Burnley dad walks full length of Leeds Liverpool Canal in aid of Tuberous Sclerosis Association

By Sue Plunkett
Published 25th Jun 2024, 13:15 BST
Updated 26th Jun 2024, 09:28 BST
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It was the challenge of a lifetime.

But determined dad Aaron Holt is the toast of Burnley after walking 127 miles non stop the full length of the Leeds Liverpool Canal.

It took him 57 hours after setting off from Granary Wharf in Leeds at 7-45am on Saturday morning. Aaron arrived to a hero’s welcome from family and friends, including his wife Laura and their children Jonah (one) and four-year-old Ruby, at the end of the route in Liverpool just after 5-30pm yesterday.

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Aaron’s proud wife Laura said: “Aaron is an absolute hero. He was determined to do this without stopping and any sleep, he just kept putting one foot in front of the other. After 24 hours he had extremely painful feet and awful blisters but he just carried on.”

'Keep going daddy' was the touching message from Ruby Holt to her brave dad Aaron who has completed a 127 mile walk non stop along the Leeds Liverpool Canal to raise money for the Tuberous Sclerosis Association. Ruby's little brother Jonah suffers from TSC a very rare condition'Keep going daddy' was the touching message from Ruby Holt to her brave dad Aaron who has completed a 127 mile walk non stop along the Leeds Liverpool Canal to raise money for the Tuberous Sclerosis Association. Ruby's little brother Jonah suffers from TSC a very rare condition
'Keep going daddy' was the touching message from Ruby Holt to her brave dad Aaron who has completed a 127 mile walk non stop along the Leeds Liverpool Canal to raise money for the Tuberous Sclerosis Association. Ruby's little brother Jonah suffers from TSC a very rare condition

Aaron was joined by his best friend Nathan White who had to pull out at the 50 mile mark in Burnley due to an ankle injury. But he later surprised Aaron by joining him on his bike and pushed through the pain to the end. Laura added: “Nathan was a phenomenal support for Aaron and definitely deserves recognition for what he did.”

At the final few bridges Aaron was joined by relatives and friends, some he had not seen for years, who wanted to offer their support. Laura said: “Aaron is so grateful for all of the support he received as it really pushed him through. “

Aaron’s marathon effort was to raise money for the Tuberous Sclerosis Association. So far the total raised is £6,000, so over halfway to the £10,000 target. Last year the family raised over £4,000 when they held a sponsored walk from the Prairie pub in Burnley up Pendle Hill and back.

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The couple’s inspiration is their son Jonah who was diagnosed with the condition, known as TSC, after he suffered a series of seizures. It causes non cancerous tumours to grow in the brain and other parts of the body, including the spinal cord, nerves, eyes, lung, heart, kidneys. There’s currently no cure for TSC, which affects only one million people worldwide, but there are treatments for some of the problems it causes. Jonah, who will be two in October, has epilepsy as part of his TSC and takes medication to try and minimise his daily seizures.

This year so far Aaron has completed a half marathon and six 10k runs. He has another half marathon to complete and four more 10k runs.

But for the moment he is taking a well earned rest.

Related topics:Burnley

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