A seven-year-old boy who was confined to a wheelchair has challenged himself to walk to school next week after being inspired by a London 2012 project.

Evan Whitton, who was born ten weeks prematurely and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, learned about the London 2012 Inspire marked project at his school Hothfield Primary, in Silsden.

The aim is to get school children to walk, scoot or cycle to school to promote a more healthy way of travelling.

Schools across Bradford were invited to take part in the event in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As soon as Evan heard about the project he set himself the challenge to keep working hard to try and walk to school on Wednesday instead of getting there in his wheelchair.

He said: “Before we started the project I did a lot of walking with and without my crutches at school and at home. After we started the project I wanted to do more steps to get extra miles for the school.

“I did my first practice walk to school on my crutches and it took me one hour and eight minutes to walk the journey which is a mile. I was very tired afterwards but I was proud of myself.”

Evan has always had difficulty walking and at the age of six travelled with his parents Lynda and Andrew to St Louis, in America, to obtain surgery that he couldn’t get in this country.

The operation changed his life around and enabled him to walk with the aid of sticks. Teaching assistant Rachel Court said: “Even though this is very tiring for Evan, he is determined to walk by himself.”

Evan is also eager to meet wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft, of Halifax, who will accompany him on his first walk to school. Hannah is reigning world champion for the 100 metres and is currently preparing to take part in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. She began wheelchair racing when she was 13. Coaches later drafted her into the national team.

Tom Jones, Bradford Council's assistant transport planner, said: “It is truly inspiring to hear about this young boy’s efforts.”