Schoolboy George ready to run half marathon to support NHS
A sporty schoolboy is ready to push himself to help those who work for the NHS.
George Evans has set himself the challenge of running a half marathon around the back garden on his home in Codsall.
The 10-year-old, which in year five at Codsall Middle School, said he had been inspired to do the run for the NHS after watching Captain Tom Moore's charity walk.
He said: "I was watching the TV and saw what Captain Tom did, so I thought that I could do something to raise a bit more money for the NHS.
"I did say to my parents I wanted to do a marathon, but they said it might be a bit long for me as I'm only 10, so we chose to do a half-marathon instead."
George and his dad Robert have mapped out a 25-metre circuit around the back garden on their home in Codsall, with George needing to complete 840 laps to cover the 13.1 miles required.
George, who plays cricket for Codsall Cricket Club as well as playing tennis and football, has been training by going on walks and runs with Robert each evening.
Robert said the aim was for George to start at 8am on Saturday, May 23 and do as much as he can on the day, then complete the run if necessary on Sunday, May 24.
Robert also spoke about the pride both he and his wife Lindsey felt about George doing the run for charity.
He said: "We're both so immensely proud of him and a bit surprised as it's not normally the sort of thing George would want to do.
"He's really thrown himself into this and we're amazed and grateful at the generosity of friends and family, as well as his school and cricket club.
"Everyone has been really generous and supportive and even people who've never met him have sent messages of support after reading the Just Giving page."
Robert also said the messages of support also showed how much someone like George could inspire people to do something for charity.
He said: "It's made people realise that if George can do it, anyone can do it, and the messages of support have really reflected this.
"We were proud of him before, but for him to volunteer to do something like this is great and really reflects on him as a person."
George said he wanted to do as much as he could to help the NHS and spoke about what the run meant to him.
He said: "By doing this for the NHS, I hope the money can help save some more lives."
To find out more about the run and to donate, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/lindsey-howse
