'Decontaminating' mum inspires Doncaster teenager to run 120 miles for hospital

Doncaster teenager Leyton Beck had got used to the daily drama of his mum returning from a day on the NHS front line and the family called it her ‘decontaminating’.
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Mum Laura, an operating theatre nurse at the Doncaster Royal Infirmary, was redeployed as a critical care nurse during the crisis, a role she’d never done before.

She had a daily ritual of getting clean after she had finished work to make sure she did not put her family at risk of coronavirus.

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It meant the 16-year-old knew all about the battle with Covid 19 – and wanted to do his bit to help.

Leyton Beck returns from on of his six mile runsLeyton Beck returns from on of his six mile runs
Leyton Beck returns from on of his six mile runs

With no school and no football to play, he decided to run the equivalent of Doncaster to Oxford to raise money for the borough’s hospitals.

The Ridgewood School pupil ran 10km a day from his Cusworth home, for three weeks, measuring his route with a sat-nav tracker.

After his daily challenges he has run around 120 miles and raised over £600 for Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Charitable Fund.

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Leyton wanted to do his bit for the NHS because staff are risking their lives to save others.

Leyton Beck sets off on one his his 6 mile runsLeyton Beck sets off on one his his 6 mile runs
Leyton Beck sets off on one his his 6 mile runs

But after completing 210km, he said: “I’ve raised £605 – I’m absolutely buzzing. It’s all for a good cause. Thanks, everyone who donated.”

Leyton keeps himself fit and plays football with Barnsley FC’s juniors.

Proud dad Trevor said: “Leyton’s mum did brilliantly taking on the role she did and we made the ‘decontamination’ into something light hearted.

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“Then one day I saw Leyton concentrating at the table. I asked him what he was doing – he had set up a fundraising page on the internet.

“He wanted to take to opportunity get some exercise and raise some money for the hospital.”

He added: “Leyton was due to sit his exams this year, but they were cancelled because of the coronavirus.

“He wanted to do something that would be good physically and mentally. He didn’t miss a day.

“I’m so proud of him.”