A BARROW teen is taking on a mammoth running challenge to honour the memory of his best friend.

Jakob Nelson is running ten kilometres a day for 16 days to celebrate the legacy of Jake Ellis who would have turned 16 this month.

The 15-year-old was childhood friends with Jake before he died of an aggressive and highly malignant form of cancer, known as rhabdomyosarcoma, at just five years old.

Since then, Jake’s friends and family have raised more than £200,000 for the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG).

Jakob’s mum, Kimberly Nelson, described her son as a ‘totally selfless’ young man.

“Jakob wanted to do something to honour Jake’s memory whilst also celebrating his 16th birthday,” Mrs Nelson said.

“Since Jake passed, our family has taken part in a number of fundraising activities to help raise money for the CCLG.

“We all wanted to do as much as we could for the family who had gone through so much.

“Jakob and Jake’s mum Jo are really close and he always wanted to do as much as he could for her.”

Jake’s mum Jo Ellis said she was ‘really emotional’ when she heard what Jakob was doing for the family.

She said: “Jakob has grown up to become such a lovely young man.

“He just wants to give back in whatever way he can.

“I was bursting with pride when he told us what he was doing for Jake’s 16th birthday - it’s absolutely amazing.

"We still miss him terribly and he''s still a big part of our lives."

Mrs Ellis described how important it is to continue her son’s legacy through fundraising.

“You never know who could be next," she said.

"We want to provide as much money as possible to find a cure.”

As well as the run, the family is also hosting a cake sale to raise funds for the CCLG.

The bake sale takes place on Friday September 27 at St Pius Hall from 4pm to 7pm.

To donate towards the charity run, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/jaynelson.