An eight-year-old boy has completed a fundraising bike ride to say thank you to the hospital staff who cared for his grandpa.

Harry Coomber, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, learned to ride a bike especially to raise money for the Bristol Heart Institute (BHI) where his grandpa was treated in 2018.

The youngster took his first ride on Christmas Day last year and since then he’s been practicing hard ahead of his challenge this week (8 April).

Harry said: “It was very hard work but enjoyable and great to be able to raise money for the charity supporting the hospital that saved my grandpa’s life. The ice cream at the end was delicious!”

Harry cycled a total of 15 miles along the Camel Trail in Cornwall, ending in Padstow.

Mum Alex Coomber said: “We are so proud of Harry. Four and a half months ago we were waiting in intensive care and Harry had never ridden a bike, and now he’s ridden the Camel Trail in beautiful weather and finished by phoning his Grandpa. It’s incredible.

“Right from the beginning Harry knew he wanted to raise money to help other families going through similar situations in the future. He wanted to choose something that he found hard to show empathy for the challenges faced by staff in in the intensive care unit (ICU).”

To sponsor Harry visit his Just Giving page. 

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If you're interested in taking on a fundraising challenge for Above & Beyond, contact our team on [email protected].