Thatcham boy making 1,000 origami cranes for Alzheimer's Society

9-year-old inspired by Japanese legend to wish away Dementia

IF you were granted a wish for completing a task, what would it be?

Thatcham boy Joseph Black, aged nine, has pledged to make 1,000 origami cranes after being inspired by a Japanese legend and use the wish granted to get rid of dementia.

Pupils at his primary school were asked to think about an activity they could do 100 times for a cause close to their hearts.

Joseph didn’t want to stop at 100 and decided to make 1,000 origami birds, inspired by the senbazuru from Japanese mythology.

The crane is one of the holy creatures, said to live for 1,000 years, and legend says that the gods grant a wish to a person who creates 1,000 origami cranes.

Joseph wants to use his wish to get rid of dementia as his grandfather has the condition.

Joseph said: “I’d like to support the Alzheimer’s Society because my granddad has dementia and I like the idea of him remembering stuff, because my nan finds it hard to look after him.”

Joseph has raised £655 for the charity and had made 380 paper cranes in two weeks, the total now at more than 680.

His target was to make 20 a day and finish the task before his birthday in April, but he has already exceeded his daily folding goal and his initial target of £50.

His mother Fiona said she was “super proud” of her son.

She said: “He has always liked origami.

“In his book it tells you how to make one crane and says ‘now you have only 999 to make’.

“It pulls my heart strings quite a lot. When I read why he was doing it, he nearly made me cry.

“We’re all very proud.

“Everybody is, not shocked that he wants to do it, but to have the idea of doing that, we just think it’s amazing – to have such a big heart at nine years old.

“He said ‘I want to do it for everybody with dementia’. It’s a huge thing to think about when you’re nine.”

To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/josephsorigamicranes