Young Manchester United fan's heartbreaking question and 'long chat' with dad

A six year old Manchester United fan is running 31km throughout December after a chat with his dad about what happens to sick children during Christmas inspired him to help. Dan Simms, a 34 year old PE teacher, and his son Harry, from Market Weighton, East Yorkshire, stumbled upon Great Ormond Street Hospital’s 31km December challenge, and Harry was eager to raise funds for medicine and presents for kids in hospital.

Harry's family, including his mum Georgina, 33, and sister Megan, 14, couldn't be more proud, with Harry even aiming to exceed the challenge’s 31km target. As part of an "extremely active family", the duo didn't require any additional training and commenced their challenge on December 1, running around Harry's favourite team, Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium before watching the match.

To their surprise, they smashed their initial £500 fundraising goal after the first run, raising £650, and are now keen to keep running regardless of the weather. Dan says the experience has taught Harry the joy of giving back and has helped him understand the situations of other children.

READ MORE: Coronation Street legend's son to make professional boxing debut

Harry told PA Real Life: "I want to get the children as much medicine as I can, and I’d like it if they got some presents from our money."

A few weeks ago, while discussing Christmas, Harry asked his dad "what happens to the poorly children" over the festive period. Following a "long chat" in which Dan explained that many children spend Christmas in hospital, Harry decided he wanted to find a way to help them.

Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and, Breaking News group by clicking this link

Dan and his son Harry stumbled upon a challenge by Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) while browsing the internet. The challenge: running 31km throughout December to aid GOSH's cause, which includes funding for research, advanced medical equipment, support services for children and families, and upgrades for wards and facilities.

Harry was captivated by the idea, eager to bring festive cheer to the kids while helping fund their medication. "Straight away, Harry said he wanted to do it, and he wants to try and do a bit more than the 31 kilometres as well," Dan said.

"He said he hopes the more money we raise, the more that’ll help get more medicine for children at Christmas."

His family applauded Harry's dedication. Dan said: "It just obviously made me and Georgina feel really proud, and we both said, if you didn’t know Harry, some people think we would make it up and think it was his parents who had the idea!" He added: "But it was him who was saying that he wanted to do something for poorly children at Christmas, we’re just so proud!

“They’re (the rest of the family) just saying again, they’re just really proud, just saying how much of a thoughtful thing it is to do for a child of his age.”

Since Dan is a PE teacher and Harry is quite sporty, actively playing football and going for walks after school, they didn't see the need for intense training for the fundraiser.

"We’re a very active family ... and Harry’s like one of the most active kids you’d ever meet, he’s always wanting to do every sport and always wanting to run around," said Dan.

This isn't their first fitness challenge – last summer, they took part in a junior warrior 3km assault course in Leeds, which involved crawling through lakes, running and climbing walls.

Their strategy for December’s challenge is to take each day as it comes, seeing how far they can run each time. "Even if it’s going to be raining or snowing, we’ll still go out! " Harry said.

"I think once we keep going and see our progress throughout it’ll boost us and motivate us, and hopefully we’ll be able to just keep going and going and going," added Dan.

The pair kicked off their challenge on December 1, coinciding with their trip to watch Manchester United play against Everton at Old Trafford.

Determined not to let the day disrupt their plans, Harry insisted they complete their first run around the stadium. "We did 2.5km the first day, another 2.5km after school yesterday, and 4km without stopping tonight," Dan said.

“We’re just going to carry on basically, once we reach the target...we want to do a run on Christmas Day too.”

The father-and-son team set an initial fundraising target of £500, but by the end of their first run, they were thrilled to discover they had already raised an impressive £650.

Harry revealed: “I felt happy...I think the children will feel happy with the money so they can get the medicine and some presents.”

Dan added: “I think it has inspired him to do more and he knows it’ll go to a good cause.

"It shows him there’s some people who don’t have what we have, I think he’s just taking that on board a little bit, bless him."

Now, they are excited to continue their runs and surpass their target, whatever the weather.

On how they will feel once the challenge is complete, Dan said: “I think we’ll all be so proud of Harry, it’ll be amazing.”

To support Harry and Dan's charitable efforts, donations can be made at their GoFundMe page: www.gofundme.com/f/im-running-31km-in-december-for-gosh-nzzsq.