Space hop with Boris

The project, launched by disabled children’s charity KIDS, will see members of the public designing their own space hoppers and trying to break the world record for the largest space hop race.

Mr Johnson said, ‘I’m urging everyone to get behind this campaign and get hopping for KIDS.

‘They provide care and support to thousands of disabled children and young people and are a life line to families across the country including over 3,000 in our capital city.’

The first part of the campaign encourages young people across the country to create their own space hoppers through a competition, with a panel of experts judging the designs.

All entries will be available on the charity’s website and on social media, using the hashtag #SpacehopperKIDS. The winning designs will be shown at an exhibition in London this summer.

In the second part, a Big Spacehop Challenge race in London will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest space hop race.

The record is currently held jointly by Yorkshire Cancer Research, Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity and Cavendish Cancer Care, who gathered 771 people together in 2010 and raised £50,000 for charity.

The event is open to anyone, adults and children alike, in a bid to raise funds and awareness of the challenges people with disabilities face.

Peter Rowbottom, director of fundraising at KIDS, said, ‘We are running this event to support disabled children across the country and hope to raise thousands of pounds.’

KIDS cares for more than 8,000 disabled children, young people and families a year across the UK, with services for early years such as inclusive KIDS nurseries and support for home learning.

• The deadline for entries to design your space hopper is 21 August and a provisional date for the Big Spacehop Challenge has been set for 19 September.