Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, completed the London Marathon this weekend, setting a personal best and doubling his fundraising targets in aid of a national health charity.
He chose the charity Crohns & Colitis UK following his hospitalisation with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease flare- up in earlier this year. The charity works to support individuals with the conditions, funds research and campaigns for better care and faster diagnoses.
Just 87 days after his spell in hospital he took to the streets of London for the 26-mile run. Despite issues with cramp leading to a fall part-way through, he completed the race in 4 hours 29 minutes and 13 seconds, surpassing his previous London Marathon time.
Often termed an invisible illness, the MP wanted to use his platform to highlight how the disease can quietly affect people despite them appearing well. “Living with IBD is tough. It’s unpredictable, often invisible, and sometimes means having to slow down or stop completely – something I find particularly hard”.
Sponsorships from constituents and colleagues well exceeded his fundraising goal of £1000, with donations standing at £2,249 at time of writing. All the money raised will go directly to Crohns & Colitis UK.
Donations are still being accepted via Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/page/tomgordonmp.
Tom said:
I received such an outpouring of support from the IBD community when I was unwell. I wanted to give back.There is still a lot of research to be done and improvements to care to be made. It took the best part of a decade for me to get a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis.
