Worthing boy praised by Phil and Holly on This Morning after 50k run

Harrison Lillywhite, a pupil at Vale School in Findon Valley, was chosen as a Star of the Week on This Morning’s Homeschooling Club on ITV and his name was read out on TV by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.

A thrilled Harrison said: “I got a mention on TV as my nanny nominated me for This Morning’s Star of the Week. It felt brilliant when Phil and Holly read my name out.”

He took up the 50k running challenge in January to give himself something to focus and was determined to complete the distance by January 31, his grandad Terry Lillywhite’s birthday.

He hoped to raise £100 for St Barnabas House hospice in Worthing, where his grandad was cared for at the end of his life, and was delighted to end up with six times that amount.

Harrison said: “I was really missing school clubs and running around with friends. I wanted to have something to focus on and set myself the challenge of running 50k by January 31, which would have been Grandad Terry’s 62nd birthday.

“I decided to raise as much money as possible for St Barnabas House to say thank you for the care they gave Grandad before he died from lung cancer in July 2019.”

Dad Matthew Lillywhite and other close family members joined Harrison on various runs as he braved freezing temperatures and wet weather to ensure he hit his target.

Harrison said: “When I was running my last 4k on Grandad’s birthday, my mum and brother held up some tape for a finish line and I imagined seeing Grandad standing there, cheering me on. I think he would have been proud of me.”

Harrison could not believe how much support he received, raising £600 in total.

He added: “I thought £100 was a lot to try to raise, so to have gone way over it, I feel really happy. I would like to thank my family and friends for all their donations and sponsorships. But mostly I want to thank St Barnabas for all the support they gave to Grandad and to us as a family after he died.

“Everyone at the hospice helped to keep Grandad comfortable and stopped him being in pain. He loved eating jelly and ice-cream and they always had a steady supply for him.”

There is still time to sponsor Harrison. Visit www.justgiving.com/50kbeforegrandadsbirthday for more information.

Claudia Pearce, from the community fundraising team at St Barnabas House, said she hoped Harrison would take great pride in knowing that his fundraising would mean the hospice’s doctors and nurses could be there to care for more people like his Grandad Terry.