Hatton Park eight-year-old adopting spirit of late Captain Sir Tom Moore in support of local charity

An eight-year-old from Hatton Park has adopted the spirit of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore in support of a charity local to him.

William Colegate is running up a fundraising total for Molly Olly’s Wishes with a 62-mile challenge.

Out in all weathers, the kind-hearted Hatton Park youngster, is already well on his way to hitting his target of £500, the cost of one wish granted by the charity, which supports children with terminal and life-limiting illnesses.

William, who attends Ferncumbe CofE Primary School, is joined on his daily two-mile runs by his mum and dad, and is due to finish with a flourish on Valentine’s Day.

“I’m going to double it to four miles because it’s a special day,” he said.

Mum Emma, who is a nurse at Warwick Hospital, said: “I’m very proud of him. It’s a lovely thing to do and was all his own idea.

"He had enjoyed the treasure hunt that Molly Olly’s Wishes had organised over Christmas so much he decided he wanted to raise some money for them.

“He’s raised more than £450 so far.

"The charity told us that £500 is about the cost of one wish so we would like at the very least to achieve that.

Molly Olly’s Wishes was established by Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw in 2011 following the death of their eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer.

The Hatton Park-based charity works to support children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families and help with their emotional well-being as well as grant wishes and donate therapeutic toys and books to both children directly and to hospitals throughout the UK.

Mascot of the charity is a therapeutic toy lion called Olly The Brave who has his own Hickman line and a detachable mane which helps to explain and normalise the effects of chemotherapy.

These form part of an Olly The Brave pack that has now been handed out to more than 40 hospitals, along with a book from the charity’s exclusive Olly The Brave series.

Part of more than £2.5m raised to date, has also been used to fund the first Molly Olly consultant in paediatric medicine at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Rachel said: “To see William running around Hatton Park and chatting to him about why he wanted to run and explaining what the charity does has been lovely.

"It hasn’t exactly been ideal running conditions with snow, wet days and just generally being bleak so for someone so young wanting to make a difference for other children is inspiring.

"We think William is a superstar and we are extremely grateful to him and his parents for their support. Go William.”

Further information about Molly Olly’s Wishes or how to donate can be found at: www.mollyolly.co.ukTo donate to William’s Just Giving page go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/will-colegate