A seven-year-old boy embarked on a tough trek through Aberdeenshire to raise funds for a north-east foodbank.
Ethan McNeil, from Pitmedden, undertook a 10km walk from Udny to Ellon in an effort to aid Storehouse foodbank.
Mum Carly McNeil said Ethan was inspired when he watched the Catalyst Vineyard Church’s Sunday service and heard about another youngster’s challenge to fundraise.
She added: “The kid ran a marathon over a month and it got Ethan thinking what he could do to help people and the foodbank.
“I remembered that there’s a challenge The Coffee Apothecary has where you walk from one of their cafes in Udny to the cafe in Ellon.
“You could easily walk the distance on the old railway line.
“He didn’t seem fussed by it. He would see the donations come in and it made him want to get it done.”
Ethan and his dad Lewis walked for about two-and-a-half hours from the Udny cafe to the Ellon cafe.
“He did so well. I thought he would have been tired, but he was fine. He was pretty relieved it was over and he certainly didn’t want to do anymore walking,” she added.
“We’re really proud of him. His nan also greeted him with a balloon that said ‘You’re the best’. The cafe owner told him that he was a superstar.”
The distance is the farthest the Pitmedden Primary pupil has walked and has raised more than £900 for the foodbank so far.
Mrs McNeil said she hopes her son’s story would inspire others out there to also consider fundraising.
She added: “I understand that it’s a very difficult time to ask people to donate or give, I never thought that we would have raised so much.
“But I would never discourage anyone interested in helping someone else. Ethan was obviously very inspired and maybe that would have a domino effect.
“Maybe another kid might see what Ethan did and would want to do something good.”
To donate to the effort visit:
paypal.me/Ethanswalk