ASTON Villa skipper Jack Grealish boosted a fan's appeal to raise cash for a Stourbridge hospice in memory of his mum by donating £1k - bringing the total raised to a massive £23k.

Jack and the Villa team are backing Brad Hickman's fundraiser which has seen him run 5k every day for a year to raise cash for Mary Stevens Hospice.

Assistant head coach and Chelsea legend John Terry ran Jack's final 5k with him on Tuesday May 11, which was the tenth anniversary of the death of his mum Kim Ralph, from a brain tumour at just 43.

Brad Hickman and John Terry

Brad Hickman and John Terry

Kim, from Halesowen, worked at Windsor High as a receptionist and was a huge Villa fan.

Players Jack Grealish, Tyrone Mings, Matty Cash and Matt Targett came out to meet Brad and told him how impressed they were.

Jack Grealish, Tryone Mings and Brad Hickman

Jack Grealish, Tryone Mings and Brad Hickman

The 27-year-old, from Stourbridge, had been invited to Villa's training ground at Bodymoor Heath after his friends contacted the team about his amazing efforts which have seen him run 5k every day for 365 days whatever the weather.

Former Windsor High pupil Brad, said: "John Terry was fantastic.

"He was great - we bombarded him with questions on the 5k and he answered all of them. He's former England captain - to have a conversation with him was unbelievable.

"He made such an effort - we couldn't have asked for any more from him."

Brad was then blown away when he was surprised by the other players.

He said: "Jack Grealish said what an achievement it was an that he didn't think he'd have been able to do the run with his shins like they are at the moment.

"He said he was going to donate - we said bye and then I had a message on my phone saying he had donated £1k - what a guy!

"It was an experience I'll never forget."

The donation from Jack Grealish

The donation from Jack Grealish

Brad said his mum, who was a Villa season ticket holder, would have been amazed by the support he's had from the team.

He said: "She would have been so proud - she would have been speechless. She's the reason why I'm a Villa fan.

"She would have been in awe of all the players."

Brad with mum Kim and sister Rebecca supporting their beloved Villa

Brad with mum Kim and sister Rebecca supporting their beloved Villa

Kim died just months after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour after suffering seizures.

Ten years on and Brad remembers the fantastic support he, and little sister Rebecca, now aged 20, received from Mary Stevens Hospice.

When mum Kim was diagnosed Brad, a former pupil at King Edward VI College, was taking his A-levels.

With the support he got he managed to get the marks he needed to go to Worcester University to complete a business degree and works for a rental company.

Staff at Mary Stevens helped the family, including working with his mother to create special memories – including hand prints - before she passed away.

Brad's fundraiser is not over - he is planning a 16-mile run on May 23 starting from Stourbridge crematorium, past Mary Stevens, his mum's childhood home, Windsor High and finishing at the Villa ground - as a grand finale.

He said: “The hospice were really great. They have done such a lot for me and my sister, we'll never forget what they did for us.”

To donate in memory of Kim Ralph, go to Brad's fundraising page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/brad-hickman