A KIND-HEARTED little boy with a heart of gold is hoping to raise as much money as he can to help the neonatal unit which cared for his late baby sister.

Jacob Hodkinson, 10, will take the plunge in the Bradford Royal Infirmary's (BRI) charity abseil in a touching tribute to the care his prematurely-born sister Poppy received there back in 2014.

Weighing under 2lbs when she was born, Poppy sadly died at just five days old, but it's hoped other families will benefit from the money her big brother Jacob raises.

Proud mum Louise, 27, a nurse at the BRI said the abseil is about "giving to other families" in the hope that the lives of others in similar situations are made easier during testing times.

She praised the "brilliant" unit and its staff for the care Poppy received.

Speaking about daredevil Jacob's involvement in the abseil, Louise said: "He's looking forward to it, he's not nervous.

"He keeps asking when it's going to be."

Poppy would have turned four on the 25th August this year, so the charity abseil, which takes place next month, has also come at a fitting time for the family.

Jacob, a pupil at Cottingley Village Primary School, initially set himself a target of £100, but as donations began to mount up, he raised it to £500.

His fundraising total currently stands at nearly £370 and he's encouraging people to donate to his cause - even if it's only £1.

Writing about Poppy on his JustGiving page, Jacob said: "I was really upset and miss her loads and talk about her every day.

"My sister would be very pleased with all people sponsoring me!

"My target is now £500 because I have had such an amazing response."

The charity abseil, which has a superhero theme, will take place on Saturday, September 22, at the hospital in Duckworth Lane.

Hayley Collis, Head of Fundraising for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity, said: “Every single day our doctors and nurses prove they are the best superheroes of all.

"We would invite people to dress as their real life superheroes or as fictional superheroes.

"But most importantly, we ask everyone to raise as much money as possible to enable us to continue to support patients and their families in Bradford.”

Bradford Hospitals’ Charity works in partnership with Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to support specialist equipment, training and research.

It has funded a number of essential items, including the Baby View software in the neonatal unit, which allows parents to see their baby via video link, as well as the My Life dementia software.

To support Jacob in his fundraising mission, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jacob-hodkinson