A DEDICATED young fundraiser will be pulling on his running shoes this weekend as part of his latest efforts to support one of his neighbours.
Five-year-old Harrison Foer is no stranger to fundraising despite his tender age and on Sunday he will be taking part in a family fun run as part of the Darlington 10k event.
And the following month he will be tackling the Simplyhealth Mini Great Tees Run in September to raise money for Joseph’s Dream.
The youngster, from Middleton St George, near Darlington, was inspired to help the three-year-old, who suffers from a rare illness which means he is unlikely to be able to walk, speak, or hear.
Harrison's proud mother, Amy, said: "He started by telling me he wanted to sell his toys to raise money for a little boy in our village who is severely disabled his condition is that rare it doesn't have a name. He started selling his toys at a Christmas charity event in 2016 to raise money.
"Since then he is always finding ways of raising money making sweet cones to sell at a Halloween event and also other events selling his toys again. He makes me so proud everyday of how caring and loving he is and at such a young age he just wants to help as much as he can."
The humble youngster has to date, raised more than £2,000 and is determined to continue his fundraising efforts.
He said: "It's really good to help people – I enjoy doing it.
"I like to run and I like to help my friends."
His mother added: "For this run he is focusing on Joseph's Dream to help his family pay for specialist physiotherapy treatment. Harrison doesn't think what he is doing is anything special but we are always telling him how proud we are of his fundraising efforts.
"He might only be five-years-old but he has achieved so much with his fundraising."
As well as the two fundraising runs, Harrison and his mother are organising a family fun day at the Oak Tree Inn in the village on September 7 after he has completed the Mini Great Tees Run.
Mrs Foers added: "We have got the date confirmed but we are still working on the final arrangements of the fun day. There will be lots of fun activities throughout the day for all of the family."
And Harrison's dedication to fundraising resulted in him receiving a Young Hero award at North Road Police Station accompanied by his dad, pictured above, Anthony Foers, and was awarded a medal, certificate and a voucher donated by JD Sports.
The youngster will join 11 other monthly winners at a celebration evening in June 2020 at The Hall Garth Hotel.
To support Harrison's latest fundraising efforts visit
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