An inspirational young boy has taken on a marathon effort to raise money to support people living in poverty, amassing £900 so far.

Jacob Backhouse, who lives in Stotfold, is just 11 years old and has decided to complete a marathon distance on a go kart to help people less fortunate than himself.

He explained: “i’m going to do two miles around Stotfold every day until I’ve done 26.2 miles, which is the same as a marathon.

“The go kart is quite hard to ride, and I also have a broken finger at the moment, but I’m still taking up the challenge and not giving up.”

This huge effort is all in aid of The Need Project based at King’s Baptist Church in Stotfold, where Jacob and his family are parishioners.

The Need Project provides food parcels to people living in poverty or experiencing financial hardship.

Jacob said: “I’ve been helping quite a bit by sorting out the food and helping my mum collect food from a nearby supermarket, and I also made up food parcels at Christmas, so I know how much hard work is involved.”

With many people struggling to make ends meet due to the coronavirus lockdown, charities such as The Need Project and other food banks are seeing a significant increase in people requiring support.

Jacob said: “The project really needs money at the moment, for delivery purposes and for more space to store the food, and the money I raise will go towards their latest appeal.

“Please can you give lots of money to this, as it will be spent well and help people who don’t have much food in my local area?

“I will also be picking one lucky person at random from people who have donated and I will bake them a cake.”

One supporter who has donated to the cause said: “Well done Jacob. The world needs more young, courageous, noble, self-driven people like you. You got this!”

Another said: “Well done Jacob - an inspiring activity to give us all something to focus on and to also be able to support a fantastic cause. You are an amazing young man.”

To support Jacob and The Need Project, you can make a donation by visiting uk.virginmoneygiving.com and searching for ‘Jacob B’.

For more about The Need Project, visit theneedproject.co.uk