Thanks half a million for your endeavours
DAD RAISES HUGE SUM FOR HEART UNIT THAT SAVED SON
AN inspirational dad has been nominated for a Pride of Britain award after raising nearly half a million pounds for a hospital unit that saved his son’s life.
Ivan Hollingsworth started his fundraising eight years ago after his newborn son Sebastian had life-saving surgery at the Children’s Heart Unit at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.
Seb was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect soon after his birth in January 2009 and medics decided to operate on him when he was just four months old.
The events spurred Ivan to set up the Seb4CHUF charity and raise cash for the heart unit as a way of thanking the team.
He has since carried out a series of tough challenges and has raised around £480,000 to help improve the lives of children with some of the most serious heart conditions in the UK.
In 2012, he ran 100 miles in 24 hours and on one occasion he skied 10km down a mountain in nothing but a mankini. His other feats include the Great North Run and cycling, running and swimming the Coast to Coast route from Cumbria to Tynemouth. His next – and final – ultraendurance challenge, called Half a Million Half a Country, will take place in October, when he will cycle 260 miles and then run 52 miles from London to the doors of the Freeman Hospital. He aims to complete it all in 28 hours. The 42-year-old, of Monkseaton, said: “I’m aiming to hit the half a million mark with my final challenge. It will be quite a milestone but it will be my last ultra-endurance challenge.
“After fundraising for more than eight years, the body starts to get a bit knackered. It has taken a tremendous amount of time and effort to raise money but I think this is the right time to stop. I want to end on a high and spend a lot more quality time with my family.
“I will still remain a trustee of CHUF and am committed to taking the charity forward.”
Regarding his award nomination, Ivan said: “It’s very humbling that I’ve been nominated. But I don’t do this for recognition. This is our way of saying thank you to everyone at the heart unit for what they have done for Seb.
“But we can also see how the money we have raised is being used and the difference it is making – new equipment has been bought for the unit and a new play room was opened there that brings joy to children who are going through really tough times. That’s the reason we do this.”
Nominations for The Mirror’s Pride of Britain awards, held in partnership with TSB, close on Friday so people still have the chance to put forward someone who deserves to be honoured for their work.
You can pick up a nomination form from your local TSB branch or go online to www.prideof britain.com.