A brave school pupil has been awarded this week’s Charity Champion title after raising an incredible £5,604.80 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

Inspired by the care he received at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and in memory of his Grandad, 13-year-old Callum Beckett decided to take on the Junior and Mini Great Birmingham Run to raise vital funds to help other children recover like he did.

In August 2014, Callum and his Grandad were involved in a serious road accident. Callum was left in a coma after a brain injury and devastatingly, Callum’s Grandad did not survive. The following few months were extremely difficult for Callum and his family, after two weeks in the Intensive care unit and a further six weeks on the Neurosurgical Ward (Ward 10), Callum was discharged from Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Callum has now turned to fundraising to say thank you for the amazing care and support he received at the hospital. Running for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity he took on the Simplyhealth Junior and Mini Great Birmingham Run, a 2.4k run starting and finishing in Alexander Stadium.

Callum said: “The event went really well, I was so pleased how fast I was considering what I’ve been through. I still have balance issues as a result of the injuries which means running over these distances can be a real challenge. 

 “Fundraising for the Children’s Hospital gave me chance to think about the time I spent there and the number of people involved in my brain injury recovery including the neurology team, physiotherapists, occupational therapy and the speech and language team, and that means everything to me, as without them I might not be here today. Since my accident, I have been doing really well, I still have a long way to go, to get back to where I was, but I’m determined to get there.

“As well as raising money, I also wanted to do the run in memory of my Grandad who didn’t survive the accident - he was my hero.”

Miranda Williams, Public Fundraising Manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, added: “We are delighted to hear that Callum is doing so well, he is an extremely brave young man and we’re incredibly grateful that he decided to support our hospital by fundraising for us.

The money he has raised will make a massive difference to the lives of our brave children and their families on our Neurosurgery ward (Ward 10), ensuring we can continue to push the boundaries and offer the world-class facilities our families deserve.”

For more information on Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, email [email protected] or call 0121 333 8506.