MUSCULAR Dystrophy UK has announced that the Help4Harry campaign, started by the Barnley’s from Farnham in aid of their son has raised a staggering £200,000 since it begun three years ago - they are the first family to raise this amount of money for the charity.

Sue and Tom Barnley set up the family fund Help4Harry in August 2013 to raise funds for the Duchenne Research Breakthrough Fund, after their son Harry was diagnosed with the rare and life-limiting degenerative disease in June 2013.

Sue said: “Tom and I are thrilled that this amount of money has been raised, it is just incredible. Our network of family and friends wishing and willing to carry out challenges is just phenomenal.

“It’s mind blowing, the support we receive from all our family and friends just continues to leave us speechless.

“This money means that vital research can take place with the hope that one day soon there will be an end to this dreadful disease. A massive thank you from Tom and I to everyone that has organised an event or sponsored somebody, it means the world to us.”

Over the past three years, among other things, there have been treks to Kilimanjaro, numerous skydives, short and long bicycle rides, hot chocolate sales, mud runs, quiz nights, football tournaments, Go Orange days and the list goes on.

Anneke Liefting from Muscular Dystrophy UK, said the money Help4Harry has raised has funded just under three-and-a-half years of Duchenne muscular dystrophy research:

“They have made a huge impact to the Duchenne Research Breakthrough Fund. As a charity we know that the fund would not be in the place it is today without the impact Help4Harry has made.

“It is an exciting time in research. Translana (the first drug on the market to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy) has just been approved by NICE, potential treatments are being trialled and could transform lives.

“It is vital we continue to support this work, for Harry and the 2,500 children and young people in the UK living with this condition. We are always looking for more people to fundraise and raise the vital funds for young people just like Harry.”

Anyone wishing to host an event or set themselves a fundraising challenge can do so by visiting www.musculardystro

phyuk.org, by calling 0207 803 2862, or by emailing the team at volunteer

fundraising@musculardys

trophyuk.org. And to read more about Help4Harry go to www.help4harry.co.uk.