PUPILS from Pitmaston Primary were on hand to support a city soldier as he set out skiing, cycling and rowing the equivalent of seven marathons in a week.

Sergeant Major Mark Wall was lying in bed last week when he decided to do the challenge to help raise the £500,000 needed to enable pupil Oscar Saxelby-Lee to get specialist treatment.

The five-year-old has an aggressive form of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and needs to undertake a life-saving CAR-T trial in Singapore in the next month, which is not available on the NHS.

The sergeant major, of the 214 (Worcestershire) Battery the Royal Artillery, is covering 42km a day using a SkiErg, assault bike and rower in Pitmaston Park.

The 50-year-old was joined on Monday morning by Year Six pupils as he jogged around the park twice to kick things off.

Sgt Maj Wall will be living off a diet of rice, porridge, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, bananas and Ribena, all donated from Sainsbury’s in St Johns.

“I’ve done no training, it’s just your mindset is there’s always somebody worse than you. If I can do this, it could enable Oscar to get outside and experience any of this, green grass, then that’s achieved the aim.

“In bed Monday night, I emailed the headteacher and got authority from work to do it. I can’t even blame alcohol because I don’t drink anymore.”

He said the trick to completing endurance challenges is to empty your mind.

“I try and do as much as possible no music and then I just empty my mind and go into the pain cave. You realise you’re doing it for a better cause than yourself.

“When I say I’m doing a marathon, sponsor me, that’s just two a penny because everyone does that.

“But when you say, where would I want to go to earn somebody’s money? Then six hours a day for seven days will hopefully gain people’s respect.” Donate at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/HandinHandforOscar