A DONAGHADEE schoolboy has raised £1,375 for the RNLI after taking on a running challenge.
Xander Morrow ran a mile a day for the month of May, braving all sorts of weather, as he took to the streets of Donaghadee to raise money for the RNLI.
The six year-old, who is a pupil at Donaghadee Primary School, was inspired to take on the challenge after his mum, Jill Hamilton, bagged a medal for running a half marathon back in April.
Wanting an accolade of his own, he asked his mum if he could do something similar.
“He wanted a challenge and the May Day Challenge for RNLI came up on my Facebook and we thought that suited well with us living in Donaghadee and having our own lifeboat station and lifeboat,” Jill explained.
“He had to run a mile a day over the month of May and he did really well.”
Xander received support from his family and friends, as well as his school peers – with his whole class running a mile with him.
Each day Xander would run his mile with one of his parents, taking on Scrabo and the Mournes during his challenge, but his favourite thing to do was to run Donaghadee town, where he became well known by the locals who cheered him on.
On finishing his challenge, the amount Xander raised more than qualified him to win his very own medal.
“My mum says it’s better than hers,” he declared, adding that he could run faster than a sports car, while his mum was ‘slower than a snail’.
Xander said he enjoyed his running challenge and was thrilled to get to meet the local crew on Sunday when he presented them with a cheque.
“He ran mainly around the town because he did like people seeing him,” Jill laughed.
Xander, who hopes to be a car salesman when he grows up, said he wanted to help the RNLI as the volunteers used their own time to carry out their life-saving tasks.
When asked if he would be interested in joining the RNLI when he grows up, he said: “I would like to work with the RNLI because they have a lot of different buttons to press on the lifeboat.”
Jill said she was proud of her son for completing the challenge, noting how it was a big commitment for a young child, having to fit the mile in around his school and hobbies, while also enduring whatever weather was thrown at him.
“He didn’t complain once. He actually surprised us that way. There wasn’t a day he said I don’t want to do this,” Jill said.
“I’m very proud of him and I think it has helped his confidence.”
