Father walks and writes to raise money for the charity caring for his son

Laurence Smith had never hiked when, aged 61, he walked the Pyrenees mountain range to raise money for Norwood, the charity that looks after his profoundly disabled son.

Jeremy was diagnosed aged four months with a severe learning disability, cerebral palsy, scoliosis and epilepsy and has been a resident at Woodcock Dell Avenue, one of Norwood’s homes, since he was 18. Laurence and his wife, who are from Horsham in Sussex, found it hard to hand over Jeremy’s care.

“As a parent, can you trust people enough to care for him as we did?” Laurence recalls wondering before Jeremy, who is now 32, moved out. “Letting him go was a very painful experience. But we needn't have worried. It's like an oasis of care because everyone is so concerned for each other.”

Jeremy Smith on Norwood's Central Europe cycle ride (Photo: Laurence Smith)[Missing Credit]

With other trips completed since and more planned, Laurence has published two books, one about about raising Jeremy and the other about his own adventures. Royalties from Two Journeys are being donated to Norwood to support his carers.

“The reason I do these crazy things is as a sign to his carers that I will lay my life on the line for them, just as they do every day for my son,” says Laurence. “They don't get the recognition they deserve. I wanted to do more than give money.”

The first book, Undiminished and Unforgotten, tells Jeremy's story from birth and growing up with three sisters to living in the care home. The second, The Sign, is a memoir of Laurence’s two-month, 540-mile solo trek along the Pyrenees in 2016, which raised £16,000.

Laurence Smith walking the Pyrenees (Photo: Laurence Smith)[Missing Credit]

“I couldn't just write about the walk. I had to tell Jeremy's story first; that explains why I did the walk. I called it Undiminished and Unforgotten because it summarised what his life is about. We never wanted his life to be diminished by his disability. We were determined to give him the best life he could possibly have.”

"Unforgotten” explains why Laurence wrote the book, he says. “So many disabled people sadly go through life in care, and then they're kind of forgotten. I don't want Jeremy to be forgotten because of the contribution he’s made to other people's lives.”

Laurence, who describes himself as “reasonably fit”, undertook a “vigorous” training regime before embarking on the mountain walk with a “ridiculously overloaded” rucksack. “It was crazy,” he says. “I had a terrible fear of heights, but I knew I would have to face it.”

And he did; the treacherous walk included a climb around a narrow ledge, from where he had to pull himself 30 feet up the rock face with the help of a rope. “The rock became something that was trying to stop me from achieving my goal of doing this walk for Jeremy and his carers,” says Laurence. “I vented my anger at it, and I was kicking this rock, desperately clinging onto this rope, trying to get up.” Fortunately, over the top of the crest, four hikers appeared, who pulled him up.

Achieving the walk after seven weeks, Laurence was then “bitten by the bug”.

Laurence Smith walking on West Highland Way (Photo: Laurence Smith)[Missing Credit]

In 2025, in his 70th year, he plans to walk the Cape Wrath Trail and climb Mount Kilimanjaro for the same cause.

Despite Kilimanjaro being the highest single mountain in the world, it’s the former trip which makes him most trepidatious. Likely to take a good fortnight, the Cape Wrath Trail is a 230-mile trek from Fort William in the Scottish Highlands through the remotest parts of the British Isles, including ground used for military training, an unmarked path through bogs and plenty of ticks. “You have to take all your food and wild camp, and I've not had much wild-camping experience. And I don't trust my navigation skills. I'm less bothered about Kilimanjaro.”

Laurence has welcomed advice on equipment and training from friends who are experienced hikers, and also scours YouTube videos for tips on equipment and freeze-dried food packets. Water is less of an issue because he has a filter to drink from the many streams along the trail.

It helps to have the support of his children and his wife, who came out for a few days when he did the Pyrenees walk. “My family are slightly bemused by it all,” says Laurence. “They go along with it with a wry smile on their faces.”

Jeremy and Laurence Smith on Norwood's Central Europe cycle ride (Photo: Laurence Smith)[Missing Credit]

In 2018, Laurence took part in a cycle challenge with Jeremy, organised by Norwood to help raise the £12m the charity needs each year from voluntary donations. Together, they cycled through four European countries, with Jeremy transported on a specially adapted bike with a wheelchair at the front, and a support vehicle following behind.

“He sat at the front, and I pedalled like a madman. It was fine on the straight level, and going downhill, but on a slight incline, it was ridiculously difficult. But it was a fantastic experience, and Jeremy absolutely loved it.”

To buy Two Journeys by Laurence Smith, click here