Comedy writer and sports presenter Kevin Day walked more than 60 miles in September, visiting 13 London football stadiums and raising approximately £7,000 so far in aid of Tandridge charity The Lily Foundation.
Kevin, who is known for presenting the inserts on Match of the Day 2, fronting The Price of Football podcast and scriptwriting for TV shows such as Have I Got News For You and The Graham Norton Show, is a long-term supporter of The Lily Foundation, which raises awareness of, and funding for research into, mitochondrial disease.
from left) (Credit: The Lily Foundation)
He began his walk at Tottenham Hotspur’s ground on Tuesday, 17 September. Along the way, he stopped off at Arsenal (where he was joined by comedian Alan Davies), Leyton Orient, West Ham, Charlton Athletic, Millwall, Chelsea, QPR, Brentford, Fulham, AFC Wimbledon (where he met mascot Haydon the Womble) and Bromley, before ending his journey at his beloved Crystal Palace FC on 19 September.
Mitochondrial disease, or mito, is a complex and difficult to diagnose genetic disorder that can affect any organ at any time. Mitochondria are essentially the tiny organelles within our cells that generate most of the energy we need to function. Without healthy mitochondria the cells cannot function correctly, and the results can be debilitating and eventually life-ending.
Mitochondrial dysfunction has been identified as a key factor in other diseases, including dementia, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and cancer. The research The Lily Foundation funds and supports therefore has the potential to benefit not only patients of mitochondrial disease but millions of others as well.
The Lily Foundation, which is based in Warlingham, was founded in 2007 by Liz Curtis MBE, to commemorate her daughter Lily who died of the disease when she was eight months old. Liz found there was little information or support available for families affected by the disease, and what began after Lily’s funeral as an informal network of family and friends then grew into a national charity, which has raised more than £10 million since its inception.
Kevin’s walk coincided with World Mitochondrial Disease Week, a global event aimed at educating people about the condition, as well as raising funds.
Liz said:
“Kevin has been a loyal and tireless supporter of The Lily Foundation for as long as we can remember. He’s hosted our annual Lily Comedy Night for over 15 years and supported us in many other ways behind the scenes. However this is the first time he’s taken on a fundraiser of his own on a scale like this. It was perfect timing as it coincided with World Mitochondrial Disease Week, a global event dedicated to raising awareness of rare mitochondrial disorders.
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all the football clubs who welcomed us so warmly and embraced Kevin’s challenge. Thank you too to everyone who turned up to cheer Kevin on, walk with him and keep him going to the very end. And finally, the biggest thank you of all to Kevin for giving up his time and achieving such an incredible fundraising feat. Not only has he raised a huge amount of money for the charity but he’s succeeded in putting mito on the map all over London and beyond.”
Find out more about mitochondrial disease and how you can help The Lily Foundation.
(Credit: The Lily Foundation)
