The look of delight on the face of little Megan Flint as she gets a ‘high five’ crossing the finish line of a half-marathon says it all.

Megan, aged nine, took part in the Little Half – the final 2.4 miles of the Vitality Big Half Marathon in Greenwich – to raise cash for the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance.

She had witnessed the important job the service does in small towns and knows the cost of keeping their helicopter in the air.

Megan, from Burnham, completed the course in just 28 minutes, but before the run had even started, her race was thrown into doubt when her running partner was forced to withdraw at the last minute.

Mum Rosie said: “Her Auntie Phoebe was due to be running the Big Half, but unfortunately had to pull out of the race because of a knee injury.

“Thankfully the organisers allowed her partner Hamish to submit a late entry so he could run with Megan.”

The youngster has smashed her target of £100.

Donations have since quadrupled, with the total raised now standing at £450.

Air ambulance fundraising manager Sabi Stafford said: “This is an amazing effort by Megan.

“She has won the hearts of everyone at the charity who has heard her story and we are so grateful for her support.

“She had to cope with some really unpleasant weather to complete the event, but seems to have done so with a smile on her face.

“She should be really proud of what she accomplished and the money she has raised at such a young age.

“As a charity, we depend on the support of people such as Megan to help fund our life-saving work.”

It isn’t the first time the schoolgirl has fundraised for a good cause.

Last year Megan and neighbour Charlie Wiggins spent a day selling sweets from her driveway, with the aim of helping to fund a new RNLI lifeboat.

They raised £150 and were personally invited to present the proceeds to Burnham lifeboat operations manager Dave Nichols.