Race Across The World winner joins charity after opening up about 'really tough' childhood

Virgin Radio

21 Jul 2024, 15:05

Race Across The World winner Alfie Watts, has become an ambassador for a charity helping young people overcome grief.

Alfie opened up about his childhood when appearing on the BBC show earlier this year, sharing that he lost his mother to cancer when he was just five years old and didn’t know his father until he was 14. 

He was raised by his grandmother under an arrangement called kinship where children are cared for by family members. 

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Now, Alfie wants to help others like him and raise money for the Winston’s Wish charity.

During an emotional episode of Race Across The World, that saw pairs of travellers cross 15,000km from Japan to Indonesia, Alfie paid a special tribute to his mother by lighting a lantern in Vietnam. 

“When my mum passed away, we always used to set off Chinese lanterns in the UK and we always used to write a message on them,” Alfie told ITV News London.

“It always used to be a very symbolic thing for me and my family.”

Alfie explained he knew his story was going to be shared with a lot of people, but he was “proud” to speak about on the show. 

Speaking more about his childhood, Alfie shared it was “really, really tough” after his mum died and that he always felt “very different” growing up. 

The Winston’s Wish charity helped him deal with grief at the time, and now, he wants to help other children do the same. 

Winston’s Wish provides emotional support to people up to 25 and those who care for them to ensure that no young person faces grief alone. 

Alfie also announced that he will release a single in September this year, with all proceeds going directly to the charity. 

“I'm trying to add a unique spin on fundraising to encourage people to donate and to feel that they get something back,” he explained. 

Alfie concluded: “For me, it really is about making the most of the fact that I am a winner and I've now got people that do take an interest in me and take an interest in how I conduct myself.

“It's now about maximising both my opportunity and also the opportunity that I can give to other people.”