Girl, 10, on a mission to do 7.1 million ‘keepy-uppies’ to raise money for charity

‘My original target was 200 keepy-uppies a day and it was going to take me 97 years to do... but now I’m doing 2,000 a day,’ says Imogen Papworth Heidel

(Karl Heidel)

A 10-year-old girl is on a mission to complete 7.1 million keepy-uppies, one for each UK key worker, to raise money for charities.

Football-mad Imogen Papworth Heidel, from Hauxton, Cambridgeshire, hopes to raise £1,300.

So far, Imogen has managed an impressive 2,000 keepy-uppies (keeping the ball in the air continuously) and is asking for donations to help reach her target.

Members of the local football team, Cambridge United, have also chipped in to help with the challenge, the BBC reports.

Imogen, who trains with the Cambridge United youth squad, says she was inspired by Capt Toom Moore who has raised almost £30 million for the NHS by walking laps of his garden.

The 10-year-old hopes to raise money for NHS charities too but has widened her appeal to include nine other organisations that support what she calls “Covid heroes”.

“My original target was 200 keepy-uppies a day and it was going to take me 97 years to do... but now I’m doing 2,000 a day,” Imogen said.

Her dad Karl and Sarah both work for the NHS.

Dad Karl reportedly said “there’s the garden, crack on love,” when Imogen realised the size of the task she was facing.

Imogen says her personal best is 63 keepy-uppies but adds each day’s total together in a bid reach her daily target of 2,000.

“We would like people to get involved and send keepy-uppies so I can add it to the total,” she added.

Cambridge United’s head coach Mark Bonner, described Imogen’s idea as “absolutely brilliant” and said the whole club would pitch in to help.

You can donate to Imogen's cause by following this link.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, 22 per cent of all working-age people are employed in key worker occupations in the UK, “equating to 7.1 million adults across the UK”.

Many key workers are at greater risk of contracting the virus because they still need to go to work during the pandemic.

Teachers, care home assistants, civil servants, supermarket workers and those working in transport are all considered key workers, according to official government guidance.

Last week, health secretary Matt Hancock announced that anyone considered a key worker qualifies to be tested for the virus. You can book a test by following this link.