A NEW charity are still receiving donations after more than 60 supporters took part in the Cardiff Half Marathon in memory of a four-year-old boy from Talgarth who tragically lost his battle with a rare cancer earlier this year.
The Drew Barker-Wright Charity was set up by Mel Barker and John Wright after their son Drew, aged 4, died from a chordoma.
So far they have raised more than £17,000 and say more donations are expected to come in.
The half marathon on Sunday, October 1 was the first event which the charity, which is still in the process of being registered, have participated in.
#TeamDrew was originally set up with 62 runners, and of these 54 took part on the day.
The team was a mix of absolute beginners and experienced runners, all of whom gave up their time to train and raise funds in Drew’s name.
John, who like his wife had never run a half marathon before, said: “It was a warm and rainy start to the day, but our spirits were not dampened. Everyone turned up raring to go and the atmosphere was fantastic. It was a sentimental day for all involved and emotions were high. Facing a 13.1-mile course is a daunting task at the best of times, however with Drew in our thoughts everyone crossed the finish line.”
Paediatric chordoma annually affects one in 20 million children – 350 children across the world. The charity have said that the childhood cancer is “grossly underfunded and much misunderstood”.
Through the charity that they have set up, Mel and John are hoping to raise money to fund research projects into paediatric chordoma as well as pay for support for families who are affected by the disease.
Mel said: “John and I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who ran on the day, their families who support them, and to all those who donated to the cause.
“Drew was not only fortunate enough to have lived his short life in such a beautiful part of the world, but he was also very luck to have been part of a loving, supportive and generous community.”