Eleven-year-old George Chipperfield has raised £320 for the East Anglian Children’s Hospices (EACH) by running the distance of a marathon in seven days.

George, who is known as Chippers among friends and family, is a pupil at Ely College and Captain of Ely City Crusaders U12 football team.

He intended to run the 26.2 miles over two weeks but managed to complete the challenge in a week because he ran further than his 5km target most days. Some days, he managed around 8km.

Since the football club chose EACH as its charity to support in 2018, it has raised £1,300 by taking part in various fundraising activities including packing shoppers’ bags at Christmas and sponsored park runs.

The charity’s logo is also on their football shirts.

Manager Simon Chapman said: “Chippers is a model pro. He was made captain last season and has done a fantastic job continuing to fundraise for EACH.”

George had to balance school work with his marathon fundraising commitment. The weather was also humid and windy - not ideal conditions for long distance running.

George usually runs with his mum, Tamson.

She said: “His dad and I are enormously proud of George.

“It’s been amazing to see his motivation both in raising money for EACH and when he’s out on his runs.

“He always wants to run a bit further each time to really push himself.”

EACH provides care for children and young people with life-threatening condition and also offers support for their families.

Karen Newton, the charity’s Community Fundraising Manager, said: “We can’t thank George and the Ely City Crusaders U12 team enough for helping us raise money.

“George’s exceptional efforts to continue the team’s fundraising support during lockdown, a time when we’ve been losing significant amounts of income from the closure of our charity shops and suspended fundraising events, has been fantastic.”

To donate towards George’s efforts, visit his JustGiving page.

During the coronavirus lockdown, the charity’s fundraising team have also been coming up with new at-home fundraising ideas including Dress Up Friday, virtual quizzes, haircuts and garden marathons.

For more ideas, visit the EACH website.