A DOZEN people have abseiled off a castle to raise funds for research into motor neurone disease.
The team from Darlington Round Table were inspired to take on the challenge by Flo Campbell, who lives in the town and was diagnosed with the devastating condition earlier this year.
The 35-year-old, along with children Rory, 5, and Edith, 2, attended the event on Sunday to watch her husband Ross abseil from Walworth Castle.
The couple, who live in Darlington, are both optometrists and run Specsavers in Richmond and Northallerton.
Read more: Darlington dad to abseil off castle for MND Association
The event was to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association.
About £1,700 was raised through the abseil, adding to what Ross has already raised through completing a series of nine half marathons in six weeks.
He said: “It was a really good day and we nearly all managed it.
“It was good fun and we all enjoyed it.
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“I’d like to thank everyone who helped organise it, allowing us to use the castle, and everyone who has supported. The aim of the day was to try and raise awareness about MND and raise as much as we can.”
He is hoping to raise £20,000 through various challenges and is now starting to train for an open water swim.
He added: “After all the running my Achilles tendon is a bit knackered so I’m doing a bit of swimming instead. I haven’t done it since I was a kid really.”
He has set his overall target at £20,000, which would fund laboratory equipment for more than a year for research, or provide 40 people living with the condition a tablet device with communication software, allowing them to communicate with loved ones.
Flo, whose MND diagnosis came out of the blue earlier this year, is one of the signatories of a letter calling for more Government funding for research.
Rugby player Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2019, is one of the leading voices of the campaign calling for £50m to be invested.
He delivered an open letter, with 50 pages of signatures, to the Prime Minister last month.
Ross added: “There’s funding for some neurological degenerative diseases but there’s nothing specific for motor neurone disease.
“If people want to contact their MPs about it that would be wonderful.”
To donate visit: www.justgiving.com/team/TeamFightForFlo.
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