A CARING nine-year-old boy is running the length of a marathon this month to raise funds to buy his team a portable defibrillator.

Bayley Walklate, a student at Cledford Primary School who plays in midfield for Middlewich Town under nines football team, is well on his way to completing 26.2 miles during June.

He has the full support of the club’s junior and open-age sections.

The defibrillator would be taken to all the team’s matches and would be a vital piece of equipment not only for his team but also for other players and even spectators too.

His mum Rachel explained: “According to First Aid for Life, each year in Britain around 30,000 people are struck by sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital environments.

“If victims aren’t treated properly, more often than not, cardiac arrests are fatal. The British Heart Foundation’s figures show that only one in ten victims survives.”

She added: “Bayley’s inspiration behind doing this is that he cares about people, especially his teammates who have become his close friends.

“If he can make a difference to someone’s life by running a few miles this month then he’s up and out of bed at 6.30 every morning to get some sponsor money.”

Bayley has played football since an early age, attending Holmes Chapel Hurricanes’ Saturday soccer school before joining Middlewich Town when he was seven years old.

He is proving to be an inspiration to all around him, while his own admiration lies with a certain Portuguese international.

Ruth said: “Although Bayley loves playing he doesn’t support an individual team as he loves watching any game, although he admires Cristiano Ronaldo!”

In an ideal world, defibrillators would be positioned in every public place and be available almost anywhere.

That is not the case though, so Bayley would like his team to buy a portable one.

If you would like to sponsor him then donate via https://gofund.me/370e021a. He will post regular updates on his progress.