A SCHOOL boy from Birchwood tackled his fears on an eight-mile hike up the highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales and raised £668 for the Poppy Appeal.

Ethan Manning, nine, completed the hike on Remembrance Sunday with his parents, Lisa and Nathan Manning, ensuring to serve the two-minute silence at 11am.

The family promoted the fundraising efforts online and the first £200 of donations was matched by Ms Manning’s employer’s charity fund.

Ms Manning said: “As a family we are super proud of him and he has had more than 300 likes on the Birchwood Facebook page and a number of comments congratulating him on his achievement.”

Staff at Locking Stumps Primary School, where Ethan attends, are also proud of the young boy’s achievement.

Head teacher Jamie Vermiglio said: ‘’At Locking Stumps we encourage our children to work towards our school values and Ethan certainly does that every day.

Warrington Guardian:

“We are really proud that he has taken on this monumental challenge, not for himself, but for others.

“In school he is inspiring his friends with his achievements, positive attitude and growth mindset.”

The family started their day early for the hike, leaving the house just after 7am to travel to the Dales, where Mr Manning is originally from.

Ms Manning said: “Ethan is very proud of his connection to this area of the country.

“He had various stops along the way to refuel, rest and admire the view but the last mile did take its toll and he felt the pain in his legs but he soldiered on to the finish line.”

Ethan first discovered his fear of heights when visiting the Eiffel Tower with his family a few years ago.

Ms Manning said: “As he approached the top his fear did begin to kick in but along the way two kind gentleman gave him some jelly babies as a reward for getting to the top which spurred him on.”