A FATHER took on a gruelling 70-mile ultramarathon in memory of his son who died just six weeks old.

Andy Sanderson’s son Zachary died in July 2015 after being diagnosed with Moebius Syndrome – a rare and life-long form of facial paralysis. Only one or two babies per million are born with the condition and there are less than 200 people living with it in the UK.

Zachary also had Central Sleep Apnoeas – where the brain occasionally stops telling the body to breathe – which meant he would need to be on a ventilator for life.

“We think about him a lot, we get upset a lot, but we try and create that legacy and memory”, said Andy, a plant director at Egger.

“He was very very brave and went through a lot, in comparison, my challenge is nothing really.”

Andy, who has worked at Egger for 18 years, set himself a number of ambitious charity challenges after Zachary’s death – the latest saw him take on The Wall which starts at Carlise and finishes in Newcastle.

“Since Zachary passed away, it was about trying to turn that – as much as we could – into something positive, so people will always talk about and remember him”, added Andy, who has two other children Arabella (5) and Harry (4).

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The family’s fundraising pot for Tiny Lives Trust is now closing in on £50,000. Tiny Lives support sick and premature babies and their families at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle – where Zachary spent almost four weeks of his life.

Andy, who has recently become chairman of Egger’s charity committee, said: “They do a fantastic job in trying to support families.

“A lot of the babies recover and thrive but unfortunately, there are families, like ourselves, where they are not so fortunate. There’s a lot of aftercare.

“Egger is also fantastic in terms of support. Company-wide, Egger pays the entry fee for runners and not only that, they contribute five euros per kilometre.”

Colleagues from Egger joined Andy at various points of The Wall run, which he finished with partner Caroline.

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“I got so emotional seeing the donations flood in, how generous people were with them – even despite everything that’s going on with inflation and the cost of living. That just meant the world”, said Andy.

“We'll keep going - I haven't let my mind wander to what's next, but we'll try and one-up things now.”

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To donate, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runningforzachary