By Ben Stevens
Fundraisers in Leicestershire will walk nearly 100 miles in Scotland to raise money for children affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).
People in aid of Alex’s Wish will walk 96 miles from Mulgavnie, north of Glasgow to Fort William in just six days in April.
The walk is one of numerous events the charity holds each year and will raise money for research and clinical trials.
Events and fundraising manager Zoe Edwards, who is also doing the walk, said: “We’re doing a little bit of training just to get the feeling of going for a long walk, then going to bed and then going for another long walk.
“There’s going to be some really tired legs but we know it’s all for a good cause.
“We’ve got lots of other events coming up as well including a 50-mile cycle around Charnwood Forest in May as well as a golf day and charity ball in the autumn.”
The charity was set up in 2012 by parents Emma and Andy Hallam after their son Alex’s diagnosis with DMD.
Since then the charity has raised about £1.4m and has invested more than £600,000 in 27 projects.
Zoe Edwards added: “We started off small but we have grown and now we are fundraising nationally.”
DMD is the most severe type of muscular dystrophy and mainly affects boys, with diagnosis taking place in early childhood.
It is a progressive, muscle-wasting disease that leads to increased disability and illness in children as they get older, with many living only in to their 20s and 30s.
Figures from the NHS show that 100 boys are born with DMD each year and that 2,500 boys in the UK have DMD at any one time.
For more information or to donate to Alex’s Wish you can visit their website at: https://alexswish.co.uk/
