Ellesmere Port man to take on London Marathon in memory of his ‘incredibly inspiring’ younger brother

An Ellesmere Port man is to take on the London Marathon and host a fantastic local event in memory of his ‘incredibly inspiring’ younger brother.

Mike Bladen Blake, from Little Sutton near Ellesmere Port, will also be hosting, alongside his family, a joy-filled public fundraising event in Ellesmere Port on 6 August to celebrate Adam’s life and remember their fun and determined brother.

Mike and his mum, Donna, and sister Jodi hope to raise over £2,000 for the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK, which ‘was close to Adam's heart’, to help other people still living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Adam, who was just 30 when he died a year ago, had used a wheelchair since the age of 10 and was a keen YouTuber.

Mike, 32, a musician and director of a live music entertainment agency, will be tackling the London Marathon on Sunday 2 October. He said: “The run will be a huge challenge for me, but our losing Adam suddenly and unexpectedly last year was so much tougher. He was an incredibly inspiring young man who taught me never to give up and to always face adversity with a cheeky smile and a determined look.”

“Back in 2013 I ran a marathon to fundraise for Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK) after Adam challenged me to it. It was so tough I never vowed never to do it again. Adam and I would often joke about it, and he would make fun of me and challenge me to do another! So, taking on the London Marathon this October in support of MDUK will be a fitting tribute to the inspiring and fun-loving fighter that my brother was.”

Mike, who now lives in Manchester with his wife Julia, adds: “I will be raising money for and boosting awareness of this incredible charity, which helped us as a family over the years to face the challenges met each day by such an illness.”

Muscular Dystrophy UK funds scientific research to find treatments – and ultimately cures – for DMD and more than 60 other rare muscle-wasting conditions, as well as supporting individuals and families living with these conditions.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) causes progressive muscle weakness, including to the heart and respiratory muscles. It was ultimately the weakening of Adam’s heart muscles that was the cause of him passing away on 19 July 2021.

The celebratory memorial event on 6 August will be held at Whitby Sports & Social Club in Ellesmere Port near Little Sutton where Adam lived his whole life.   

“It will be a fantastic night of all the things Adam loved – especially live music – to help meet our fundraising target. There will be live music, a charity raffle and a firework finale,” said Mike, who will be hosting the evening alongside his sister, Jodi.

“Everybody is welcome. It will be an occasion where we can laugh, dance and sing together, and remembering the incredible person Adam was. He would light up the room when he entered at a family party or any event, so we want to pay tribute to that very aspect of Adam's personality which brought happiness to so many.”

Tickets are on sale now and all profits and he event itself will be donated to Muscular Dystrophy UK.

Kiera Santry, Challenge Events Manager at Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “Running the London Marathon is a monumental life achievement and a truly courageous thing to do. Before even reaching the start line runners must find the determination to dedicate months of the year to demanding training plans and work hard to reach and exceed their fundraising target.

We are incredibly grateful that Mike for has chosen choosing to run as part of Muscular Dystrophy UK’s #TeamOrange – where he will celebrate and honour Adam’s life and also raise vital funds and awareness to support the work we do.”

“We have more than 140 participants who will be joining Mike on the iconic 26.2 mile course in London, wearing #TeamOrange colours. This year we are hoping to raise more than £250,000 to help fund research and support the 110,000 living with muscle-wasting conditions in the UK.”

“We wish Mike and his family a fantastic fundraising night on 6 August – and we very much look forward to celebrating Adam’s life alongside Mike in October on marathon day – where we’ll be cheering him on every step of the way!”

Find out more about the celebratory event on 6 August and how to book tickets here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/687346095634830/?ref=newsfeed

To support Mike’s fundraiser visit his Just Giving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RunForAdam22