Bradford hospital worker takes on Great North Run in memory of son

Claire, who works at Bradford Royal Infirmary’s Emergency Department, said: “I took up running when Axl was in hospital in Leeds in 2018 for his second transplant to help my mental health.

“Over the years since his death, running has helped stop me from jumping over the edge when the grief got too much. Today it continues to help me live life without him and to cope with the stresses and strains of working in the NHS.

“Next month, I’ll be running my third Great North Run and my second for the ‘Sparkle 4 Axl’ annual fundraising campaign which was set by Bradford Hospitals Charity in the wake of Axl’s death and which he remains a figurehead for.”

Since then, Claire has been supporting Bradford Hospitals Charity and raised money in Axl’s memory to ensure other young patients have access to toys to help distract them while in hospital. Every December Claire’s family, along with colleagues from Bradford Teaching Hospitals, host the ‘Sparkle 4 Axl’ day where staff wear something sparkly in his memory.

In the last six years, Claire and her husband, Ian and sons, Lucas, 13 and River, 3, have raised more than £20,000 for the charity.

Claire, from Wisbey, added: “Seeing the faces of the children and young people on the wards who benefit from the charity gifts which the donations from Axl’s fund buys, makes all the difference.

“’Sparkle 4 Axl’ means everything to me as it’s about keeping Axl’s memory alive and knowing that the children are getting something – be it a toy or a game - from him, through the money we have raised, means the world.”

This year, Claire has set herself an even bigger challenge – she’s going to run 13 half marathons or one half marathon a month, for a year and next month’s Great North Run kickstarts her fundraising year.

Claire continued: “I thought I would do something to challenge myself so I’ve decided to do a year-long running and fundraising challenge which will see me run a half marathon a month.

“This year’s Great North Run starts it all off and next year’s Great North Run ends it. In between – and once a month – I’ll either be running an official half marathon as I’m already booked Leeds, Manchester and Ilkley, or I’ll run one once a month in my own time if I’ve not got an official half marathon booked.

“I want to raise at least £1,000 for the charity so that even more children and young people can benefit from Axl’s gifts while they are on one of our wards.”

You can sponsor Claire by visiting justgiving.com/page/claire-walker-1720442999995