Giovanni Fontebasso, Cranleigh resident and Member of Cranleigh Rotary, celebrated his 90th Birthday in May.

Giovanni will be walking 10k raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the Children’s Air Ambulance to mark the occasion.

Giovanni is a long-standing supporter of these charities who provide much-needed services for children and young people.

Giovanni will start his walk in the Cranleigh Leisure Centre Car Park at 10.30 am each day from the 9th to the 18th July, except on the 10th July.

His route will take him past the Village Hall and up and down Cranleigh High Street via Stocklund Square.

Giovanni was born in a small village in the northeast of Italy and arrived in England in 1960.

For nearly all his working life, he worked in hospitality as a kitchen supervisor and chef. His skills have also provided him with the opportunity to teach Italian languages and cookery.

In Surrey, he was Head of Catering Services at Charterhouse School and in 1971 became Catering Manager at Cranleigh School.

In 2011, his 80th birthday year, he finally retired but was still teaching Italian GCSE at several schools in Surrey and West Sussex.

Giovanni will be supporting the following charities, both of whom offer vital services for children.

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals and receives nearly 250,000 outpatient visits and 45,000 inpatient visits every year.

Most of the children cared for are referred from other hospitals throughout the UK and overseas. There are 63 different clinical specialities at GOSH; the UK’s most comprehensive range of specialist health services for children on one site.

The Children’s Air Ambulance began in 2012.

After a lot of hard work, dedication and passion, it began to transfer specialist paediatric teams to treat seriously ill children. This national service is the first and only dedicated helicopter transfer service for critically ill children – a flying intensive care unit.

To support Giovanni, you can meet him in Cranleigh High Street between the 9th to the 18th July or send a cheque payable to ROTARY CLUB OF CRANLEIGH c/o Twin Peaks, The Common, Cranleigh, GU6 8SE, or from the 1st July you can donate through JUST GIVING at justgiving.com/campaign/giovanniwalk2021