A local dad is getting ready to run this year’s Great North Run to thank The Sick Children’s Trust for keeping him by his son’s bedside.

On Sunday 12 September, Peter Conroy, from Marske, will be following in his wife’s footsteps as he takes on the 13.1 mile race to raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust. The charity, which runs ‘Homes from Home’ across the country, gave Peter and his wife Elle a place to stay twice in 2017 when their son, Zachary, was born critically ill, and has continued to receive treatment at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) for a life-long condition.

Peter will be raising money for Crawford House which is just a few minutes’ walk from the children’s wards at RVI. This year, Crawford House is celebrating 25 years of keeping families, like Peter and Elle, together by their child’s hospital bedside. It costs the charity £30 to support a family for one night. Peter said:

“The Sick Children’s Trust helped us to be close to Zachary when he was ill and I want to help make sure other families get the support they need. I am running to continue to raise funds for the charity so that others have the security of knowing they can also be right there with their children when they are needed most.

“Since Elle ran the Great North Run in 2018, Zachary’s health has been very good with the only hospital visits being routine check-ups. Zachary continues to live a happy active life full of fun and adventure, he is now a big brother to his baby sister Zara and is looking forward to starting full time school in September.

“Zachary learnt to ride his bike in lockdown at the age of three and goes to tennis lessons. This is much more than we could have imagined when Zachary was so poorly at such a young age. Every healthy day is a bonus as we know how quickly Zachary’s health can change because of his condition.”

Peter will join 55 other runners taking part to raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust. Alexia Addis, Regional Fundraising Officer, said:

“Peter and his family and friends have been huge supporters of ours ever since we supported his family at Crawford House. Being close to your child when they are in hospital is the most important thing, and it is so wonderful that Peter wants to take on this challenge to help other families.

“We’re wishing Peter the very best of luck with the race!”

Peter and Elle’s family and friends have raised over £5,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust to date and they want to raise more.

You can help them by supporting Peter by visiting his fundraising page here.

For further information about The Sick Children’s Trust, please visit sickchildrenstrust.org