Portland brothers go extra mile for cancer sufferer Rory (From Dorset Echo)

Portland brothers go extra mile for cancer sufferer Rory

5:00pm Friday 19th March 2010 in

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THREE brothers ran 16 miles and raised £900 in honour of little Rory Kirkland who is battling leukaemia.

The men set off on their charity challenge from Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester where Rory is being treated, and finished at Southwell Primary School on Portland, where he is a pupil.

Mark Hallett, 23, Andrew Hallett, 20, and Tony Talbot, 34, raised £900 for the Piam Brown Ward, the children’s cancer unit at Southampton General Hospital, where Rory is also receiving specialist treatment.

Rory, aged eight, recently underwent his third round of intensive chemotherapy after being diagnosed last October.

Mark, of Weston Road, Portland, was touched by Rory’s story when his mum Ann, 54, a teaching assistant at Southwell, told him about it.

He had originally planned to take on the challenge on his own but as soon as he mentioned it to his brothers ‘they were straight in there’.

The brothers carried out the run on Saturday, January 30 and have now collected all their donations.

Tony said: “We finished the run in a quicker time than we anticipated.

“We started at 9am and took two hours 50 minutes to complete the 16 miles.

“We have now collected all the charity funds, and have £900. We would like to give a big thanks to all who donated money.”

Their mum Ann said: “I’m very proud of my boys, it’s a lot to raise.

“We met them at the end with a bottle of Champagne to pour over their heads.

“They were expecting it to take three-and-a-half hours so were pleased to finish ahead of their target.

“Rory’s dad Hamish came around to collect the money and he said they can’t believe how people have rallied around in the community to raise so much.

“It will all go into a charity fund at the Piam Brown Ward, to help pay for parents having to stay in bed and breakfast while visiting their child in hospital and games for the ward.”

Rory’s parents Hamish and Lyn, of High Street, Southwell, also have a nine-year-old son, Calum, and have been overwhelmed by the support.

Collection buckets helped to raise the funds at the Shirt Shack in Coburg Place, Weymouth, the Rock & Fudge Shop on Weymouth Esplanade, and the Nisa store and Codfathers, both in Weston Road, Portland.