Oli's fundraiser for The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation
Oli Kay is raising money for The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation
Story
It's such a brutal disease. To be told you have a life expectancy of two to five years, it’s … it’s tough. You do know what's going to happen, but we didn't want to sit there and not do anything. It's important to keep looking forward and stay as positive as we can to try to make a difference."
In 2019 former Liverpool, Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers footballer Stephen Darby announced he had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Three years later former Bristol Rovers, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Sunderland, Bristol City, Preston, Yeovil and Exeter forward Marcus Stewart announced he too was among 5,000 people in the UK living with MND.
MND is a neurological condition which causes the cells and nerves in the brain and spinal cord to degenerate, leading to severe deterioration and loss of function. There is no known cure.
On the weekend of March 21-23 I will be participating in "March of the Day 2" as part of a group walking from Wembley Stadium to Portman Road, Ipswich, to raise funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, the charity Stephen launched in 2019 with his friend Chris Rimmer.
As the crow flies, it's about 80 miles from Wembley to Portman Road. But we're taking the scene route, going into and all around London, with brief stop-offs at (deep breath) Barnet, Wingate & Finchley, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, QPR, Brentford, Chelsea Women, AFC Wimbledon, Sutton United, Carshalton, Crystal Palace, Coney Hall, Bromley, Welling, Charlton, Millwall, West Ham, Leyton Orient, Dagenham & Redbridge, AFC Hornchurch, Billericay, Chelmsford, Braintree, Colchester … and finally Ipswich, where Marcus was the Premier League’s second highest scorer in 2000/01.
In total, it's 178 miles across two-and-a-half days, with hundreds of walkers joining us at various points along the way. I won't be doing the full 178 miles, but we will all be walking an enormous distance over the two-and-a-half days in the hope of raising a lot of money for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.
Chris died in April 2022, but his legacy lives on with the charity. Marcu, has taken the baton and joined Stephen in campaigning and fundraising for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation. Marcus's wife Louise is among the core team of walkers for March of the Day 2, as are Stephen's brother Kevin and father-in-law Len.
It’s a repeat of last year’s March of the Day, which took us from Bradford to Liverpool via a similarly circuitous route. It was exhausting, mentally and physically, barely sleeping for three days, but it was also one of the most fulfilling things I’ve done in my life.
As well as funding and assisting research in the hope of finding a cure, the foundation offers financial assistance and creates support networks for those diagnosed with this horrible disease -- and their carers.
There are so many wonderful, important causes and initiatives on this site and I know this is a challenging financial climate, but any help you can give by way of sponsorship and publicity for this event will be hugely appreciated.
Many thanks 🙏
Oli
https://darbyrimmermnd.co.uk/march-of-the-day/
https://www.redwoodevents.co.uk/march-of-the-day/
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=350340861279918&id=100089120203384&mibextid=KsPBc6