An Olympic hockey player was so moved by a group of Maidstone schoolboys raising money for Ukraine that he donated £1,000 after auctioning off some of his belongings.

The group of five boys - who go to Allington Primary School and Brookfield Juniors, Aylesford - took on the challenge of running a mile a day for 30 days in aid of refugees.

Pip Hamilton-Barnes, seven, and Jude March, Harry Wheeler, Humphrey Hamilton-Barnes and Fletcher Davis, all 11, were motivated by images they saw of children living in the war-zone.

They completed the challenge on April 2 and raised £3,684 for Unicef. That was down in part to England field hockey player, Sam Ward, who donated £1,000.

It came after Humphrey and Pip’s mum Emma Hamilton-Barnes reached out to the 31-year-old athlete - her son’s sporting hero, who competed for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics - on Twitter.

He replied, saying: “From one inspirational athlete to another, keep up the good work.”

Emma said: “I was in total shock when I received the email for his donation - I thought someone had accidentally put one too many zeros!

“The boys were over the moon. I’m so proud and glad Humphrey calls him his hero, because he truly is.”

Emma explained that the challenge of running every day wasn’t easy - the boys have overcome sickness, broken bones and pulled muscles.

She said: “On day 11, Harry pulled his hamstring playing football, and on day 13, Fletcher broke his elbow bouncing off a trampoline.

“Then in the last week, Humphrey, Harry and Jude came down with a sickness bug and had three to five days off school."

The 46-year-old added that she is so proud of their achievement.

She said: “They were all absolutely amazing. As parents we have told them how wonderful they are but I’m not sure they believe it.

“The boys have without exception run every day for the 30 days. It really was inspiring to see their dedication.”

It is not the first time Humphrey has helped Unicef. In 2019, a fire tore through his family’s home in Allington, which forced them to live out of a suitcase for months.

The situation inspired him to help children even less fortunate, and he raised £500 with a charity football match.

Humphrey said of the situation in Ukraine: “I cannot imagine what it must be to live where they are right now. They are living a nightmare.”

He added: “It may not seem much to run a mile a day, but personally I’m not a runner and I am so busy doing all my other sports and clubs I’m going to have to really squeeze in the time to complete this challenge...for me I have to make the time because it’s nothing compared to what is going on in their worlds.

“Hopefully me doing my bit and my friends doing their bit will escalate in a positive way.”

Fletcher, aged 11, urged people to donate.

He said: “For the last six years my family have helped a family in Ukraine who have suffered the ongoing affects of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

“The charity works in a region of Ukraine called Borodyanka which was the most recent region to suffer devastation from the Russian invasion.

“We support our family Mariya, Dima and Vova who live here. I want to do everything I can to not only support our family, but all the other Ukranian families that have had to live with the Chernobyl disaster, the Covid pandemic and now a war!

“They have lost everything their homes and loved ones. If we all do a little bit to help it will make a big difference to their lives.”

You can donate to the boy's JustGiving page here.