Four-year-old boy with cerebral palsy is dubbed ‘mini Captain Tom’ after running more than 100 MILES to raise £1,000 for his school

A disabled four-year-old boy has run more than 100 miles to raise money for his school, earning him the nickname ‘mini Captain Tom‘. 

Jacob Fallows, who has cerebral palsy, ran laps of his school playground throughout January with other children, friends and family to raise £1,180 – in excess of their £1,000 goal. 

He ran an impressive 158km – around 5km per day – supported by his walking frame and always with a grin on his face.  

Jacob and his fellow runners ran a collective distance of 1,234km – roughly the equivalent of running from John O’Groats in northern Scotland to Calais in France. 

He was inspired by his dad, Lee, who did a charity run three years ago. Every year since, the family has banded together to support a local cause. 

Lee said: ‘We enjoy raising money for good causes and that’s the primary thing.

‘It’s also demonstrating that our little boy might well be disabled, and there are things that he can’t do – but there’s a huge amount of things he can do.

‘One of those is bringing people together.’

Jacob Fallows, four, has cerebral palsy and ran more than 100 miles in January to raise money for his school 

Jacob has been branded ‘mini Captain Tom’ for his feat, which has so far raised £1,180

The family’s first fundraisers in 2024 and 2025 raised money for Branch House, a charity that has supported Jacob throughout his life.

As the youngster turned four and started primary school in his hometown of Bow, Devon, the family were keen to raise money for school trips and equipment.

‘Jacob started mainstream primary school in September, so he’s midway through his reception year,’ said Lee. 

‘We spoke to the school and asked if there was anything we could do. They’d asked that we potentially raise money for the Friends of Bow School. 

‘They support enrichment activities and the provision of equipment that would enhance the syllabus – so school trips, equipment, the extra supplementary stuff that makes school a bit more engaging and exciting. 

‘I wanted to open it up to all the students in the primary school so they could all contribute and get involved. 

‘We started on the January 1, and ended on January 31. 

‘We’ve had lots of students families, friends and grandparents emailing in. They go for a walk in Dartmoor and do 15k, so that gets added to the total distance. 

Every year, Jacob and his family have banded together to support a local cause. Lee, Jacob’s father, said: ‘[It demonstrates] that our little boy might well be disabled, and there are things that he can’t do – but there’s a huge amount of things he can do’

‘On 31 January, cumulatively, we’d covered a huge distance.’ 

The family are incredibly proud of Jacob, and all the students and families that got involved. 

‘When we do these fundraisers, it brings the community together, and that’s really nice,’ said Lee. 

‘Traditional elements of community, looking out for each other and getting involved is still very much important. 

‘We’ve raised over £1,100 so far, which is absolutely brilliant – but I want to raise more!’ 

A link to the fundraiser can be found here.