An eight-year-old boy from Stotfold has taken it upon himself to run a marathon in sections to raise money for Parkinson’s UK after watching his great-grandmother suffer with the disease.
Mason Thomas decided he wanted to do something to help his 79-year-old great-gran by running a marathon for the charity that supports those affected by Parkinson’s disease.
With his dad, he will run 5.5km twice per week to work towards his target of running the full 26.2 miles for the cause.
Mum Stacey said: “I’m really proud of him because it was all his choice and decision, we just helped him look for what he could do.
“All of the actual events they hold are too far away and not for a few months.
“When we found out that we could it this way it meant he could get going with it straight away.”
The fundraising effort comes with a tracker which Mason will take with him on his runs, and will enable him to keep an eye on his progress.
He said on his fundraising page: “The reason why I am doing this is because my granny has got Parkinson’s and sometimes she struggles to do things.
“I wanted to do something to raise money to help my granny and people like her.”
Mason had originally planned to run a half marathon, but after raising more than £750 in sponsorship – massively exceeding his initial target of £100 – he decided to up his challenge to a full marathon.
His new target is to reach £1,000, which will fund research into the illness with the aim of finding more effective treatments.
According to the Parkinson’s UK website, £140 pays for 10 helpline advisers to provide support and information to those affected by Parkinson’s.
“He loves his gran – we help her out a lot and see her at least a couple of times a week,” Stacey added.
“He was always interested in the illness and what she can and can’t do for herself now, so he wanted to run a full marathon.”
Mason has also done a talk at his school, Roecroft Lower, to raise awareness for Parkinson’s and his charity efforts.
He wanted to thank everyone who has sponsored him and appeal for help to reach his new target of £1,000.
To donate, go to time-to-run-april18.everydayhero.com/uk/Mason-1. For more information about Parkinson’s UK go to parkinsons.org.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here