Stuie Delf has been congratulated for his outstanding fundraising efforts by Captain Tom Moore

Stuie, aged 13, from Huntingdon, raised more than £16,000 for the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) after he ran 5k every day in May.

He chose to run for EACH in memory of his nine-year-old brother, Fraser, who died at EACH’s hospice in Milton on January 17.

Fraser had Coats plus syndrome, a rare condition that affects multiple organs, causing brain abnormalities that worsen over time, slow growth, movement disorders, seizures and a decline in intellectual function.

Having completed his fundraising challenge, Stuie, a student at Hinchingbrooke School, received praise from the duchesses of Cambridge and Cornwall, and has now been congratulated by Captain Tom.

The NHS fundraising hero sent Stuie a video message applauding his efforts, and appeared alongside his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and her two children, Captain Tom’s grandchildren, Benji and Georgia.

In the video Hannah, sat beside Captain Tom, said: “Well on behalf of Captain Tom and the entire family, Stuie, we are so impressed by what you’ve achieved. It’s simply incredible.”

Benji added: “We know your brother would have been incredibly proud, as are we.”

Captain Tom started and Georgia finished by reiterating their congratulations to Stuie, with a “well done, Stuie”.

Stuie received the video, via mum Carla Delf, 36, a teaching assistant at Godmanchester Community Academy, on June 26.

She said: “I woke Stuie up to show him. After having a few low days, it put a smile on his face. We couldn’t believe they had gone to that effort to send us a video.”

Not long before Stuie received a well-deserved congratulations from Captain Tom and his family, he, Carla and dad Stuart, 42, an engineer at Mass Racing, took part in a Zoom call with EACH Royal Patron HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, as well as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, to mark Children’s Hospice Week. They discussed the excellent and vital care that hospice staff provide, and the positive environments hospices provide for families to make happy memories during the most difficult times in their lives. The duchesses also expressed their congratulations to the incredible amount of effort Stuie put into his fundraiser.

Nervous at first about a call with royalty, Carla said: “We, as a family, felt truly honoured to be given the opportunity to have a Zoom call with both duchesses. We were all very nervous, which soon went as they put us at ease so quickly.”

A week after their call, during which The Duchess of Cambridge promised to plant a sunflower in memory of Fraser, the Duchess visited The Nook, EACH’s Norfolk-based hospice, where she helped garden and kept her promise by potting a sunflower for the Delfs.

Carla, blown away by the news, said: “Having a sunflower planted for Fraser is very special to us. It’s something we’ll treasure forever.”

Reflecting on the impact of EACH, Carla said: “We can’t thank the hospice at Milton enough. Each and every staff member was amazing and made sure Fraser was comfortable at all times.”

To support the charity and donate to Stuie’s JustGiving page visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ourstarfraser.