Charlie Gard Foundation mascot Monkey to take on Great North Run in support of charity

Charlie Gard died on July 28, 2017, from the life-limiting and incurable condition that is mitochondrial disease just one week from his first birthday.

The Charlie Gard Foundation was set up to support children, adults and their families affected by the disease.

It invests in research into viable treatments, and supports families with both memory making gifts and services that support a better quality of life.

The charity’s mascot ‘Monkey’ is taking on the Great North Run to raise both awareness and funds for the charity.

A spokesperson said: “This year our very own mascot, Monkey, will be taking on one of our biggest challenges: he'll be attempting to take on the Great North Run in under 2 hours 15 minutes to set a new world record.

“Not only is this one heck of a challenge, it's made even more difficult as Monkey caught Covid in December 2020 and suffered with long Covid until May this year so getting fit and ready for his big run has been very challenging, but he's determined to raise awareness and funds for mitochondrial disease.

"If you would like to support Monkey on his mission to a brighter mito future he would be incredibly grateful for any support you could offer.”

Charlie’s parents Connie and Chris and their one-year-old son Oliver will be coming up tomorrow from London to support Monkey on the run.

To sponsor Monkey and help the charity, visit his JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/monkeysworldrecordattempt

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