Will Clark appeal tops £100,000 (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Will Clark appeal tops £100,000

10:40am Thursday 14th March 2013 in News By Allan Tunningley

A CAMPAIGN to raise £250,000 to help a paralysed Grasmere man to continue living in the village where he grew up has broken through a milestone barrier.

The Will Clark Fund has now raised more than £100,000 towards the target.

The cash is being used to pay for alterations to make Will’s family home more disabled-friendly as well as to buy specialist equipment and pro-vide support the 28-year-old needs in Grasmere.

The former assistant hotel manager was paralysed from the neck down in July last year while on a charity bike ride at Thirlmere. He spent five months in a specialist spinal unit in Middlesbrough before being allowed to return home for Christmas.

The amount raised so far for the Will Clark Fund includes £25,000 donated by readers of The Westmorland Gazette to provide the former fellrunner with a specially adapted quad bike so he can once again roam the Lakeland fells.

Fund chairman Chris Carss said the off-road cart – which Will can operate using a special helmet controlled by his head movements – is being constructed and could be completed for a June delivery.

Mr Carss emphasised that the Will Clark Fund still had a long way to go to reach its ultimate target.

“We are now actively compi-ling a fundraising calendar to run throughout 2013, which will include many events, organised by various groups.”

One of the main dates on the calendar will be May 27 – when Ambleside and Kirk-stone Rotary holds its Marafun, with the Will Clark Fund as the dedicated charity.

Teams of five are being invited to take part in the event, each running five miles. Entry fee £100 per team.

Mr Carss said there would also be opportunities for people from further afield, to camp on Ambleside football pitch, where the run starts and finishes.

The deadline for entry forms is May 10. To enter visit http://79.170.40.237/amblesidemarafun.co.uk