A member of DMU's development team has set himself a mammoth challenge to help raise funds in memory of a much-loved university alumnus and colleague.
In September, development and fundraising manager Dr Tom Weir is aiming to scale the equivalent of Mount Everest by climbing Helvellyn in the Lake District nine times in 48 hours.
All money raised will be donated to the Adam Redfern Memorial Fund, which was set up in memory of DMU graduate and member of the communications team Adam, who died in 2021 of a cardiac arrest while out jogging, aged just 28.
The memorial fund helps Adam's legacy live on by supporting students at DMU with dedicated scholarships and awards, particularly around his passions of journalism and sport, working alongside Demon Media and DMU Sport.
It also works to raise awareness of Sudden Arrythmic Death Syndrome (SADS), where someone dies suddenly following a cardiac arrest and no immediate cause is found. There have been some very high-profile cases of this, including premiership footballers Christian Erikson and Tom Lockyer, proving it happens to even the fittest and healthiest people. According to the British Heart Foundation, this happens in one in 25 cases.
Tom is aiming to raise £1,000 and has been training by undertaking long country walks with the aid of his golden retriever Hera and occasionally joined by daughter Freya. You can sponsor him via Just Giving.
At 950m high, Helvellyn is the third-highest peak in the Lake District. Tom's aiming to climb it 9.2 times to reach his target of 8,550 metres in 48 hours.
He said: “This is going to be a really difficult challenge, both because of the distance I'll need to walk and the length of time staying awake and moving. As long as my feet and knees can hold out though, I'll keep going!”
Tom's challenge comes a month after 120 runners took part in this year's Run for Redfern, which also raises money for Adam's memorial fund. This year £680 was raised which will go towards supporting its work. Two prizes of £100 were awarded to DMU's men's hockey and men's rugby teams who had the biggest attendances from members.
Adam's parents Ian and Christine work with Tom on the Adam Redfern Memorial Fund committee which awards bursaries and projects.
They said: “Tom is the latest in a succession of individuals to take on a daunting physical challenge in Adam's memory and for the Fund's benefit. As always when people take on these inspirational projects, we are incredibly grateful to him. It is impossible for us to imagine the physical strain and mental toll of climbing Hellvellyn over nine times in just 48 hours. We wish Tom every success with his training and during the event itself. We will be following his progress closely.”
Tom has been training with the aid of his golden retriever Hera and daughter Freya
Posted on Tuesday 4 June 2024