A 12-YEAR-OLD boy who has raised more than £750,000 for Alder Hey Children's Hospital by running with hundreds of celebrities has now set himself a new challenge by running one million steps for The Prince's Trust.
Back in 2017, George Mathias from Eccleston, decided to run a mile for each year his younger brother James had been alive.
It was his way of thanking the hospital for saving James' life.
His mission caught the attention of local and national celebrities and soon he ran with the likes of Ben Shephard from Good Morning Britain, Liverpool FC legend Jamie Carragher, former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, Olympic swimmer Fran Halsall and hundred more, raising thousands of pounds for the hospital.
After reaching his goal to thank the hospital, winning the Pride of Britain Young Fundraiser of the Year and the Pride of St Helens Young Community Star award, George has set his sights on helping the Prince's Trust.
This challenge, which will run from this month until January 2020, will see him taking on one million steps alongside a host of celebrities, with the likes of Ben Shephard, Jenni Falconer, Giovanna Fletcher and Iwan Thomas already signed up for the challenge.
De La Salle pupil George, said: "When I started running to raise money, I wasn’t very confident, and I had no idea how my life could change.
"Running has given me my confidence, and I want to tell other people my story to show that no matter how young you are, you can still make a big difference in the world.
"I am so excited to be supporting The Prince’s Trust with my new challenge, because they have inspired so many young people to achieve great things. I hope to get lots of people involved along the way.”
George's dad Richard Mathias, 46, added: “When we visited the Prince’s Trust Centre in Liverpool, as a family we were so impressed with the work they do to inspire young people to fulfil their potential.
"George wanted to set himself a new challenge, and he also wanted to tell his story in the hope that it would inspire other young people to look at how they can make a difference.
"His little brother James is also a part of the new challenge, and we cannot wait to start running, fundraising, and hopefully inspiring other people to get involved.”
Tara Leathers, deputy chief executive of The Prince’s Trust, said: “George’s passion for helping others is truly inspiring and his enthusiasm has already galvanised so many people to support #RunWithGeorge.
"We are extremely excited to be part of his new challenge and George and his family should feel very proud of the impact it will have on thousands of young lives.”
To find out more about George’s new challenge, and to donate, visit runwithgeorge.com
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