DE LA SALLE pupil George Mathias who raised more than £770,000 for Alder Hey by running is now calling on other schools to join his one million steps challenge to raise funds for The Prince’s Trust.
George, 13, from Eccleston, garnered quite a following as #RunWithGeorge, with celebrities soon joining him on his one mile fundraising runs, to thank Alder Hey Children's Hospital for saving his younger brother James' life as a baby.
This led to him winning the Pride of Britain Award and the Pride of St Helens Young Community Star Award in 2017.
Since then, he has moved on to raise funds for The Prince's Trust and his latest challenge, which will run until February 2020, sees him asking schools to run 1 million steps – or 500 miles – to support The Prince’s Trust.
Every school that takes part will get a good luck video filmed by George, and one school will be drawn at random to win a visit from him and TV presenter Ben Shephard who will come and run the last mile with them.
George with younger brother James
George said: “Running gave me confidence that I never had before. It showed me that, no matter how small you are, you can try your best and make a big difference. Now I want to inspire other children to get active and join me.
“My brother James will join me on my next challenge, and I’d love for your school to join too and raise money for The Prince’s Trust.
"There are lots of fun ways to do it too. It doesn’t have to be just running, as you could skip, walk or hop!”
500 miles might sound like a lot, but a class of 30 running two miles a week will hit the target in two months.
Every pound raised will help a young person succeed: £5 could pay for a reading module towards an English qualification, while £250 could support a young person struggling to finish their education by attending an after-school club.
TV Presenter, Ben Shephard said: “George is an inspiration and I hope you can join us in raising money for The Prince’s Trust. You’ll provide support for a great cause and can raise your fitness levels at the same time. I cannot wait to come and visit the winning school with my mate George. Good luck and I hope to see you soon!”
n Schools can sign up at runwithgeorge.com where they can download a fundraising pack and create a weekly running schedule.
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