A firefighter has run five kilometres a day for a month to raise money for Dravet syndrome.

Sean Bostrom from Douglas has taken part in a fundraiser for Dravet Syndrome UK to help with stem cell research into the condition.

Dravet syndrome is a lifelong neurological condition that manifests itself as a chronic form of epilepsy that begins in the first year of life.

It results in frequent and prolonged seizures, movement, balance and speech issues as well as other problems.

Sean’s niece, Tamara Ward, has set up a JustGiving page in aid of the charity, inspired by her nephew, Dominic, who suffers from the condition.

Sean took on the challenge of running ’5K every day in May for dravet’ and he contributed part of a sum of over £36,000 raised for the cause.

While he was out practicing he met Tom and Lynda Davies from Castletown - parents of the only child in the island with Dravet syndrome.

He said: ’I was really nervous as it’s a big commitment, it’s not a long way but it’s every day so I was warming up and I ended up meeting them.’

Sean met Lyidan, three-and-a-half, who was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome before his first birthday.

’If I needed motivation, that was it,’ Sean said.

Tom Davies, Lyidan’s father, ’couldn’t believe’ they had bumped into Sean.

He said: ’We saw a chap in a Dravet syndrome vest, so we stopped and it turned out he was fundraising for it.’

Lynda, Lyidan’s mother, added: ’For the one family who have a child with the condition to spot him is amazing.

’Sean was doing it for Dominic but once he’d met Lyidan, he was definitely doing it for him too.’

They expressed their gratitude at seeing others do the challenge.

Lynda said: ’For these people to run 5K a day for a month in support of a condition that doesn’t affect them, it’s heartwarming.’

’He’s remarkable for doing it,’ Tom added.

Sean was joined by others on his runs, including Tom, and on the last day he did 25 laps of the fire station with his White Watch colleagues.

Lyidan also joined in for a lap which Sean described as ’really emotional.’

The couple felt spreading awareness of the condition was most important to them.

Lynda said: ’When we go out anything can be a trigger, it’s so much more than epilepsy and people don’t know that.’ Sean sustained a stress fracture on his lower left ankle sometime during the month.