A TWELVE-year-old boy who has had life-long problems with his bowel and bladder has raised more than £700 in an effort to support children at the hospital which looked after him.

Oliver Colam has struggled with his condition since he was a toddler and has been fitted with an Antegrade Continence Enema (ACE) - allowing him to manage bowel emptying at a convenient time each day.

The ACE requires a painful procedure each night, taking up to an hour to do.

Oliver, a pupil at King David High school, has since undertaken a walking challenge of 5k a day for a week- with his money raised smashing his initial £100 target.

His mum, Lisa, said: "It has been really difficult for him - mentally, physically and socially.

"He has been in and out of hospital for most of his life and what he wanted to do was highlight what he and others go through."

"I think highlighting the issue is really important. Until we met a group on Facebook, we thought he was the only one who had problems like he did."

Though the condition can be embarrassing at times and a heavy hindrance for some people, Oliver strives to combat the stigma as much as possible through education and information.

He has often explained his condition to other pupils during his time at school, with what Lisa calls even the "hardest kids" being shocked and thinking it is "awful."

The money Oliver has raised through his JustGiving fundraiser is set to go to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, which he attends regularly.

He hopes that the money can go towards an Xbox with an adapted controller- which means children with certain disabilities can still play on the games console.

Lisa added: "He's very proud of himself and he has been amazing.

"He specifically asked for the money to go the ward that he regularly goes to, so that the children there can enjoy the Xbox."