Sporty Innes tackles running challenge to achieve his goal

All funds raised from Innes’s challenge will go directly towards buying and installing rugby posts, which will be open to the whole community, in the field next to Ardgour Primary School with any surplus going towards football goals for the same venue.

Speaking to the Lochaber Times last week Innes’s mum Kendra said: "As a small village and school (currently 18 children) we don’t have access to the same sporting facilities as others.

"Innes is taking his dreams into his own hands and trying to make them come true. We hope everyone will join us in helping support his endeavours."

Innes himself has a strong rugby pedigree being a third generation Lochaber Rugby RFC player. His grandad Brian Turnbull played for the club, as did his dad Niall, his uncle Kenneth and Aunt Fiona (all Turnbull’s). His elder cousin Alistair MacGillivray played youth level and his cousin Odhran Turnbull is in his team.

"We took him to Lochaber Rugby Club when he was eight and he took to it straight away," said Kendra.

The fundraising idea came after discussion in the village about trying to get a multi use games area or sports facilities into the field next to the school. Innes was really excited about the prospect and went along to the meetings to advocate for a rugby post.

Putting something like this in takes a lot of time however. It takes a lot of money and there is a lot of planning involved.

Things weren’t moving fast enough for Innes who told his mum that he would probably out of school by the time something actually happened.

"Well do something about it," she replied. So he did.

The family hatched a plan for a fundraising challenge which would incorporate his love of rugby.

"He loves a challenge and was desperate to do something so once we had set a date it was all system go," added Kendra.

"He can regularly clock up 16 kilometres a day on his fitness up so we knew this was something he could do. He hadn’t done a long road run yet though so we went out for a 10k and I don’t think he even noticed we did it.

"Basically he is just a really nice empathetic little boy who wants to play rugby."

Over £3, 400 had been raised at the time of writing. To donate visit www.gofundme.com/f/inness-13-mile-try.