A 12-year-old boy will be leading a family fundraising effort to raise money for two new wheelchairs in the hospital ward where he has received treatment.

Harry Hurt, from Bexleyheath, was diagnosed with a rare and chronic liver disease in September 2020, spending six days in the Rays of Sunshine ward of Kings College Hospital during the early days of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Harry had previously been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease at the age of 7 at the same hospital, and is under the specialist care of the paediatric gastroenterologist team.

But despite his new diagnosis, Harry is poised to embark on a fundraising walk to help give back to the ward where he has received so much help.

His mum Emma told News Shopper: "When Harry was in hospital in September, we were taking one of our trips in the ward was in this rickety wheelchair - it felt a bit like it was going to fall apart at any moment - I said to Harry at the time, 'it's not going to be just you who will be using this wheelchair', so we knew we wanted to help supply another one."

Emma went on to describe some of the ways in which Harry's life is affected by the conditions he manages, and the impact it could have.

"In February this year he was having to take 26 tablets every day, we're down to about 12 tablets now.

"Sadly it's a progressive disease, so a lot of the medication and treatment is to keep the disease in remission and from spreading further.

"It's such an unfair disease, his condition can change very quickly and we have to plan our activities in advance. He has to be careful not to eat things which take longer to digest - things like popcorn and sweetcorn are a no.

"I just think it's really important to give him the best possible memories we can, so his childhood isn't taken up solely by hospital visits and treatment."

The brave Cleeve Park School student is planning to walk three miles on Saturday, April 10, from Greenwich Park to Mudchute Farm and back.

News Shopper: Concerns have been raised over the financial problems faced by the Kings College NHS trust

Harry has received treatment at Kings College Hospital

The walk could be a particular challenge for Harry as one of the symptoms of his condition is extreme fatigue.

He will be joined by his mum and dad, as well as his sister Olivia, and his brother Dylan, who will be running the distance.

So far he has already smashed his initial fundraising target of £350 and at the time of publishing had already passed £1,000 - with a new target of £1,500.

Additional funds will go into a pot on the ward to help supply extra equipment when needed.

Emma added: "We have done fundraising for Darent Valley Hospital in the past where Harry has been treated as well.

"When you visit hospital and see so many poorly children, it feels so important to be able to provide them with things to help take their mind off their treatment or the pain they might be in.

"It's lovely when you can see children still enjoying themselves even when unwell in hospital."

Harry's dad Tony is also set to be one of the first people to use the new Hangloose zip-line coming to Bluewater in the coming weeks, as part of the fundraising effort.

You can find Harry's JustGiving page here.