YOU are never too young to raise money for charity.
That is the view of five-year-old John Bryars, who was so disappointed that the Race for Life was a female-only event that he decided to do his own version.
He finished his own 2.5-mile challenge from his house to Tesco in Bishop's Cleeve.
The youngster was inspired to do the run to raise money for Cancer Research UK after he saw the advertisement for Race for Life.
Despite his mother Jessica telling him the race was for women only, the young man insisted on doing his part.
With his 15-year-old sister Kate cycling next to him, the excited boy took to the streets, with family members lining the way to cheer him on.
John said: "I was a bit scared the night before, but quite happy at the end of it. I hope it will help the poorly people."
Jessica said: "Quite a few people have asked if they can sponsor him, and together with his sisters, they have been supporting him.
"He doesn't particularly do a lot of running, but when he saw the advertisement on TV, he thought about it and wanted to help. We did not want to run with him because we did not want to take that achievement away from him.
"We had people along the way to help him and Kate cycled next to him because we couldn't just let him do it alone."
His family created a finish line made of toilet rolls for him to cross, and there were Transformers and Spiderman balloons waiting for him.
Jessica said: "We drove there to set things up, and I went in to get his prize, but we almost got caught out because he got there so quickly. He is just a really caring boy and brother. If he sees anyone who needs help, he will offer it."
To donate, email Jessica at masonbryars@hotmail.co.uk.
