A Bradford grandad is off on foot once again to raise funds for a charity that is fighting the condition that threatened his grandson’s life.

The 53-year-old community worker from Thorpe Edge, who changed his name to Muppet, sets off on Sunday to hike 160 miles in less than seven days for little Amos Pascal Harker.

Amos, of Ilkley, was nine weeks old when he had a seven-hour life-saving operation after doctors discovered he had biliary atresia, a rare condition in babies where the common bile duct between the liver and small intestine becomes blocked.

Only about 50 new cases are diagnosed in the UK each year and the cause is unknown. If unrecognised, it leads to fatal liver damage.

Although Amos, now three, is a perfectly healthy tot it is still likely he could need a full liver transplant in the future, says Muppet.

He said: “He’s not out of the woods yet but his hospital check-ups at LGI’s Children’s Liver unit are just six-monthly now and the doctors are amazed at how well he is doing. They call him wonder boy.”

Muppet has already raised more than £2,000 in the past two years striding the Dales Way both ways in one week and 200 miles from Bowness-on-Windermere to Whitby in just epight and a half days.

This year’s walk will take him round the perimeter of the North York Moors, starting and finishing at Whitby with just his rucksack, tent, radio and a change of shoes for company.

“I’m upgrading a bit this year staying in a couple of hostels but I will be spending a night camping out on the cliffs and trying to snatch some sleep on the railway platform at Great Ayton another night!” he said.

He will be walking between 21 and 27 miles a day to complete the hike with just 12 miles on the final day: “That should take me just half a day though!” he added.

Anyone wanting to sponsor Muppet, who works for CNet in Bradford, can contact him at muppett@cnet.org.uk or go to justgiving.com/Michael-Pascal1.