STUDENT Henry Fernandez has raised almost £1,000 by running a marathon in his back garden.

Henry, from Addingham, said he chose to raise money for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity – the official NHS charity partner of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – to say thank to you for the selfless commitment of NHS staff.

Henry’s dad, Dr Eduardo Moya, is a paediatrician at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, so he has witnessed first-hand the incredible dedication and commitment front-line clinicians have made in the fight against Covid-19.

Henry broke the marathon into chunks of 15km and 5km over the space of a week.

He said: “I do enjoy running, but I’ve never committed to a distance like that before. I have to admit that it was a lot psychologically tougher than expected.

“The first day was intended to be the hardest. I ran 15km in three 5km chunks, with little rests every 5km, and halfway through the final five.

"I had a hydration station set up with Lucozade, a chocolate cereal bar and Haribos to keep me going. I changed direction every 5km and at the final 2.5km, for the sake of variety and mental stimulation.”

After the initial 15km run, Henry spent the rest of the week running at least 5km each day, with just one day off.

“I’m overwhelmed by how much I have raised. It’s phenomenal,” he said.

“But it’s important that everyone who works for the NHS knows how much we support them. Doctors and nurses are on the front line helping others.

"We are so lucky to have such a fantastic NHS and we should take a great sense of national pride in it.”

Hayley Collis, head of fundraising for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity, said: “This is a brilliant achievement for Henry and I’m sure his dad will be proud to see him supporting our NHS family.

“Running a marathon is no easy task, but running such a distance around your garden, even broken up over a week, is very challenging. Thank you Henry and thank you to everyone who donated!”

If anyone would like to donate to help him, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/henryfernandezbackyardmarathoncovid19bradford

All money raised will go to Bradford Hospitals’ Charity’s NHS Hospital Heroes appeal and will be spent on supporting staff through the crisis, supporting them longer term and purchasing equipment and services to enhance patient care and treatment. Visit https://bradfordhospitalscharity.org/nhshospitalheroes.