Member Article

Kirk Norcross joins 18 Liverpool Business People To Complete Sport Relief Challenge

Former The Only Way Is Essex personality Kirk Norcross is joining a group of 18 Liverpool business people to climb Machu Picchu in Peru in aid of Sport Relief.

The Machu Picchu 2014 team is preparing to scale the 15th Century Inca site located 7,970ft above sea level in March with the aim of raising thousands of pounds for the ADHD Foundation.

Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the across the world.

The ADHD Foundation was set up in 2007 to support children, young people and their families living with ADHD. Funded by NHS CAMHS, Big Lottery, BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief, the Foundation comprises a multi-disciplinary team, working in close partnership with clinicians from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool to provide a range of interventions - a unique service in the UK.

Kirk Norcross said:

“As someone who suffers from ADHD, I know first-hand how difficult it can be growing up with the illness and how challenging it can be at times for the families and friends of sufferers.

“I am really excited to be taking part in this charity climb and so pleased to be raising awareness for the ADHD Foundation which does so much to help young people and their families living with ADHD.”

Dr Tony Lloyd, acting CEO of the ADHD Foundation and one of the climbers, said:

“ADHD is the most prevalent neurodevelopmental condition in childhood, affecting eight per cent of the UK population which equates to approximately 500,000 school children.

“However, evidence suggests that the number of children actually diagnosed is somewhere between only one and three per cent, meaning that there are many children who remain undiagnosed, unsupported and at a greater risk of alarming health and social outcomes.

“As a relatively new charity we would not be here today without the incredible support of the local community and our friends in business.

“We are enormously grateful to Kirk and the Machu Picchu 2014 team members who have signed up to complete this huge challenge and who, by doing so, are raising crucial awareness of the work that we do.”

Mayor, Joe Anderson, said:

“As Mayor I am thrilled to be supporting this delegation on their challenge to raise money to help support young people and families who suffer from ADHD. I believe that Liverpool is and should continue to be a city that enables young people to fulfil their potential and realise their ambitions regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or in this case disability.

Our children deserve better, they are our city’s future and it’s great to see they are getting support from organisations such as the ADHD Foundation. Our city has invested heavily in our health and wellbeing strategy, and will continue to work with those who want to improve health services in the city.“

Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world’s poorest countries.

Gilly Green, head of UK Grants at Comic Relief, said: “We are very grateful to Kirk Norcross and the rest of the team for donating some of their fundraising to Sport Relief. The money they raise will help change the lives of people facing incredibly tough challenges across the UK, including Liverpool and around the world. It’s a fantastic challenge and we wish the team lots of luck.”

The Machu Picchu 2014 team will begin their challenge on Thursday 6th March by travelling through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, finishing in the picturesque village of Ollantaytambo. They will then depart Ollantaytambo for Wayllambama on Friday 7th March and start the four day 43km Inca trail.

Jayne Moore, MD at Moore Media, said:

“We are under no illusion that the Machu Picchu challenge isn’t going to be very gruelling at times, but knowing that we are completing the challenge for such a great cause will definitely help us to power on through! It will also be fantastic to spend time with Kirk - I am sure he will have lots of interesting stories to tell us which will keep us going throughout the challenge.”

The 2014 team consists of Dr Tony Lloyd, CEO of the ADHD Foundation; Michelle Thornhill, nurse and operations director at ADHD Foundation; SImon Harrison, MD of Ideas Afresh Health Service Management; Catherine Millan, participation manager at the ADHD Foundation; Nicholas Jacobs, local magistrate and MD of Stratadapt Food Import and Export; teacher, Rosie Boyd; Ciaran Gallagher, business and marketing manager at the ADHD Foundation; Thomas Coates, data manager at the ADHD Foundation; Christine Jones, parents mental health worker, Jayne Moore, managing director at Jayne Moore Media; self-employed local electrician Richard Hill; Tara Hill, European training manager at Agilent Human Genome Ltd., Sara Renwick, NHS nurse manager; Sarah Boynton, young apprentice at the ADHD Foundation; Tracy Dickens, psychotherapist at the ADHD Foundation; Peter Dickens, IT manager at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, Ben Osu, inclusion and communities officer at Arena Housing; and Karen Jacobs, nurse manager with NHS 5 Boroughs Partnership.

Sport Relief takes place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd March and for the first time ever the public can run, swim or cycle in the brand new Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games. For more information on how to join in the fun and games, raise cash and changes lives, go to sportrelief.com.

ADHD is a condition characterised by inattentiveness, hyperactivity, impulsivity and low emotional resilience. Unsupported it can lead to major social and educational exclusion. For more information about the ADHD Foundation visit www.adhdfoundation.org.uk or call 0151 237 2661.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chris Lowe .