Olympic Torch honour
Published 4 Feb 2012 20:05
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A DAD who set up a fundraising trust called Shining On in memory of his son hopes to be blazing forward as an Olympic torchbearer.
Paul Bennett, who founded the trust with wife Sherrie after their son Declan died from a rare blood disease in 2010 aged four, was nominated by colleagues at BMW for his charity work.
He has been given a conditional offer to carry the flame in Cheltenham on an estimated date of May 23.
Mr Bennett, 31, service manager at BMW in Maidenhead, said: "It's fantastic. I was quite speechless, really taken aback. It was really over-whelming.
"It's nice to be put forward, with what we've been through and what we've done for charity, it's nice to have something to look forward to. I'm really excited. I can't wait!"
So far the Bennetts, from Bracknell, have raised £7,000 of their £10,000 target for the HR Trust, which funds research into the illness from which Declan suffered - Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). The rare disease affects white blood cells and the body's immunity.
Mrs Bennett, 30, an early years practitioner, said she was proud of her husband, who together with family members will be fundraising for the HR Trust by running the Bupa 10k at the London Olympic site on May 27.
Mrs Bennett said: "Really our aim is to spread the awareness further afield of the HR Trust, just to make others aware of HRH.
"We just want to say a massive, massive thank you because without the help of friends, family and supporters we wouldn't have been able to do it all and that's what's keeping us going as well. After losing Declan doing the charity work is really special to us."
Other fundraising events coming up include a charity race night at the Grange Hotel in Bracknell town centre from 8pm on Saturday, May 5 and a netball tournament on May 13.
Find out more about the Shining On appeal and the HR Trust at the trust's website www.hrtrust.org
This article appeared in Local Berkshire 04 Feb 12
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