Cricket stars and friends to run Silverstone half-marathon for disabled Northampton boy

Former England Cricket International player Graeme Swann, former Northamptonshire County Cricket Club batsman Lee Daggett and Finedon Dolben Cricket Club player Tim Roberts will tackle the 13mile run around the formula one circuit in five weeks time.

Other local cricketers running include Andy Daniels, Steve Toseland, Lloyd Groom and Pat Barron.

They are running to raise funds for the 'Life For Lewis' appeal, which supports Lewis Herbert, a boy with an exceptionally rare and severe form of epilepsy called Lennox Gastaut Syndrome.

Gary Herbert, the group's organiser and Lewis' father, said: "This is going to be a massive challenge for all of us, and for the majority of us it will be the very first time we have attempted to run 13 miles.

"Any donations towards our run would really help us with our continued quest to try and raise money for Lewis for disability specific items and specialist equipment which is not available to him through the NHS and statutory provision.

"Any sponsors towards our group run would help us all so much while we train during these freezing cold and wet days."

Lewis was born in 2002. At three months old, he was diagnosed with West Syndrome. This later developed into a rare and extremely severe form of epilepsy.

Gary said: "He can have hundreds of different seizures every day and the condition is resistant to any medication or therapies we've tried."

It's left Lewis severely disabled and in need of constant care from his mum and dad, who have given up work to provide all his personal care needs.

Lewis' mum and dad have already raised over £30,000 through other fundraising drives to buy Lewis a wheelchair accessible sensory garden, a specialised wheelchair and a wheelchair-mounted iPad with sensory cause-and-effect applications

They are now seeking to buy eye gaze communication software and place a deposit for a fully adapted wheelchair-accessible Motability vehicle.

The group of twenty-three ex-cricketers and youth cricketer friends will run the half marathon on March 12 to riase funds for Lewis' appeal.

The group's JustGiving page can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Steve-Toseland.

For more information on Lewis' story and his condition, visit http://lexiherbert.wixsite.com/alifeforlewisappeal.