An inspirational young wheelchair athlete can continue with his dreams of Olympic success, after a much-needed charity cash injection.

Jack Binstead’s career was in jeopardy because funds had become so tight for the 12-year-old and his Chessington family.

Things got so bad his dedicated family could only afford to follow him to recent athletic championships if they tackled a 10-hour drive to Switzerland.

His mother Penny said: “We were finding it really hard financially.

"We couldn’t even afford his sports gear.

"I’d chopped up his trousers myself because we couldn’t afford to get him proper racing trousers and I was sending him out in £5 Tesco trainers.

“They were so uncomfortable that he was racing barefoot in the end.”

The £3,000 donation from Generations Charitable Trust means Jack can continue his quest for success, with the knowledge there is money to fall back on when times are hard.

Jack suffers from brittle bone disease, so often has to have his legs broken for metal rods to be inserted.

This year is the first year since he turned seven that he has not had to bear the pain of an operation.

Mrs Binstead said: “He was absolutely stoked when he heard about the money. It was really fraught at times because I was having to say ‘no, you can’t do this and that’. It’s heartbreaking to say no.

“The money came right at the end, when we thought we really wouldn’t be able to do it anymore.

“Now I think, in the next year or so, he’s really going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

Generations Charitable Trust aims to provide a better quality of life for children who need it the most and its shop in Wimbledon Village relies on donations to help raise vital funds.

Administrator Emily Callow said she “blubbed” at the thank you email she received from Jack’s father Graham.

She said: “He wants to achieve so much and it’s absolutely inspirational.”

• Got a great story for us? Let us know by email here, phone the newsdesk on 020 8330 9555 or leave a comment below.