A RUNNER from Chiswick has made it possible for a seriously ill little girl to realise her fondest dream after he completed his first ever Great North Run at the weekend.

Belwin Singh, 24, tackled the taxing 13 mile course around the steep hills of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and South Shields in aid of Starlight Children’s Foundation last Sunday (September 15).

The charity grants once-in-a-lifetime wishes for seriously and terminally ill children and provides entertainment in hospitals and hospices across the UK.

One of these is six-year-old Elizabeth McCaffrey from Sunderland who in June 2011 was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The life-threatening condition requires intensive chemotherapy but throughout her illness her bravery has impressed and inspired all those who know her.

Although Mr Singh, a financial assistant for an IT firm, missed his target finishing time of 1 hour 45 minutes by a mere five minutes and 25 seconds he has already made up for this by shattering his £600 fundraising target. The money, which currently stands at £782.25 with Gift Aid, will pay for Elizabeth to travel to Florida where she will get to swim with dolphins.

Speaking before the race Mr Singh said he chose the charity because: “Starlight helps to bring smiles to seriously and terminally ill children at a time when they have very little else to look forward to. I have been sticking to my training programme pretty carefully and I hope this, and the thought of helping Starlight to grant wishes for children like Elizabeth, will be enough to get me round the course.”

There is still time to donate to Mr Singh’s cause. Visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BelwinSingh