TWO brothers are to brave freezing temperatures by wearing shorts to school every day throughout winter.

Tom Mayoh, 10, and his brother Jack, eight, are taking on the chilly challenge in memory of their mum, Louise, who died this year.

The siblings, who go to St Barnabas School in Darwen, hope that by baring their legs they will be able to raise £6,000 for East Lancashire Hospice, which helped care for their mum in the final weeks of her life.

The pair originally set their target at £1,000 but it soon became apparent that they could aim much higher after raising more than £4,000 following a TV appearance.

Dad Gareth Mayoh said: “The boys and I are blown away by the support we’ve received so far.

“They’ve absolutely smashed their original target and are now setting their sights at raising £6,000. It is incredible to watch the donations coming in.”

Speaking about Louise, Mr Mayoh said: “Louise was a great mum. Each morning in the summer she would alternate between long trousers and shorts, depending on the weather.

“When Louise died, to help me, the boys just wore their shorts. We only realised the other day that they have gone the whole summer in their shorts - and we joked that they might as well wear them all winter too.

“The boys had a think and said they wanted to do it to raise money for the hospice, so they’ll be wearing their shorts for school every day regardless of the weather, until March 20 - the first day of spring.”

Louise was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 but despite a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the cancer spread to her bones.

After contracting pneumonia, doctors said there was nothing else they could do and she died in July, aged 39.

Tom said: “We are wearing our shorts for school all winter for East Lancashire Hospice because they looked after our mum so well. We know it’s not going to be easy, especially if it snows and when it is really cold and icy, but the thought of all the money that is going to be raised will keep us going.”

Mr Mayoh added: “The donations are flooding in. The boys love checking who has donated each morning before school.”

The brothers are also planning a stall at their school’s Christmas fair – and some of their friends have said they might join in the challenge.

To help support Tom and Jack, visit www.justgiving.com/Tom-JackMayoh