A group of girls recently completed a challenge to walk the full Guild Wheel to raise money to Muscular Dystrophy UK.
Allanah Ellithorne, 25, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of 14 after her mother suffered with the same condition.
Over the past few years, Allanah and her friends and family have been thinking of ways they can raise money for the charity which supports those with muscular dystrophy.
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In their most recent venture, Allanah along with her cousin Emily Unsworth, 28, and friends Shannon Caton, 23 and Hannah Maclean, 25, trekked the full Guild Wheel in 8 hours and 16 minutes, raising over £300.
The girls battled through on a very rainy day, meeting their match with plenty of puddles along the way until they finally completed the 21-mile trek.
Allanah stayed in her wheelchair for most of the journey but as she is still an ambulant wheelchair user, she was able to walk for some parts where pathways were flooded.
Allanah said: “It was fun but in the moment, it was constantly raining so we didn’t have time to stop and have lunch.
“It was good spending the whole day with my friends, obviously socially distancing, but it was nice to actually get out and see people again.
“It’s supposed to be a challenge, so we were quite set on completing the full thing because that’s the big challenge.”
Alannah’s mum Sandra lost her battle in September 2017 and inspired by her, the family decided to start their own fund ‘Succeeding for Sandra’ to raise money for the national charity.
Alannah said: “Originally it was just something to help us cope.
“My older sister signed up for the London marathon and the amount of time we put into fundraising, it was a way of us coping.
“Because that was so successful, we carried on and its been the same ever since.”
The family have also organised events including fashion shows, afternoon teas and Allanah and her 11-year-old niece completed the worlds fastest zip wire.
The family had plans to have another fashion show in September but due to the current coronavirus lockdown, they are looking to rearrange the event.
Alannah said: “We do a lot of events and a lot of them I can’t physically do myself.
“In the past we have done the London Marathon or the Great North Run or skydiving and it’s always things that I have to watch.
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“When we decided to do this, I was more excited that I could get involved and be a part of something.”
The girls were inspired along the way by passers by who motivated them and offered to also sponsor them.
Allanah’s colleague from work and two older sisters are also completing the Guild Wheel to raise more money for the charity.
If you would like to donate to Succeeding for Sandra, you can do so here.
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