A Harrogate man who has been blind since the age of nine has raised £2,600 for three causes close to his heart after completing the Yorkshire Marathon last October. With the support of his guide, Darren McClintock, Andy completed the amazing achievement in 5 hours, 36 minutes.
Andy Wilson, who is Director of RolltheRock, a charity that he set up that works with young people and their leaders, had to have both his eyes removed at the age of nine after losing his sight due to retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer that affects the retina.
Along with RolltheRock, Andy raised money for Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity, for both the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre and the Dermatology Unit at Harrogate District Hospital.
Andy was diagnosed in 2015 with two lots of melanoma and has had to undergo intensive operations, and had to have skin remover. Andy wanted to give something back to show his appreciation for their fantastic care so decided to take on the marathon.
Speaking about the run, Andy said: “During the run, I remembered all the support and care I had been given from the wonderful staff at Harrogate Hospital. This gave me all the motivation I needed to keep running, and get to the end, knowing I was giving something back to those that got me through my treatment.”
David Fisher, Community and Events Fundraiser at Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity, said: “Andy is an inspiration to all and we are very grateful for his fantastic support. We are only able to make a difference to the patients, their families and the staff because of the generosity and commitment of our fantastic supporters like Andy!”
ENDS
Pictured: (L-R)Sarah Grant, Andy Wilson, Julie Crossman, Louise Binns & Rachel Phillips
For further information please contact:
Stephen Kelly, Communications and Marketing Assistant, [email protected] and 01423 557732.
Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity
Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity is the Charity for Harrogate District Hospital and Community Health Services. We raise funds to help do more for local patients and their families when they need it most. We fund specialist equipment, training and services over and above what the NHS provides. We raise funds for individual departments and services and the charity as a whole. To support Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity visit www.hdft.nhs.uk/hhcc
Registered charity 1050008
Roll The Rock
RolltheRock was established in 2004 by Andy Wilson, with the vision to remove obstacles and enable young people to be who God wants them to be. 12 years on and we have supported youth workers and young people in their local contexts, been part of numerous national initiatives, have growing international relations with different ministries across the world (most notably in India and Rwanda), and have established local relationships across Harrogate and Knaresborough, where we are based. RolltheRock received charitable status in 2014. We now have two staff members, trustees to help oversee the running of the organisation and a vision team, who assist in the processing of all that RolltheRock is involved in. We remain committed to the vision of seeing young people free to be who God wants them to be. www.Rolltherock.org.uk
Registered charity 1158834