Last weekend Andrew Woods and Pearce Nicholl ran the Deep RiverRock Belfast Marathon, raising money for Aspire.  Their fundraising target of £1,000 was smashed and with Gift Aid still to come, their final total should be £1,500.

Andrew’s father Roger (pictured with Andrew and Pearce at the finish) sustained a spinal injury that left him paralysed from the neck down.  However, Roger’s hard work and desire to improve his mobility combined with incredible support from family, the NHS and charities such as Aspire, has led to a significant recovery and he now has limited walking ability.

Whilst he was in the Spinal Injury Centre at Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast, Roger spoke with Gabriel, Aspire’s Independent Living Advisor, who gave him much-needed advice.  He also received computer training as part of Aspire's Assistive Technology Programme, which was vital in helping him to communicate in the earlier days of his injury.

Roger is now back at work, driving and doing so many of the things he thought impossible given his prognosis at the time of injury.

After the race, Andrew said, “We had a great day at the marathon!  It was tough but we pulled through! Pearce showed a super effort and I was greeted by a smiling bunch of family and friends at the finish line. Couldn’t ask for anything better!  Thanks so much to everyone for your incredible support, the money will do so much to help people recovering from spinal injuries.”

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