Inspirational fundraiser with motor neurone disease begins his third 100-mile nine-day trek in Pateley Bridge

Ian Flatt, 57, from Green Hammerton, between Harrogate and York, who was diagnosed with MND in 2019, has set himself a mammoth trek which he hopes will help to raise funds to support the fight against the disease.

Despite the life-changing impact the condition has had on Ian, his wife Rachael and their two daughters are determined to raise funds and awareness of MND.

On Friday, July, 7, Ian started his nine-day trek in Pateley Bridge, taking in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside, as his team travel through Bolton Abbey onto Pen-y-Ghent, before finishing at the highest pub in England - The Tan Hill Inn in Swaledale - on Sunday, July 16.

Ian took on his first 100-mile trek in the summer of 2021, followed by a second challenge in the autumn and has so far raised an astonishing amount of more than £35,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Leeds Hospital Charities appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

No stranger to a challenge, he has also taken on the 3,560 metres climb up Snowdon and recently completed the first-ever Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon with a team of family and friends.

Unable to walk due to his condition, Ian takes on his challenges in his trusty “Tangerine Dream Machine”, a specialist wheelchair designed for off-road use.

He said: “I feel incredibly passionate about the MND community and the beacon of hope that the Rob Burrow MND Centre has become.

“I’m also acutely aware that sometimes we face difficult challenges with this condition and in life in general.

“I’d like to think that our adventures bring a smile to people’s faces alongside raising funds and awareness.

“Perhaps it will inspire somebody to set aside their worries, to live in the moment and find reasons to laugh.”

Leeds Hospitals Charity launched its appeal for a new centre tailored to the needs for people living with MND and their families in 2019, and it has now raised £4.5million of its £6.8million fundraising target.

Over the last ten years referrals have risen, which has resulted in the need to access available facilities to treat new patients.

Plans include a host of individual treatment rooms, accessible toilets and changing facilities, an education space and space where the latest equipment and technologies can be made available for patients.

Esther Wakeman, chief executive at Leeds Hospitals Charity, said: “Ian and his wife, Rachael, have been fundraising since we announced our Rob Burrow Centre for MND appeal back in September 2021.

“I have been heartened by their resilience and positive attitude.

“It was wonderful to see Ian recognised at the Yorkshire Choice Awards for his epic fundraising challenges.”

Angus O’Donnell, regional fundraiser for the MND Association, said: “People from Yorkshire are made of tough stuff and Ian is a living example of that.

“Ian’s incredible efforts have helped the 5,000 people living with MND.

"We are truly humbled by him.”

"Without him, the MND Association simply would not be able to fund vital research to find a cure in order to achieve our vision.”