A seven-year-old boy’s fundraising challenge has helped safeguard his local food bank for another year.

Jak Savage, from Llanidloes, raised £3,500 for four mid Wales food banks by running the equivalent of two marathons over four weeks.

He ran 56 miles over 26 days in December to raise £1,400 for Llani Pantri and £700 each for the food banks in Rhayader, Newtown and Welshpool.

Volunteers at Llani Pantri, the Llanidloes-based food bank, said the donation was a “massive help” towards running costs.

Clare Bound, from Llani Pantri, said: “The fact that he wanted to do it, to help other people, is truly humbling. It is an astonishing amount of money. We were totally overwhelmed.

“It gives us that security because his money can be used to buy things that have not been donated. In theory it would cover our running costs for a year He has safeguarded us.”

Llani Pantri began from the town’s Covid-19 Support Group. It now supports more than 40 families in the town and surrounding area with basic supplies and signposting to relevant support agencies every week.

“There’s obviously a need,” Clare said. “People come to us for lots of different reasons. We don’t turn anyone away. It takes a lot of courage for people to go to a food bank.”

The food bank has received generous donations from harvest festivals, churches, chapels and and schools.

“It is just amazing how people just keep giving,” Clare added.

Jak recently visited the food bank to see how volunteers work together to package up and deliver essential items to local people.

His dad Mathew Savage said: “He found it interesting to find out where the money he raised was being spent.

“They showed us how much work is put in and how much generosity there is in the community.”

Jak was inspired to do the fundraising challenge by Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford who has spoken of the challenges of growing up in a poor family and has campaigned for free schools meals during holidays throughout the pandemic.