fan who took up football aged six, was initially doing 200 keepy-uppies per day, but her parents calculated it would take her 97 years to complete, so she started to do more.

She has done more than 14,000 keepy-uppies to date and is six days into her challenge, including a personal record of 98 in a row without dropping the ball on Monday.

The total stands at almost 40,000 keepy-uppies when including those "donated" by people who have sent in videos of themselves joining in the challenge.

Her parents Sarah, 37, and dad Karl, 50, who both work for the NHS in patient safety, said there had been a "couple of late nights" counting keepy-uppies on videos that people had sent in.

"We've been absolutely delighted by the kindness of strangers who are donating to some fantastic causes for a little girl who's doing some keepy uppies," said Mr Heidel.

Imogen is raising money for the NHS, Mind, The Fire Fighters Charity, Police Care UK, The Care Workers Charity, SSAFA - The Armed Forces Charity, Education Support, East Anglian Air Ambulance and Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust.

To donate, see: www.justgiving.com/team/7millionKeepieUppieChallengeforCovidHeroes-Team.

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