Yorkshire pig farmer Richard Longthorp has stepped into the ring to hand over a cheque for £7,000 to St Paul’s Boxing Club at the MKM Stadium in Hull.
Richard, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017, has so far raised more than £22,000, including Gift Aid, for his extraordinary January challenge’ of 1,000 press-ups a day, every day, throughot January. He completed more than 33,000 over the month, during what the former NPA chair described as a ‘tough and relentless challenge’.
The money will be split between Parkinsons UK and St Pauls and Goole Boxing Clubs, which both run Parkinson’s groups.
Richard recently attended the St Paul’s Boxing Show at the MKM Stadium and was asked to step into the ring to say a few words before handing over a cheque for £7,000 to St Paul’s.
You can view the presentation HERE
He said: “The reception I got was extremely generous – certainly not good for the tremors but definitely good for the soul! The audience were very appreciative, and this continued throughout the evening with folk simply wanting to shake my hand! Quite remarkable really.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever anticipate that some old bloke doing press-ups would strike such universal and widespread a chord. And to cap it all we had a cracking night of boxing with all bouts too close to call without the officials scorecards.”
“People keep asking me if I have any physical aftereffects. If I am brutally honest then the answer has to be yes. I feel as though I have used up a year’s worth of resilience in the first month!
“But that has to be outweighed by the hundreds of messages of support I have received and the generosity of so many folk, many unknown to me personally. It has all been humbling in the extreme.”
Richard, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017. He has responded by taking up boxing, joining local Parkinson’s Boxing Groups, which he said has been hugely beneficial in helping to live with this ‘bloody disease’.
“The boxing sessions have been hugely beneficial to me and my fellow Parkinson’s Punchers. It’s really heartening to think that the money raised will go to help increase the provision for more Parkinson’s boxing sessions,” he said, according to a BBC report.
Head coach Mike Bromby MBE said: “We can’t thank Richard enough – not just for the funds but also for the way he’s an inspiration for the whole St Paul’s family. Boxing is all about getting back up and Richard is the epitome of that.
“The sessions we run for people with Parkinson’s are relaxed and informal. If anyone is interested in finding out more, they should get in touch.”