Rio, 9, fundraises for charity that helped brother

A nine-year-old boy has completed a Tough Mudder to support the charity that stepped in to help when his teenage brother was paralysed.

Rio Lopes smashed his target of £500 for the Hertford-based Rooprai Spinal Trust when he took on the muddy assault course event in Manchester with his friend, Lavelle Khaliq, also nine.

The Stockport youngster was desperate to raise funds for the spinal injuries charity as a way of saying thank you for the support it had given his brother, Marellis.

Rio said: “Rooprai has helped my brother a lot and I wanted to be able to give them some money.”

Rugby-loving teenager Marellis, who played for Manchester, had been working out in his garden earlier this year when he suffered a spinal stroke that left him paralysed from the neck down.

After struggling for physio support after leaving hospital, his nan found Rooprai Spinal Trust on social media and reached out. Three days later he was having his first session at The Rehab Physio on the Wirral.

Mum Alice who has a third son, Teddy, said: “It was Rio’s idea to do the Tough Mudder for a wonderful charity that is close to our hearts. It has helped his big brother by providing him with absolutely amazing physio sessions that have changed Marellis’s outlook for his future. The physio has rebuilt his confidence and helped in finding the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I am so proud of Rio. He has been an absolute superstar. He has gone through a lot this year after nearly losing his big brother who means everything to him. The whole way through, Rio has been by his brother’s side. He has been our rock and he has the kindest of hearts.

“He just wants to help make both his brothers smile and has always been the brightest beam of positivity.”

The youngster had originally set a target of £500, but has now achieved over £700.

Andy Uttridge, from Royston, who co-founded the charity after the car crash that left his partner Marrianne Rooprai paralysed, said: “We can’t thank Rio enough for his fundraising efforts. It is amazing that he chose to do this for us and we are incredibly grateful.”