Motor neurone disease campaigner Sam Perkins dies

Sam Perkins was a keen triathlete and much of his fundraising was sports based

A campaigner and fundraiser for research into motor neurone disease (MND) has died, his family have said.

Sam Perkins, from East Leake, Nottinghamshire, was 37 when he was diagnosed with the condition in March 2019.

The former triathlete helped raise more than £250,000 through his charity Stand Against MND.

In September he was presented with an award at a ceremony organised by an online fundraising organisation.

Mr Perkins was a keen Nottingham Forest fan and received support from the club

MND is an incurable condition in which nerve cells that control muscles gradually stop working.

In 2023, Mr Perkins set up the Fifty50 campaign looking to recruit 50 fundraisers to raise at least £500.

The name was chosen to represent the 50% chance of dying in the first two years after diagnosis.

The campaign attracted support from the likes of former Nottingham Forest captain Joe Worrall and has so far raised more than £50,000, twice its original target.

His family confirmed his death on Sunday but have not commented further.