AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD boy ran and walked 15 miles today to help patients on York Hospital's children's ward - despite having been ill himself.

Elliot Bond, of Copmanthorpe, completed his trek from York to Selby in just over three hours, excluding a 'pit stop' in a Riccall pub for a sandwich and to warm up from the cold after he started to flag at mile 6.

His mother Maxine said: "We all followed his pace and he just did absolutely amazingly well, running two thirds of the way and walking the rest.

"Even when he got to Selby Abbey, he had energy to spare and carried on running around with the excitement of making it and completing the run. The family couldn’t be prouder. 

"He’s now at home and looking forward to a nice bath with a bath bomb and some chocolate."

She said Elliot was determined to go on the run despite having been poorly earlier this week with chest and ear infections and he set off at 9.30am from the start of the York-Selby cycle path near the Askham Bar Park & Ride site.

Accompanying him were Maxine, his uncle Dan and grandfather Gareth, riding a bike, and the family dog Poppy.

Maxine said beforehand that it had been 'touch and go' whether Elliot would be able to go ahead with the run or whether it would have to be postponed.

"However, he's one very determined young man who, despite my best efforts to try and postpone it for a week, insisted he was going to do it,"she said. "I do admire his determination."

The youngster, who has stayed on the children’s ward several times since he was born because of extreme tonsillitis and other infections, decided in the summer that he wanted to help other youngsters with even worse conditions.

Maxine said he started talking one day about other patients following his most recent stay on the ward, and said: “They’re a lot more poorly than me Mummy, aren’t they - that’s bad Mummy, will they be ok?”

She said: “He began explaining he wanted to make the children there happy, to have more toys, a teddy each, a snuggly blanket - something to help make them feel better or make them smile."

“He said he didn’t like seeing the children there poorly and wanted to raise money to get them things.

"He said: ‘Mummy do you think I could run to raise some money for them? I’m really fast! Can we do that?”

She said she asked him how far he would like to run and he replied: "From York to Selby!"

She said today he had already raised £860 through his Gofundme page, and collections were made along the route, where schoolfriends were planning to meet and greet him.

*To support Elliot’s run, go to www.gofundme.com/f/elliots-15-mile-run-for-the-kids