Will you be the one who gets 'Captain Tobias' to the magical £100,000?

‘He’, of course, is Captain Tobias, the nine-year-old Sheffield boy who has captured the city’s hearts by raising the staggering sum for his two favourite charities.

When Tobias - who has cerebral palsy and autism and walks with a frame - started his marathon challenge on the street outside his Beauchief house, he initially hoped to raise just £500.

But as news of his ‘ginormous journey’ got out, the youngster increased his target, first to £1,000, then £2,000, then £10,000 and £20,000 and finally to £30,000 just two weeks ago.

And since Tobias completed his marathon on Sunday, the fund has gone into overdrive, taking off from just over £40,000 to an astonishing £98,000 now, less than £2,000 way from £100,000.

The money has been raised from more than 4,500 individual donations, ranging in size from £2 to one massive donation, given by an anonymous donor called simply ‘Spock’, of £1,000.

Tobias’ mum Ruth said they never imagined they would raise so much money.

She said: “I just put it out on What’s App at the beginning and we had £250 by the end of the first walk. So we increased and increased it and the Star helped us get past £20,000.

“Then we were on This Morning when Eamon and Ruth got us past £30,000 - but the appearance brought in another £12,000 on its own.

“He started the final leg of the marathon on £43,000 but by the end of the day it had gone up to £70,000. We were on Sky News every hour until 11pm which had a big impact.”

The money Tobias has raised will go to Sheffield Children’s Hospital’s charity as well as Paces School in High Green, with the cash being equally divided between the two.

Discussions are ongoing between Tobias and the two charities but both are keen for the money to be used to create a lasting legacy for the youngster’s efforts.

To contribute to Tobias’ fund, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ruth-garbutt-3.