Portsmouth double amputee sportsman takes on 34th marathon in five years

David Williamson, from Portsmouth will embark on the Enham Trust’s 100th Anniversary Challenge to raise funds for people with disabilities.

The 42-year-old will complete the marathon on Wednesday, July 14, at the Mountbatten Leisure Centre in Stamshaw by wheeling 106 laps of the 400m running track to match the charity’s centenary.

The head coach of the Sitting Bucks Volleyball Club plans to raise £1,000 for the trust, which supports disabled people to live, work and enjoy life to the full.

David has so far raised £330, one-third of his target amount, after creating a fundraising page on JustGiving on Sunday.

The National Diversity Awards nominee said: ‘At the start of the year, I was looking for a new venture.

‘A friend of mine works at the Enham Trust, and he mentioned that it was their 100th anniversary.

‘The work that they do is amazing to help disabled people live as independently as possible and support people with serious disabilities. It fired my enthusiasm for a marathon.’

Williamson's previous feats include raising cash for the Willow Vision Appeal for a young girl in 2016.

He pushed himself around Lakeside at North Harbour for 24 hours.

For this, he won a Personal Achievements award from The News.

‘I received messages from parents of disabled children saying that I inspired them or gave them hope that if I can do it, they can do it,’ he said.

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The charity’s 100 Challenge will be his latest endeavour following a #30in30 event in 2019 where Williamson completed 30 marathons in 30 days.

The charitable action man said: ‘For me, 50 per cent of the goal is fundraising.

‘The other 50 per cent is hoping someone will see it and give them that spark.

‘If someone like me can go out and do something, there's no reason that anyone else should be held back from doing what they want to do.’

You can support David's challenge at justgiving.com/fundraising/dw34

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