A 6-year-old boy has raised money for the Royal British Legion poppy appeal by running five kilometres.

Jude Edwards, from Coulsdon, participated in the Remembrance Sunday race (November 15) at Morden Hall park.

During the UK’s first lockdown Jude began accompanying his dad, Billy, on runs around their neighbourhood, though he struggled to keep up over long distances.

However, the schoolboy was inspired by national hero Captain Sir Tom Moore, redoubling his efforts to raise money to support military veterans.

Jude began training for the event in October, clocking up hours in the evenings after school to achieve a best practice time of 47 minutes.

But on the day, Jude beat his previous time by 9 minutes – running 5k in 38 minutes. The 6-year-old has also surpassed his fundraising goal, generating over £1,000 for the Royal British Legion so far.

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Donations to the Poppy Appeal help those in the pandemic, particularly those who are isolated from family, facing homelessness, struggling to feed their children and are in financial crisis.

The lack of poppy sellers on the streets this year particularly motivated Jude.

“I want to help people who can’t buy things because they don’t have the money,” said the 6-year-old.

You can find out more about his fundraiser here.