Luke heads back for epic challenge as thank you to charity.
A determined 30-year-old will be heading back to his home city to help raise funds for a charity that offered vital care and support throughout his childhood.
Luke Corbet (pictured below), who is aiming to raise £1,000 for Acorns, will travel all the way from the Isle of Wight to take on Birmingham’s biggest half marathon as a ‘thank you’ to Acorns Children’s Hospice.
Luke, who is partially sighted and has Asperger’s syndrome, says nothing will stop him from completing the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run and giving back to the charity that “means so much” to him.
He said: “This event will challenge me on so many different levels mentally and physically but doing it for Acorns Children’s Hospice, knowing it will give money to those who support families at a desperate time, will push me to complete it.”
The former Sutton Coldfield resident, who now lives in Newport, was born with chronic renal failure and received care and support at Acorns in Birmingham, based in Selly Oak.
Luke, who has had just seven months to train for the event, benefited from respite services and short stays, as well as youth groups and day trips. He explained: “It’s quite hard to explain how much Acorns means to me – it’s the feeling where you are just set free. It really helped my confidence.”
The October 14 challenge is not the first time Luke has raised money for Acorns. The daredevil took part in the Acorns Villa Abseil in 2015, abseiling over 100 feet down the football club’s iconic Holte End.
Call centre worker Luke returns to the city as Acorns celebrates thirty years of providing care and support to children with life limiting and life threatening conditions.
Luke said: “I signed up for this event because it’s going back to my home city and back to where it all began. That it is happening at the same time the hospice is celebrating its 30th anniversary is a brilliant coincidence. It’s definitely fate.”
Acorns has a limited number of free places available for the Great Birmingham Run for runners who raise £250 towards the charity’s care for local children and families. Sam Greatrex, Senior Events Manager for Acorns, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to take on an epic challenge to help us continue our vital work. By taking part, Luke will make a real difference to local children and their families and we’re incredibly grateful for his support.”
As a member of Team Acorns runners will receive an exclusive Acorns running vest or t-shirt, fundraising advice and support to help you hit your target and regular email updates from the events team.
Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care to children and young people as well as support for the family. It costs the charity nearly £10 million every year to provide its services and it relies on fundraising for the bulk of this amount.
To register for Team Acorns visit here, call 01564 825023 or email events@acorns.org.uk You can also donate to Luke’s JustGiving page.
ENDS