Newark schoolboy raising money for Young Lives vs Cancer

An eight-year-old boy is putting in the miles for a good cause as he takes on a charity running challenge.

Davey Birtle, of Newark, is raising money for Young Lives vs Cancer, by running 14 miles in 14 days.

The idea came about after Davey saw a video of a boy similar to his age who could no longer play football because he was battling cancer.

It led him to question “what if that was me?” and after learning a little more about what cancer was, he was determined to raise as much money as he could to help.

He kicked off his challenge by taking part in the Newark Park Run on Sunday, March 23, where he completed his first mile, and has continued to run every day since.

Davey originally set out to raise £150, but with the support of family, friends, and the wider Newark community has now surpassed £1,750 and counting.

Proud mum Lucy, said: “He really took it upon himself — he just won’t stop running and wants to raise as much as possible.

“We are very proud of Davey and what he is doing for charity, and I’m absolutely blown away by the support we have had.

“At first I only shared the fundraising page on my Facebook among friends, but because Davey is involved with Newark Town Football Club the players, coaches, and all the other parents started to donate as well.

“Now we have money coming in from all different parts of the community and I have people coming up to me that I don’t even know talking about it.

“It’s really nice to see the whole of Newark come together for such a good cause, and I want to thank everyone that has supported and sent donations.”

To support the fundraising efforts, visit: https://fundraise.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/fundraisers/lucybirtle

Newark Town hosted Davey at their home game against Heanor at the YMCA on Saturday (March 29), where he walked out with the players before doing the rounds with his charity bucket, collecting donations among supporters.