Kind-hearted cousin, 6, runs up £1,500 for The Sick Children's Trust

Six-year-old Jack Reid, who lives in Turnditch, near Belper, has collected more than £1,500 in sponsorship ahead of a big challenge.

Jack will tackle a 5k run and 32 inflatable obstacles on April 15, driven by the impetus that he’s helping families in need.

His mum Kim said: “We are incredibly proud of Jack. He’s a very determined little boy. I don't think he understands how well he's done in raising the money. If someone says they have sponsored him he's said ‘thank you, this is for the poorly children’.”

All sponsorship proceeds will go to The Sick Children’s Trust, which supports families who have a seriously ill child in hospital with a place to stay.

Jack’s baby cousin, Lewis, who lives in Huthwaite, has been in and out of hospital with sepsis, meningitis and other infections during the nine months of his life. Kim said: “Lewis has undergone several procedures and requires many more. Doctors at Sheffield hospital have dubbed him a ‘miracle baby’ as they are unsure how is still here with us, he’s a little fighter for sure!

“The Sick Children’s Trust provided a space for my sister to stay with Jack’s cousin while he was in intensive care. The charity do amazing work in helping families at such a difficult time. I went to visit Lewis and to see children in that state you can completely understand parents not wanting to leave their side.

“Jack wasn’t able to visit Lewis in hospital so we did a lot of video calls and painted pictures that I took in for him. I asked Jack if he wanted to try and raise a bit of money for other poorly children in there and he said ‘let’s do it’.

"I initially put £100 to raise on the JustGiving website and within a day had got just over £1,000 which is brilliant. There are some people who have donated who I don’t know – someone had seen it on Facebook and thought what a wonderful thing to do and they donated a fiver. It’s going to help a lot of families at a very difficult time in their lives.”

The amazing response to the appeal for sponsorship on JustGiving put Jack’s fundraising page in the top ten out of thousands throughout the country for the month of March.

Now the kind-hearted little boy’s sights are set on tackling the 5k inflatable obstacle course fun run at Donington Park. Kim said: “Jack is quite an active sporty kid who is raring to go and super excited for it. I have to accompany him becase he’s under sixteen but I don’t know how brave I am at doing the inflatables!”

Jack’s three-year-old sister Georgie, their dad Ian and grandparents will be cheering him on. Kim said: “My sister Sarah Bond and brother-in-law Dev Russell are hoping to bring Lewis but at the moment he's on oxygen which they've had to have installed at home.”

To sponsor Jack, go https://www.justgiving.com/page/jackreid-1680101368682