A ONE MAN 12-hour squash marathon has raised more than £1,000 for Thornbury toddler Ezzy Hodge.

Brad Jenkins, captain of Thornbury Squash Club, completed the incredible ‘squashathon’, playing through the day against a range of other players after meeting a chance meeting with the three-year-old’s family.

Having bumped into Ezzy and her parents Matt and Angela at the bank, he was touched by the campaign and pledged his support to the cause.

Having been diagnosed with cerebral palsy last year, Ezzy’s parents launched the Ezzy’s Wish to Walk campaign to raise £80,000 in order to get her to the United States for revolutionary surgery that could see her take her first steps.

Since it was launched in November, the campaign has now raised more than £70,000, with Ezzy set to go for surgery on September 19.

Completing the epic task against 30 other players at Thornbury Leisure Centre, Brad called on the community to help him raise £1,000, which he finally reached this weekend with the sponsorship total reaching £1,045.

He said that despite the distraction of some truly fantastic weather outside, the level of support from the club throughout the day in the court was “inspirational”, with everyone on board to help him complete his goal.

Not only did he go unbeaten through the day, he managed to keep going long enough to finish with a tough game of doubles.

He said: “The aim of the squashathon ultimately was to bring the club and community together, doing something we all love, while at the same time raise some vital funds for Ezzy.

“We had people offering support, raffle prizes, money and their own time all in the hope of pushing Ezzy closer to her total.

“The day itself was harder than I could have imagined, physically of course it was draining trying to play at a high level across the whole day whilst trying to reserve some energy for the doubles showdown at the end of the day.

“Mentally, it was also very challenging to concentrate and focus for that period of time, but having Ezzy in the back of my mind was all the inspiration I needed to keep going. Although it was a massive relief when I came of court at 8pm.

“To complete it gave a huge sense of self achievement but I couldn't have done any of it without the support of my girlfriend Amy, my friends, family, club members and the full support of the leisure centre and their staff throughout the day.”

Ezzy even managed to join in on the event, getting a quick squash lesson before supporting Brad from the balcony.

Her mum Angela told the Gazette that he had a great time learning to play a little squash.

She said: “Everyone was so nice and welcoming in Saturday, and there was some great support and lots of fun disputes the blazing heat.

“It was amazing to see Brad smash his 12-hour target, he was drenched in sweat by the end.

“To see him put in all that effort for Ezzy made us so happy and we are truly grateful.”