Richard Wall, owner of Merry Maids Bromley and Orpington has completed a 24-hour walk for local charity Tree of Hope in aid of Help For Grace.

How does 24 hours on a treadmill sound?

Gruelling, difficult? Worth it.

Richard Wall, the owner of Merry Maids Bromley and Orpington can attest to the above having undertaken the demanding task of a 24-hour walk to raise money to support Hope for Grace and Tree of Hope.

Grace’s Story

Hope for Grace is a charity local to Bromley and Orpington set up by a family seeking to support their daughter Grace living with a rare and difficult health condition.

When Grace was just 5½ months old, she had he first full tonic-clonic seizure in her cot at home.

Within a matter of weeks, Grace had a further six seizures of unusual lengths with no discernible cause, even after numerous blood tests, a CT scan, and a lumbar puncture procedure.

Further in-depth testing revealed that Grace had a mutation of the gene RHOBTB2 (c.1448G>A).

This gene has only recently been linked to epilepsy and Grace is currently only one of around 38 people diagnosed worldwide, possibly only the third within the UK.

There is not much current medical literature on the gene, but it could mean Grace may never walk or talk and have limited comprehension.

Fundraising for Hope for Grace and Tree of Hope

Hope for Grace was set up by Grace’s family in the hope of giving her every opportunity to thrive by fundraising to provide specialist and intensive physiotherapy to help Grace reach milestones like sitting, weight bearing on her legs, standing, and walking.

They also hope to be able to provide her with any special equipment or aids to enhance her home environment, and any adaptations to the house that may be required as Grace grows older.

Tree of Hope was founded in 1992, to help children like Grace who needed funded healthcare support and don’t always receive it from the NHS.

Facilitated by the team at his local PureGym, Richard has raised over £2000 for Grace and Tree of Hope by walking on a treadmill for 24 hours in one stint – the equivalent of around 85 miles.

Richard’s fundraising will in part help the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover their core operating costs and help Grace and her family with physiotherapy and equipment to help Grace live her life with the best possible support.

Upon completing the walk, Richard said:

“It’s been a long old shift. But I’d like to thank PureGym [London Orpington] and Merry Maids UK for all their support.”