A CHARITABLE four-year-old has raised £402 for a well-known charity after being spurred on to collect hundreds of pounds following the death of his grandfather.

Sam Forrester, a pupil at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School in Dalton, amassed the impressive figure after taking part in a Reindeer Run over the Christmas period.

In total, pupils raised an incredible £1,343.15 for Ulverston-based charity St Mary's Hospice, but Sam was crowned as the winning fundraiser after amassing more donations than anyone else.

The youngster's granddad Will Forrester died in November last year after suffering from lung cancer which spread to his liver.

The 65-year-old received help from the Hospice at Home team during the latter stages of his diagnosis before passing away in his home in Dalton.

Sam's mother, Nicola Forrester, praised her son for his outstanding fundraising efforts and also paid tribute to staff at St Mary's Hospice who were faultless in ensuring that Mr Forrester's final days were filled with comfort.

She said: "Sam knows what happened to his granddad and he wanted to help to give something back so we were all onboard with it.

"He did a lot of work to get that money from family and friends, but it was all worth it. I am absolutely beyond words - we as a family are so proud of him. He's amazing.

"St Mary's Hospice are an absolutely amazing charity. They help so many people through hard times and make things a lot easier for everyone involved.

"They made it so much easier for us as a family by making him comfortable."

St Mary's Hospice was chosen by pupils at the school in loving memory of Will Forrester and Alan Payton with pupils raising more than £1,300 through a Reindeer Run and a Christmas Nativity.

More than 500 youngsters from nurseries and schools across south Cumbria took part in the festive fun to raise money and it's thought that more than £5,000 has been raised.

Melissa Dixon, St Mary's community fundraiser, said: "We really appreciate it, especially as it's such a busy time of year for everyone.

"It's was a truly heartwarming sight to see the children running in their antlers and red noses. We hope they have enjoyed taking part as much as we have loved being involved."

After raising the largest amount of money, Sam was presented with an annual pass to Little Subs in Barrow as a prize.