Teen inspired by mum to run 5K a day for charity

A teenager is taking on a running challenge to try and help save a charity which supported his mum when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Finn, from Somerset, plans to run 5km (3 miles) every day this month and will finish with an Olympic-style triathlon.

The 16-year-old said he wanted to do something "hard" to encourage people to donate to counselling charity We Hear You, which said it needed to raise £55,000 before April or face closure.

His mother, Kirsten, 52, called her son "quite incredible" for taking on the challenge.

WHY has been running for 31 years and supports about 500 people a year, giving them a space to talk about their illness.

The charity said it acted as a "lifeline" for those who needed it.

Speaking of his mother's diagnosis, Finn said: "When she told us I was at a loss for words - I didn't really know what to say.

"I wanted to ask questions but I feel like I didn't want to know the answers, because I just thought of the worst," he said.

The teenager from Frome added his mum's experience "spurred him on" to complete the challenge.

Kirsten, who used WHY, said: "It's brilliant because I really want other people to be able to benefit from what I did.

"Being able to share each week with somebody... was really, really important.

"My counsellor was just incredible and it meant things that I didn't want to say to my family that may worry them more, I could do that," she said.

Kirsten is still undergoing some treatment in the form of infusions and tablets, but added she was now "making sure Finn's all right to get on with it".

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