Ex-footballer diagnosed with MND raises £60k

Marcus Stewart was diagnosed with the condition in 2022

A former professional footballer diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has raised more than £60,000 to support a charity working to find a cure.

Marcus Stewart, along with a group of 300 other walkers, undertook the journey of nearly 18 miles (29km) around the sports arenas of Bristol on Saturday.

The walk began and ended at the home of Bristol Rovers, one of the clubs which Mr Stewart played for.

The 51-year-old, who was diagnosed with MND in September 2022, said the experience was "humbling" and "overwhelming".

MND affects nerves in the brain and the spinal cord and is a degenerative condition, for which there is no cure.

• Listen: Marcus Stewart on his MND diagnosis

The money raised from Stewart's Sports Tour will go to the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, which aims to raise awareness of the condition, generate funds to go towards medical research, and provide a support network for those diagnosed with the disease.

The Foundation's goal was to recruit a minimum of 254 walkers, the number of career goals Mr Stewart scored over 20 years.

“It was a great achievement," said Mr Stewart.

"I didn’t expect we’d raise that much, or for that many people to turn up. It exceeded our expectations massively,” he added.

Stewart’s Sports Tour is a team walk around Bristol, calling in at many of the city's sporting arenas

The walk was a team event with groups of between three and six.

The route was broken down into six stages, passing by the Bristol Rovers, Bristol Flyers, and Bristol City stadiums.

Mr Stewart said his favourite aspect of the walk was getting rare "one-on-one time" with wider family, old friends and former teammates.

“Everyone was there to show support, which I love," he said.

He added some people had travelled down from as far as Ipswich and Leeds to take part in the journey.

More than 300 people took part in the walk for charity

Mr Stewart said he felt it was important for him to use his personal experience as a catalyst for finding a cure.

He said: “I’ve got a little bit of a profile in the south-west of England.

"Not everyone with MND has a platform like that, so they can’t do or say a lot, and won’t get as much backing as I might get.

"So I think it’s important for me to do my bit when it comes to that.

"I don’t do it for my own personal promotion, I do it because I think it would make a difference, and I’ll keep doing that until I can’t anymore.

“I’m able to walk, it’s only affecting my arms and hands, so if I can walk I’ll do as much as I can.

“And one day, hopefully in my lifetime, there’s a cure."