50 Miles to ‘Help Theo Thrive’

On Saturday 4th October, Pat, Paul and Kieran are taking on the challenging 50 mile Longmynd Hike, climbing over 8,500 feet in elevation and covering eight summits over the rugged countryside of South Shropshire and the Welsh Marches.

The time limit for the event is to 24 hours to complete the testing 50 mile route. Competitors will set off from Church Stretton, Pat’s hometown, at 1pm on 4th October. This trio however, have set themselves a challenging target of 15 hours to complete the course!

The guys are training hard in preparation for this, quite incredibly considering they only just completed a 100 mile run (yes, you read that right - one HUNDRED miles) back in March for the Motor Neuron Disease Association as a team alongside other local friends, and managed to raise an astounding £17,000 for a charity close to their hearts.

Rightly so, still feeling the buzz from this, they have chosen to go again, this time choosing to raise funds for a local 1 year old boy, Theo, who is living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 1.

Theo was born with the rare genetic condition in July 2024. SMA Type 1 life limiting disease causing muscle weakness and affects not only mobility, but also breathing and swallowing.

Theo received a £1.78 million gene therapy treatment in January 2025 at Manchester Children’s Hospital, which saved his life by preventing further progression of this awful disease. Continued therapies however, will be a lifelong requirement for Theo to support a good quality of life, alongside specialist equipment, not all of which are available on the NHS.

The family currently self fund private physiotherapy which is essential to enhance muscle function, improve mobility and prevent muscle and joint tightness. They would love to be able to provide Theo with additional therapies such as hydrotherapy, spinal stimulation, and specialist equipment that will benefit several aspects of his life now and in the future, most of which are only available privately and come at eye watering costs.

Just4Children are supporting Theo’s family with this campaign, and will hold all funds to pay therapy and equipment providers directly.

Let’s get behind Pat, Paul and Kieran who are lacing up their running shoes for another heartfelt cause. 🏃🏽💙🧬