11-year-old girl runs the Children’s Marathon for PDSA

11 March 2026

Poppy’s inspiring fundraising challenge to raise money for PDSA.

11-year-old Poppy from Brighton is raising money for PDSA by taking part in The Brighton Children’s Miles.

As part of the Brighton Marathon Weekend, the Brighton Children’s Miles is a family-friendly, one-mile event held in Preston Park on Saturday 11 April, giving children of all ages the chance to take part in the marathon.

Poppy has decided to take on the challenge to help people and pets in need. Poppy adores animals, especially cats, foxes and her family pet, Squishy.

Poppy’s mum, Linda, explains why her daughter decided to fundraise for PDSA, “Poppy’s connection to PDSA is deeply personal. Our beloved family cat, Becks, was seriously injured after being attacked by a dog and broke his leg. He was rushed to our local PDSA Pet Hospital for emergency treatment.

“The team at PDSA saved him and provided a special cage to help him recover. Sadly, he’s no longer with us now but the experience stayed with us all afterwards, especially Poppy. She firmly believes that no pet should suffer because their owner can’t afford vet care. It’s why PDSA is so important to her.”

Poppy has already raised £105 in just under 24 hours, beating her target. That’s not stopped her from trying to raise more. Her mum, Linda, explains:

“Poppy is determined and wants to raise as much money as possible to help pets in need. She believes PDSA is important because every pet deserves access to treatment, care, and medicine.”

PDSA Vet, Lauren Palmer, from Brighton Pet Hospital said: “A big thank you to Poppy for sharing her story and the reasons she chose to fundraise for our charity. It’s thanks to inspiring and wonderful people like her that we can continue to care for and treat pets across the UK. Good luck on your run in April!”

To support Poppy on her marathon by visiting her JustGiving page here.