A FATHER recreated the journey his son had to take to receive a lifesaving transplant, raising money for the organisation which changed the family’s lives.

Adrian Livingstone, 35, decided to run 72 miles from his family home in Sherfield Park to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), after his son Elliott was kept alive at the London hospital for more than a year with a mechanical heart.

Two-year-old Elliott suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition which means the heart struggles to pump blood normally. After a wait of more than 400 days, Elliott underwent a sevenhour operation for a donor heart and was able to return home.

As an avid runner, Mr Livingstone wanted to do something as a thank you to the staff of GOSH.

“The doctors said that before the operation Elliott’s heart was running like he was doing a marathon a day,” said the 35-year-old.

“And as I regularly run marathons, I wanted to do something that would almost put myself in his shoes for the day.”

Mr Livingstone was joined on the gruelling run by fellow members of the Sherfield Park Runners, who met him at various stages of the run.

Setting off from Sherfield Park Community Centre, in Sunwood Drive, at 4pm on May 28, Mr Livingstone told The Gazette it wasn’t as hard as he thought.

“There was a constant chatter of people as more people joined so that helped distract me,” added Mr Livingstone.

“There was a point where I began to overheat, but when I saw the London skyline I knew there was only a few miles left.”

As Mr Livingstone reached the final 200 metres, Elliott joined the group for the final stretch of the run, to meet the staff who helped him as well as other families the Livingstones had become close with.

The oil and gas worker said his son was more excited about the trip up to London with his mum, Candace, 32, rather than running with his dad.

He added: “It was great to see his face on that final stretch and for him to run the last leg and see all of the great staff who had helped us.”

Along with the fundraising efforts of the Sherfield Park Runners and the Livingstone family, the group managed to raise more than £11,000 for GOSH. Mr Livingstone told The Gazette: “This is a celebration for the hard work of all the people at Great Ormond Street and a victory for this part of Elliott’s life.”

To donate visit justgiving. com/fundraising/AdrianLivingstone2016 or justgiving.com/fundraising/noonerunsalone.