Many of us in the capital have a passion for our precious London Underground, the first subway system in the world. Few of us have used it to improve the lives of others.
That’s exactly what eight year old Cian Patel from Stanmore has done. The quick-thinking youngster who knows the Tube inside out, started volunteering with his parents at charities, when he was a toddler.
At fundraising events, the remarkable eight-year-old takes to the stage and entertains everyone with his passion and anecdotes of the Underground to keep spirits high. At a Diwali show, he kept the crowd going by sharing with them the quickest ways to get from one station to another. He was recently invited by the UK-Jamaica charity, The Angel Foundation, to deliver a speech at a fundraiser all about what the Underground means to him in the presence of Haringey Mayor Cllr Adam Jogee.
Now, after feeding the homeless in London and fundraising for a new shelter in Jamaica, he’s become the youngest patron of The Angel Foundation. His fellow patrons include Shaun Wallace, known for his work as a barrister and on ITV hit TV quiz show The Chase.
Cian on one of his many Tube journeys, where he picks up trivia and knowledge he uses in speeches about following your passion and doing something good with it
(Image: Patel family)
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Cian says: “I like just like the Tube because there’s so many different lines, different stations and names, how the Tube trains work and what the timings are.
“I want to visit more Tube stations and do it to raise more money for charity.”
His ambitions remain modest and humble though. For now, he plans to keep volunteering and hosting charity events and watching Geoff Marshall videos to keep up his Tube knowledge.
He adds: “I still want to visit the two new stations at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms… I like football too. When I grow up I want to be maybe a footballer or an engineer.”
Cian and his younger brother have always been involved in giving back, supported by their strong family ethos
(Image: Patel family)
Cian’s parents support him bringing the two worlds together.
His mum Dipti says: “Anything train-associated Cian wants to do it, because he enjoys it and it’s his passion and we try our best to help him with that. Like with charity work and hosting shows, because he enjoys it, it’s second nature to him.”
Cian has subsequently been invited to the Jamaican High Commission and is currently writing a blog post for Go Dharmic, a social action charity based in London and India, a charity he volunteered at every school holiday beforehand.
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