John runs every day in October to help raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease

After 31 days and almost 500 miles run Berkhamsted’s John English will end his month-long fundraising challenge in the town this weekend.

John has run every day in the October – starting on 1 October with a one-mile run as part of Sir Kevin Sinfield’s 7 in 7 Challenge in Oldham. On 2 October he ran two miles and so on. On Saturday, he will complete his 496-mile challenge with a 31-mile run as part of the Chiltern Ridge Race.

So far, John has raised more than £11,000 for the MND Association, in memory of his friend, Simon New and former rugby league legend Rob Burrow CBE, who both died from MND, and to raise awareness of the terminal, neurological disease which affects around 5,000 people in the UK at any one time.

John said: “I’ve been hugely inspired by Sir Kevin Sinfield and so it was wonderful to be able to start the challenge alongside him on 1 October. Since then I have mainly run in this region, including runs in Watford, London, Luton, Eton, Beaconsfield and Tring and it will be great to finish on Saturday in Berkhamsted.

“The little gestures and messages of support I’ve received have helped me keep going in the dark moments and I’m incredibly grateful for all the donations.”

Every day in the UK, six people are diagnosed with MND, a disease which attacks the nerves which send messages to the muscles. Within months, MND can affect a person’s ability to speak, eat or even breathe. Every pound raised helps support people with MND and their families while also funding research into potential new treatments.

The MND Association’s Roger Widdecombe said: “This has been a huge challenge for John and we are so grateful to him for everything he is doing to support people with MND.

“Every mile matters and we wish John all the very best for the last few days of his challenge.”

For more information about John’s challenge, or to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/page/john-english-6

Find out more about MND and the MND Association on our website: mndassociation.org