THE parents of a 31-year-old who lost his battle to Motor Neurone Disease (MND) took on an ambitious challenge over the weekend in his memory.

Andrew and Sarah Greaves, whose son David died in 2016 – just 15 months after being diagnosed with the condition – completed a three-legged eight mile circuit of Holy Island, in Lindisfarne, in a bid to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

The couple, who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday, completed the course in just under six hours with their dogs.

Their latest sporting effort for Team #2Fingers2MND in memory of David, who was a triathlete and children’s author, sees the fund-raising pot stand at £2,293 which sees them surpass £100,000 for the David Greaves MNDA Tribute Fund.

Sarah, who volunteers for the MNDA at Marie Curie, which supports newly diagnosed patients, has now spoken about the impact of losing a child to the life shortening disease.

She said: “Losing David shifted the direction of our lives, you will never be the same person and you become more aware of how many people lose children, not just at a young age. Your child is always your child, whatever age.

“The worst thing as a parent is to see your child suffer and not be able to help.

“We’ve had lots of fantastic support, which really helps, and losing David, probably, brought me and Andrew closer. We are very lucky.

“It never goes away, you just learn how to deal with it. It does help to count your blessings and look at the good things.

“Time also makes you stronger, its been nearly four years, which sounds like a long time, but it doesn’t feel like any time at all.”