A teenager from Midsomer Norton took part in the Bath Half Marathon in order to raise money for a local charity.
Tobi Rumming-Pain, 19, ran the race on Sunday, March 16, to raise £450 for Time is Precious, which was set up in memory of Ben Halford, who passed away from cancer at the age of five.
Tobi shared a class with Ben at St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School, in Midsomer Norton.
Time is Precious is a charity created by Ben’s parents, Neil and Nicky Halford. It aims to create a more comfortable and relaxed atmosphere for children coming, working alongside specialists to refurbish areas for children whose illnesses mean they will have long stays in hospital wards.
The money raised will be used to refurbish areas within Royal United Hospitals Bath. Time is Precious have six areas they are currently focussing on, including the children’s ward corridor, two anaesthetic rooms and a recovery area.
Tobi has currently raised £435 as of Monday, March 17, just £15 short of his target.
Two years ago, Tobi completed the 86km Salisbury Plain Gravel bike ride, raising more than £1,000 for Alzheimers Research UK in memory of his late grandfather.
He said: “I wanted to support a really good local charity that does quite a lot of good, especially having known Ben because I went to school with him and remember playing with him.
“I like a challenge, and I think if I can challenge myself and turn it into something good, then it brings me a bit joy and it opens up my horizons a little bit.”
Tobi’s mother, Anna, said: “He astonishes me every time when he does these things, because he struggles when there is lots of people.
“He wants to keep himself busy, he wants to do something constructive and I’m quite proud of him just for that. The fact that he’s out there with something that he’s struggling with is great.
Tobi, who has Autism Spectrum Condition, trained for the Bath Half Marathon with the support of Time Is Precious. He attended group runs held by the charity, and he also has a running buddy who can support him when needed.
Nikki Halford, one of the founders of Time is Precious, said: “We set a target of £200, but he wanted to do £450 which is absolutely amazing.
“When we lost our son Ben, we wanted to do something that will help other people and children who are going through something similar to what we did.
“Tobi’s needed a bit of support because not everyone is a group runner, and we’ve gotten him a support runner because he’s a bit anxious. We do what we can to help everyone who supports us, because we treat everyone the way we want to be treated.”
Tobi’s fundraiser remains open following the conclusion of the Bath Half Marathon. Anyone who wishes to donate to his cause can do so by visiting his Justgiving page.