Lillian Cracknell, who comes to Claire House, was joined by mum Louise, dad Andrew and grandparents Brenda and Geoff, to press start at MBNA Chester Marathon’s Mini Marathon on Sunday (7th October).
Lillian, who was initially diagnosed with infantile spasms due to agenesis of the corpus callosum at 5 months old, started the race for 1,000 youngsters and adults who took part in the fun run around Chester Racecourse.
Lillian and her family were VIPs at the Chester Marathon, due to Lillian being supported by Claire House Children’s Hospice, the race’s official charity.
Lillian has been coming to Claire House since the summer of 2017, after mum Louise first attended a Parents and Tots group.
Speaking to the crowd ahead of the Mini Marathon, Louise said: “I can’t even tell you how wonderful the support Claire House has provided Lillian and us as a family. I would just like to say a big thank you to all of you who support Claire House, because of the amazing work that they do for families like us.”
Over 7,000 people took part in the days’ events, including the mini, metric and full marathons.
Mark Pearson, Events Manager at Claire House Children’s Hospice, said: “The 2018 Chester Marathon was the final event of a fantastic two-year partnership and we were delighted to be able to invite Lillian and her family to start the Mini Marathon.”
“We would like to say a huge thank you to all of the runners who have took part in the 3 races at the event and over the past two years. Runners have so far raised an impressive £59,000 for Claire House. Without the support of events like MBNA Chester Marathon, we simply wouldn’t be able to do the work that we do.”
