Couch potato (his own words) Backwell man Keir Hart is running the Bristol half marathon Sunday, September 25 to raise money for the children’s hospital.

It is his way of saying thank you for saving his life a decade ago.

Now aged 23 the building service engineer who went to Backwell School said: “As many people know, I was hospitalized at the Bristol Children's hospital with severe septicaemia and pneumonia at 13 years old.

“The severity of the infection forced doctors to place me in an induced coma as they raced against the clock to save my life.

“After the doctors removed two Litres of fluid from my lungs and countless operations were completed to reduce the infection levels in my blood, I was lucky to come away with my life.

“I stand here today because of the life-saving treatment I received from all the nurses and doctors at the children's hospital.

“Without donations, the hospital cannot use state-of-the-art equipment and invest in medical research programs that ultimately save young lives.

“Not only this, but the charity provides music, play and arts programs in every ward at Bristol Children’s Hospital, helping young children deal with the stresses and fears they face during treatment.

 “I want others to be as lucky as I once was as a child, so to give back and say thank you, I will be raising money by running the Bristol half marathon in September.

“This is a massive challenge for me seeing as I nearly have a heart attack every run I go on over a few kilometres.

“Any donation is hugely appreciated and will go a long way in supporting all the fantastic work the charity does for all young children facing hospital treatment now and in the future.”

Keir is already halfway to raising his target of £1,500 and hopes for an ambition under 1hr 45min finish time.

If you would like to help go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/d4tybt-bristol-childrens-hospital.