Boy races against giant tortoise at Cotswold Wildlife Park

George Andrews raced against George, a 90-year-old giant tortoise, to see who could finish their cube first.

Mr Andrews completed his puzzle in just 66 seconds, while George took just under five minutes to finish an edible Rubik’s Cube.

The heartwarming race took place during a visit to Cotswold Wildlife Park, raising funds for Midlands Air Ambulance in support of the charity that helped save the life of Mr Andrews’ grandfather.

Megan Howard, head of reptiles at Cotswold Wildlife Park, said: “After hearing about George and Alfie’s Give Back Challenge, we decided to organise a special activity for them.

“Knowing what a Rubik’s Cube fan George is, we created an ‘Eat vs Complete’ challenge between 10-year-old George and our 90-year-old Giant Tortoise, also named George.

“We made an edible Rubik’s Cube using foods from the Giant Tortoise’s natural diet, including carrot and butternut squash.

“The challenge would see who finished first – Giant Tortoise George or young George.”

Mr Andrews said: “I can’t believe they actually made a Rubik’s Cube out of vegetables for Giant Tortoise George — that was so cool!

“Today was really fun and I loved taking part in the challenge.”

His brother Alfie, who joined him at the park, explained the motivation behind their fundraising efforts.

He said: “We’re doing this because Midlands Air Ambulance helped save our grandad’s life.

“George and I wanted to help raise money back for them because they help lots of people really quickly when they’re hurt or poorly.

“We also want to make fundraising fun so more people want to join in and help too.”

Their mother Tara said: “As parents, we are incredibly proud of both George and Alfie.

“Seeing the kindness, confidence and determination they put into helping others means the world to us.

“Today was such a special experience and the team at Cotswold Wildlife Park went above and beyond to make it unforgettable for the boys.”

The Rubik’s Cube challenge drew a supportive crowd, including residents from The Lakes Care Centre in Cirencester.

Among them were 93-year-old Evelyn Smith and 101-year-old Pat Baxter, who later got to meet their favourite animal at the park.

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity receives no government funding and responds to up to 4,500 emergency calls each year.

Covering several counties, including Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, the service relies entirely on public donations to meet its £20 million annual running costs.