A Hitchin foodie has taken on a mammoth chocolate challenge for a worthy cause – raising money for the family of a recently paralysed man.

Franco Angelini has long been a fan of eating challenges and decided to take on his latest test when he heard that Fabio’s Gelato in Hitchin were raising money for a good cause.

For every £35 ‘Carlos the caterpillar’ cake sold, the store will donate £5 to the family of Ethan Burn, a 22-year-old Hitchin man who was paralysed from the neck down after a diving accident in Thailand. 

On Easter Sunday, Franco decided to film himself eating not one, but two of these cakes, designed to feed six to 10 people, and upload it to YouTube in the hope of raising awareness for the family's fundraiser.

The Comet: Franco Angelini hopes to raise awareness for paralysed Ethan BurnFranco Angelini hopes to raise awareness for paralysed Ethan Burn (Image: JJDMedia.co.uk)

Franco said: “Eating challenges are one of my biggest hobbies and I was able to take down the two Colin’s quite easily! I decided to approach Fabio’s about doing this after I heard they were helping to donate money to Ethan’s family.

"It’s such a tragic story and the money would go to making his home more adaptable and comfortable for him.

“When I heard about the cause I thought it would be fantastic to use my YouTube channel and the eating challenge to make people aware of what is such an important and tragic story.”

A spokesperson for Fabio’s Gelato said: “When Franco contacted us about his eating challenge, we thought he was mad to take on not one but two Carlos the caterpillar gelato cakes in one go.

Not only was his challenge lots of fun, but it also helps to raise awareness for Ethan's fundraising appeal.”

Franco’s channel, ‘Franco’s Feasts’ has around 800 subscribers and sees him travel to a variety of venues and tackle eating challenges, while promoting local businesses and shining a light on them and their history.

He describes himself as ‘being on a mission to travel the country and tackle the biggest food challenges’.

Franco’s eating challenge can be watched on his YouTube channel at 8pm on Easter Sunday. You can donate to Ethan’s fundraiser by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/page/ethan-burn-empower-a-spinal-injuries-champion.