Burnley teen raises £2K after completing running challenge

13-year-old Jay Barnes ran two kilometres a day for 92 days, which is around 114 miles in total.

Thanks to his hard work, Jay has managed to raise more than £2,204 for Burnley Community Grocery, which helps keep underprivileged families across the county fed.

Mum Katy Barnes said she is incredibly proud of her son as he stuck to the challenge come rain or shine.

She said: “I am overwhelmed by the response from the general public and their comments about how inspirational he is.

“I’m most proud of his commitment and endurance to complete it in horrific conditions. He’s never ever given up and it burst my heart how proud I am.”

Jay Barnes (Image: Katy Barnes)

Jay started the challenge on November 1 and ran his final two kilometres on January 31.

Despite never running before, Jay took on the challenge running in all weather conditions and planned his daily runs to fit around school and social activities.

He even ran during major holidays, including Christmas.

Jay spent a long time deciding which charity to donate money towards before settling on Burnley Community Grocery, which is a new type of food bank that is set out like a supermarket.

Jay Barnes (Image: Katy Barnes)

All you need to do bring £5 for your annual membership fee and a couple of shopping bags to put your £4 shop in and then start shopping.

Katy said: “We drove up there one day and we met the manager and learned about how it worked and watched people queuing up for their food parcels.

“Jay was upset at seeing how many people are reliant on the food bank.

“He got quite emotional and decided he definitely wanted to raise money for them.”

Jay, who attends Shuttleworth College in Padiham, presented the cheque the charity earlier this month.

Katie said he is “thrilled” with the final figure and he initially set himself a target of £300.

You can donate to Jay’s fundraiser by visiting his JustGiving page.