8-year-old boy from Wiltshire raises money for Christmas at children's hospices
£2,000 raised have helped to buy Christmas presents for seriously ill children in Wiltshire and Hampshire
Children at a hospice in Wiltshire and another in Hampshire will have an extra present in their stocking thanks to an eight-year-old boy.
Little Harry Byrne, from Larkhill in Wiltshire, is being praised for bringing joy and laughter to children and their families at two nearby hospices, after raising nearly £2,000.
He's raised the sum by running 2km every day during November and December.
Harry took the challenge in memory of his brother Reuben, who sadly passed away last year, just a few days before Christmas.
The sum was raised for hospices that supported his family - Julia's House in Wiltshire and Naomi House & Jacksplace in Hampshire.
The funds have gone to help buy Christmas presents and create lasting memories for the seriously ill children and families that the children's hospices look after.
Harry says he fundraises in memory of his little brother Reuben, adding it makes him "happy keeping Reuben's legacy alive".
The eight-year-old's kind-hearted efforts have not gone unnoticed – a film crew from Sky’s The Russell Howard Hour came along to capture Harry's jolly visit to the Julia’s House children’s hospice too.
After dressing up as Father Christmas to surprise the children, Harry handed out gifts and home-baked goodies.
“All the children had a lovely time getting in the festive spirit and there was a lot of laughter seeing Harry dressed-up,” said Julia’s House Team Nurse Molly Douglas.
“The children loved their gifts and it wasn’t long before they were cuddling up and reading stories together by our Christmas tree.
“Harry has been a phenomenal fundraiser for us over the past couple of years. We’re almost entirely reliant on donations to fund our lifeline of care, so we’re incredibly grateful to him and his family and friends for all their support.
"Harry is such a kind and caring boy and he was a wonderful young carer to his brother Reuben as well.”
During the pandemic, Harry took on lots of fundraising challenges with his little brother ‘Reu Reu’ by his side, including a ‘hospice to hospice hike’ and a mega ‘race around the moon’ distance challenge.
He’s now raised more than £40k in total for the charities that have helped his family.