I’m running the Oxford Half Marathon on 8 October to raise money for the Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia Support Group in memory of my cousin Dean who died from a complicated form of this rare disease in 2013 at the age of 43.

Dean was 39 when he first started experiencing some difficulty initially walking and it was 18 months before he was given the diagnosis of HSP after which time his condition rapidly deteriorated leaving him eventually bedridden before his passing.

HSP causes degeneration of the upper motor neurons within the brain and spinal cord and sufferers of this condition usually experience stiffness and/or paralysis in the lower limbs but can continue with the aid of wheelchairs, etc, in uncomplicated situations.  Any money raised will help support people affected with HSP and also provide funding for research into this rare condition.