Walking Fundraiser for Aylesbury MS Centre

Patrick is taking on a huge personal challenge for the centre.

Patrick Burke
Author: Scarlett Bawden-GaulPublished 13th Sep 2020
Last updated 13th Sep 2020

The centre in Aylesbury will be the site for the hour walk today.

Ahead of the Chilterns MS Therapy Centre's 35th birthday, one local has taken on a huge physical and personal challenge to raise vital funds.

Patrick Burke has multpile sclerosis, a condition which affects the brain, nerves and spin.

Today (13/09) he is taking on the challenge of walking for an hour outside the centre in Aylesbury.

Patrick says he knows it might not seem like a huge challenge but for him it is a huge thing to undertake:

"I cannot walk unaided, I need a four wheel walking frame. And I just can't walk fast, that is a consequence of having MS.

"It makes everything happen much more slowly, like walking through golden syrup or having a 10kilo weight at the bottom of each leg."

Walking continuously will exhaust Patrick, but he says he has to do it to make sure the Chilterns MS Therapy Centre has the funds it needs to survive.

On his justgiving page, which at the time of writing it very close to his £5,000 target, he explains why the centre is so important to him:

"The Chilterns MS Centre is a wonderful place for people affected by MS. The staff truly understand the physical and emotional problems of MS and provide supportive therapies and treatments. They treat 330 patients each week and no one is ever turned away."

He has also been documenting his training on the page, with his last update reading:

"Only 3 more days to go. Did a grueling 700 metres and I think it took 45 - 50 minutes and I felt seriously fatigued at the end."