Tom Cruise has surprised a British man who spent a year completing a series of extreme sporting challenges to raise money for charity.
Lloyd Kembrey, a facilities manager at the University of Bristol, took on the challenges to fundraise for children’s hospice charity Jessie May.
Inspiration and challenges
His connection to the charity was born from his twin cousins, Francesca and Josephine, who were diagnosed with the life-limiting condition Sanfilippo disease type A when they were three-and-a-half years old. Both died in their teens.
Kembrey was inspired to undertake a number of exhilarating challenges in order to honour their memory and support other families facing similar circumstances.
The challenges he faced included a 31-mile ice skating ultramarathon in Finland, climbing the height of Mount Everest on a climbing wall and a 94-mile hike along southern England’s Jurassic Coast.
The surprise meeting
In order to celebrate his accomplishments, Kembrey’s family teamed up with the BBC’s The One Show and its One Big Thank You programme.
Kembrey was invited to London, under the guise of taking part in an interview for a documentary about daring feats and extreme challenges. However, he was instead greeted by Cruise, who wanted to personally thank him for his fundraising achievements.
Cruise said: “I’ve done a lot of wild things and stunts, but when I heard about Lloyd’s adventure, I just thought, ‘I’ve got to meet this guy.'”
Kembrey was also invited to the royal film performance and world premiere of Cruise’s new film Digger.
Impact and recognition
Former Jessie May chief executive Daniel Cheesman said: “The funding that Lloyd has raised for the charity means that we can directly support children in their own homes. He is a role model to all of the children and young people that Jessie May supports.”
The One Show airs weekdays at 7pm on BBC One and on BBC iPlayer.
