Beckie and Dean Ranyard from Durham Road in Spennymoor are taking on the challenge of walking or running 2 miles per day, everyday in December, raising vital funds to help children diagnosed with arthritis.
Often thought of as a condition that only affects older adults, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a serious autoimmune condition that affects around 1 in every 1,600 children in the UK. That’s around 10 new diagnoses every week – yet awareness remains low.
Beckie and Dean together with a team of family and friends hope to raise £2,000 for Juvenile Arthritis Research, the only UK-wide charity focusing solely on JIA. The charity provides advice and support to families and drives research to improve treatments and find a cure.
Beckie Ranyard said: “Our 4 year old son Tobyn was diagnosed with JIA earlier this year after we’d noticed issues in his development as a baby. I myself also have the condition and have so since being small. We now want do raise awareness of it and have therefore got together as ‘Team Tobyn’ to do this walking/running challenge in December”
Rebecca Beesley, founder of Juvenile Arthritis Research, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Ranyard’s and their friends for choosing to support children and families living with arthritis.
“Being told your child has arthritis can be a shocking and isolating experience. Children may also feel frightened and uncertain. Every donation we receive helps us support more families and bring us closer to a cure.”
To support ‘Team Tobyn’ and help reach more families affected by childhood arthritis, visit: www.justgiving.com/team/teamtobyn
Spennymoor's local community newspaper.
Good luck 🤞👍🙂