Y9 student, Dylan Gough has helped to raise more than £2,500 for World Blood Cancer Day, which falls on 28 May.

The fundraising came about after Dylan's Aunty (Lynsey) was diagnosed with suffering from ALL - (adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia) which is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell).  Lynsey needed to have a stem cell transplant, but it depended on a match being found. Lynsey said: “I was fortunate that someone had donated and was on the register, so they could get in touch with them. I was very lucky.”.  She had the stem cell transplant in September 2019 and stayed in hospital for another six weeks, before she was allowed go home to her family.  She said: “I have had my ups and down, but I am still here now and that’s the positive. I don’t need any more chemo. They would say I am in remission from cancer.”

Since then, Lynsey has done something to raise awareness every year on World Blood Cancer Day.  It started in 2020, during the pandemic, when she asked people to do something red, such as wear red, draw a red picture or hold a red picnic.She wanted to do something special this time as it is five years since her diagnosis and she enlisted the help of her 14-year-old nephew Dylan Gough.  She said: "He planned it all himself. He said he would run 24 miles in 24 hours and run through the night, from 7am to 7am the next day.”

Dylan started the challenge on Saturday morning from Lynsey’s house and ran a mile every hour, with plenty of support. Lynsey said: “Everybody was so involved and kept going with it. All the family did at least a mile and Theo did 10 miles. My brother Martin did all 24 miles with Dylan.

It was a tough challenge, but Dylan, kept going and completed all 24 miles.

Lynsey said: “I am so proud of Dylan. He was so tired. The last couple of miles were really getting to him, because he was tired. It’s hard to stay awake when no-one else is during the night and then go out to run a mile. He did so well.”

The money will go to DKMS, a charity working to increase the number of potential blood stem cell donors in the UK.

To make a donation to Dylan’s appeal, go to www.justgiving.com/page/dylan-gough-runforbloodcancer.