A nine-year-old boy is set to climb three Welsh mountains and run a 10k after his mum's friend was diagnosed with cancer.
Josh Bolderson has taken up the challenge to climb Pen-y-Fan, Snowdon and Cadair Idris, as well as running the Aberystwyth 10km.
He is determined to finish the mammoth undertaking after family friend Mary Gittins was diagnosed with breast cancer, which has meant that she has been unable to work since August.
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Becky Bolderson, Josh's mum, said that through Josh's challenge they hope to raise £5,000 to cover the earnings Mary has lost since being unable to work.
“I want to do it to help Mary,” Josh, from Aberystwyth, told WalesOnline.
“She’s my best friend.”
Josh said he was “excited” to take on the challenge.
Mary has been a part of Josh’s life since he was 18 months old, and she is godmother to Becky’s younger son Charlie, 6.
The 57-year-old, who had already recovered from a form of skin cancer, was diagnosed with breast cancer on July 19 last year.
Mary said she was “overwhelmed” when she heard about Josh’s plan to raise money.
“Me and his mother have done Cadair Idris and we found it tough going, so for a nine-year-old to do the three and a 10k race - I just couldn’t believe it when he said he was going to do it,” she said.
She said getting her diagnosis felt “like a train had hit [her].”
Mary underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction at the same time in a operation in September last year.
“I couldn’t take it in really. You just have to take it step by step hurdle by hurdle," she said about receiving her diagnosis.
“I haven’t been in work since the end of August, because I had the op at the beginning of September and I haven’t been in work since.
“I’ve had to have six months of chemo, and they don’t like you being in work anyway because of having a low immune system.
"Following that, I have to have a month’s break before I have three weeks of radiotherapy. Again, that’s Monday to Friday for three weeks.”
Mary was a kitchen assistant in a care home prior to her diagnosis. Josh is now raising money to cover the loss of Mary’s earnings, with 10% going to Hywel Dda Health Board's chemo appeal.
Josh and his family approached Mary in January to ask how she felt about him taking on the challenge to raise money.
“We were going to do it, Becky - his mother - and I, but obviously I can’t climb any mountains now,” she said.
“We’ve always done lots of walks with the boys - they’re good walkers - but this is a challenge and a half. But he wants to do it.”
Mary still joins the family on walks when she is able to, but is unable to do as much as they used to.
Becky, 36, said she is “proud” of her son for taking on the challenge.
Josh wants to raise £5,000, and has raised £640 through his GoFundMe page before even starting the challenge. You can donate here.
He will finish his final challenge, the Aberystwyth 10k, the day before his tenth birthday.
Josh has already climbed Pen-y-Fan, completing it in four hours alongside little brother Charlie, and is set to take on Cadair Idris next.
Mary met Becky eight years ago when Becky started working in the same care home as Mary.
“I haven’t got rid of her since,” Mary joked.
“I’ve got rid of her as a boss, but not as a friend.”
Josh has already run the Aberystwyth 5k and Becky says he wants to challenge himself this year by taking on the 10k race.
Becky suggested that Josh could take on the three Welsh Mountains as part of his challenge.
“He knew that me and Mary had done it [Cadair Idris] before, and we’d always said that when he was older he would be allowed to do one with us,” Becky said.
“But obviously to warrant raising so much money, I said ‘You’re going to have to put the challenge quite high,’ so I thought why not all three?”
Becky added that she’s not only proud of Josh, but also Mary.
“She has been so strong through all of this and she had to fight so many obstacles during all of this, which just added insult to injury but she never gives up. She is my hero,” she said.
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