Friends get together to run 10k every day in January in memory of much-missed Wigan rugby coach

John Duffy died from motor neurone disease (MND) last year at the age of just 58. He was a former coach at Wigan St Cuthbert’s amateur rugby league side, and his death came as a tremendous shock to those he mentored and trained between 2004 and 2008.

One of them, Jamie Dallimore, undertook to do a 10k run every day last January to raise money for John's family - tragically, John died while Jamie was in the middle of the challenge, which ended up raising a total of £7,000.

Now rebranded the John Duffy run, Jamie is repeating the exercise this January, this time in aid of the MND Association. He has been joined by former St Cuthberts players, friends and neighbours on each of the runs, which he does every evening after a full day's work ground working and tarmacking.

The run starts and ends outside Jamie's Orrell home, with the 6.2m route taking in Pemberton, Newtown and Marsh Green.

Jamie, 35, said: "Everyone who goes on the run knew John. He meant so much to this group of people.

"The day we lost him, I paid tribute to him on Facebook by saying 'if love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.'

"But even John's death has had a positive effect in that it's brought many of my old rugby pals back together to remember him, after we’d drifted apart."

Jamie’s fundraising page can be found on gofundme under ‘10k everyday through January.’