Rickmansworth pair raise money for Cure Parkinson’s Trust

Peter and Emily Higgins from Loudwater in Rickmansworth have set themselves the task of running the full 26-mile race on April 28 as a tribute to Emily’s grandfather Mike who lived with Parkinson’s disease for many years.

The duo decided to raise £2,500 for The Cure Parkinson’s Trust after Peter’s father died last summer.

Emily Higgins

They started a fundraising page in preparation for the London Marathon which has already received more than £3,100 in donations.

Emily is training alongside being a full-time student at Leeds University. While her father Peter has also been preparing, even in the warmer climate of the Algarve.

Speaking about her preparations, Emily said: “Training has been incredibly hard, I am trying to juggle the student life alongside regular training runs.”

When asked about the race the pair said: “We are privileged and so very excited to be given the opportunity to run the London Marathon together, to raise money for The Cure Parkinson's Trust, and contribute to finding a cure for this cruel disease.”

Emily added: “My dad is slightly more nervous than me, regularly questioning why he signed up to this enormous challenge. Whereas my worries are more focused around trying to beat my Dad.”

Helen Matthews, deputy chief executive officer of The Cure Parkinson’s Trust, said: “Fundraising support is absolutely critical for the charity to enable us to achieve our goal. We aim to cure Parkinson’s and the only way we will do this is through the help of all our supporters - it’s as simple as that.”

Emily and Peter’s fundraising page can be found here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/EmilyHiggins4