Connie and I have been friends for over 30 years (see youthful photo below)

We wanted to do something together and what better way to spend time together than running a marathon.

This charity means a lot to Jen, William's grandmother Janet died of MND a few years ago. Rugby league also means a lot - fond memories of watching games at Whitehaven with my Dad (and now William has done his first game too - he loved it).

Con lives partly in Leeds and so this is a local and personal marathon for her. She will be running this marathon in memory of her very special friend Leila. Leila was a very keen runner and came from Leeds so this marathon will be a chance to celebrate her life, the joy and light she bought to others. This marathon for Con is all about friendship and being able to run to honour that for Leila.

It's also a chance for us to give thanks for over 30 years of friendship from St Bees to Leeds! As the words of the song say "we've come a long, long way together through the good times and the bad!"

The money you are able to give could help the charity in the following ways:

£120 could provide an overbed table, making it easier for someone with MND to eat, drink and read safely and comfortably in bed

£230 could fund the coordination of care for someone with MND at a Care Centre for a year

£500 could provide a tablet device with specialist communication software, allowing someone to communicate with loved ones

£750 could fund an MND expert researcher for a week

Every penny raised from The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon will bring us closer to achieving our ultimate mission; a world free from MND.