AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD boy who was determined to help the NHS has cycled the distance of a marathon to raise money.

Oscar Lanaway cycled just over 26 miles on Saturday from his home in Prudhoe, through Wylam, Newburn and Blaydon, along Scotswood Road and down the Quayside and back, before finishing with a final lap around Prudhoe.

His mum Lisa said that he had been inspired to do something to help the NHS after clapping on the doorstep one Thursday evening.

She said: “He said ‘I would love to do something to help the NHS other than just clap’.

“I work for a pharmaceuticals company and so does his dad, and he hears us talking and is very interested about what is going on.

"So when he said he would like to do something I said ‘well you like cycling, you could do some cycling'."

The family had been cycling together as part of its daily exercise during lockdown.

Lisa added: “He asked what the furthest we had cycled was and I said the furthest we had gone was about 15 miles, then he asked how long a marathon was and I said 26 miles, so he said lets do that.”

Oscar completed the cycle with his mum and dad, and it took them a total of three hours and four minutes to complete the challenge.

“The last lap around Prudhoe was probably the hardest for him because it’s quite hilly and we had to get off and push our bikes up Hagg Bank,” added Lisa.

“He did absolutely amazing.

"He just got on with it. The weather was beautiful which really helped.

"I am really proud of his achievement.”

Oscar has now reached his £500 target on his Just Giving page, thanks to donations from family, friends, his parents’ work colleagues and his school teachers at Adderlane Academy.

“I think it pulled on a lot of heart strings with him being so young, and doing something so amazing,” said Lisa.

Oscar’s fund-raising page is at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lisa-lanaway.