Father challenges himself to run 100 miles in one month for children's charity

Tim Millbank will tackle the distanceby taking part in various organised events including the Great North Run, Warrington Running Festival and has already completed the recently held Wigan 10k.

He is raising money for The Sick Children’s Trust charity – who supported him and his partner, Rachel, while their son Elliot was seriously ill in hospital. When 10 weeks old son, Elliot was poorly before turning grey and becoming unresponsive while holidaying in Norfolkl.

Following 11 days of treatment that resulted in little improvement, further tests revealed that Elliot was suffering from a rare form of MRSA and sepsis requiring specialist treatment.

He was prescribed strong antibiotics, antiviral medication and placed in a morphine induced coma before being transferred by the The Children’s Acute Transport Service (CATS) to the intensive care unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

Due to being over 190 miles away from their home and Tim and Rachel being unable to stay with their son on the intensive care unit, a hotel appeared to be their only option.

However, The Sick Children’s Trust and its Acorn House Home from Home came to their aid, providing them with a place to stay completely free of charge, ensuring they could stay by Elliot’s side for the 12 days he received treatment.

Determined to show his gratitude for their support, Tim is now taking on the epic challenge and has already smashed his £500 target by more than double already.

Tim said: “It was incredibly scary to see Elliot that poorly and for the medical staff to be so concerned about his health.

"When we arrived in Cambridge we had absolutely no idea what we were going to do or how we were going to stay with Elliot. Everything was up in the air and being so far away from home was making everything so much worse. The Sick Children’s Trust and Acorn House were an absolute godsend.

"Elliott is four now and doing brilliantly. He has no long-term effects from his ordeal and is looking forward to starting school soon. After getting into running during the lockdowns I really wanted to challenge myself and do something to raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust to thank the charity for supporting us. I’m really looking forward to the Great North Run, especially seeing Rachel and Elliot at the finish line.”

Community fundraising oifficer Connor Haley said: “We’re so pleased we could support Tim and Rachel so they could always be close to Elliot’s side during his time at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

"Being so far away from home they faced many additional stresses and worries so we’re glad that Acorn House made this difficult time that little bit easier. It’s fantastic to know Elliot is doing so well now.

“As a charity we rely on the generosity of our supporters and fundraisers, like Tim, to make sure we can continue supporting families while their children are seriously ill in hospital. We cannot thank him enough for taking on this epic challenge to support our Homes from Home.”

Donations can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/page/tim-millbank-sct