Friends and family of a beloved grandfather who lost his life to a devasting disease are hoping to raise £5,000 for the hospital which helped improve his life in his final months.
Brian King, from Middlesbrough, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) just 10 months before he died in March, at the age of 74.
The well-known grandfather, who was originally from Manchester but lived in Eston for much of his life, had been working until the age of 72, when he was put on furlough at the start of the pandemic.
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Sadly, he was diagnosed with Bulbar Syndrome last year, a type of MND which sees sufferers deteriorate quickly.
Son Phillip King, son-in-law Stuart Derrick, and friends Craig Benson, Mark Chadwick and Stuart Dawson have decided to take on a huge cycling challenge, which they've called The Road to Boro, to kickstart the family’s fundraising in his memory.
All funds raised will go to MND services at James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where Mr King was treated.
Amanda Derrick, his daughter, said: “The care my dad received and the funds my dad benefited from were amazing so we thought rather than raise money for one of the general charities we would do local fundraising for local services. We can’t thanks them enough for what they’ve done.”
To mark what would have been his 75th birthday, a group of his friends and family will be cycling 135 miles from Old Trafford, the home of his beloved Manchester United, to James Cook.
Setting off early on September 30, they will meet members of the MND team at the hospital when they arrive, including lead nurse Anthony Hanratty, with whom Mr King had a close bond.
Mr King was born in Manchester, though he moved to Teesside at the age of 10, when his parents took over the Thirsty Senator pub in Stockton. He spent the rest of his life there, meeting his wife Elaine at Stockton and Billingham Tech and then moving to Eston after their marriage.
He worked as a technical engineer for companies including ICI, Sabic and Woods until the age of 72, when he was put on furlough when the pandemic hit.
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Not willing to put his feet up at home, he managed to get an allotment with his son Phillip and the pair spent lockdown growing vegetable and delivering them to friends and family, along with eggs from their chickens.
While he remained a passionate supporter of Manchester United, his second team was Middlesbrough
He also loved playing darts and was a regular at The Duke of Wellington in Eston, where £500 was raised in his memory for MND after his death.
A father of two, he also had four grandchildren; Amy, 21, Alice, 18, Cydney, 13 and Rebecca, 9.
They are hoping to raise as much as they can in his memory and have other events planned.
Mrs Derrick added: “We would love to raise £5,000 as well as raise awareness about MND in the local area. The hospital does have a lot available on the NHS bur so much isn’t funded.”
Because of the type of MND he was diagnosed with, he quickly lost the ability to eat or speak, making communication a huge challenge in his last months.
They hope money they raise will go towards providing therapies like hand massage which are not available on the NHS but can provide relief to people with MND, who often struggle with stiff fingers.
To find out more visit their Just Giving page - Stuart Derrick is fundraising for South Tees Hospitals Charity (justgiving.com)
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