A 10-YEAR-OLD boy determined to tackle the growing issue of homelessness has challenged himself to give up sugary treats this month, to raise money for those most in need.

Mickey Browning, of Montgomery Road in Barry, set himself the task of doing a 'Sugar Free February' after hearing about the challenge, which involves – as the name suggests – steering clear of sugary snacks like chocolate and sweets for the entire month.

He aims to raise around £200 for the Welsh homelessness charity, Llamau.

Mickey's mum, Fran Ceriani, recently moved with her son to the Neath area, and says that since he began splitting his time between there and his father's in Barry, he has become increasingly aware of the dangers and difficulties faced by homeless people.

"There are a lot of homeless people begging around Neath and Swansea and so he has started asking questions regarding homelessness," said Miss Ceriani.

"The ones around that we have seen have also been young, so we decided on the charity Llamau as they help prevent youth homelessness to break the cycle."

Llamau, based in Cardiff, are seeking to eradicate homelessness for young and vulnerable people in Wales. Formed 30 years ago, they have helped nearly 70,000 young people who were either homeless or facing homelessness to stabilise and get their lives back on track.

Miss Ceriani said that her son really wanted to make a difference, deciding to set himself the toughest challenge he could think of in order to raise money.

"He thought Sugar Free February would be a real challenge for him to cut out all the nice things like sweets, cakes and chocolates," said Miss Ceriani.

"He thought the more of a challenge he set himself, the more likely people would be to donate and so the more money he'd raise. He couldn't think of anything tougher than going without sugar for a whole month."

To donate to Mickey's Sugar Free February, visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/mickey-browning.