A year of challenges - how Emily is going above and beyond for Tony Hopper

Not content with attempting one challenge for charity - she is taking on at least 11 this year.

They include walks, runs, swims and a couple of muddy experiences, all in the name of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Emily, 27, is a close friend of the Hopper family and on the same nursing course at the University of Cumbria as Tony's wife, Sue.

She said she wanted to challenge herself as much as possible to help raise funds and awareness, following Tony's diagnosis with bulbar-onset MND.

Emily said: "All the challenges are difficult to do, and I thought it was important to show you are exerting some kind of effort for the fundraising you are doing.

"I was talking to Sue about it and while you can't take this away, what's happening to Tony and the family, raising money is a way of helping them and the local community.

"Sue and I already had a couple of events booked in for this year but now I'm doing tons!"

Emily's series of challenges will start on Sunday, March 26 with the Cheshire 10k run.

A month later she will, with Sue, swim the equivalent of the Channel in the Pools in Carlisle.

The Yorkshire Warrior 10k mud run follows. Then Emily will tackle the Leeds half marathon, the Gelt Gladiator mud run and a 50k walk on the Cotswold Way.

Those will all be attempted before July. Afterwards, Emily and Sue will take on a Filthy Girl mud run, and in the final four months of the year she will do the Great North Run, the Great Cumbrian Run, the Wilmslow 10k and, in December, a Santa dash.

On top of all that, she is helping to organise a fundraising event at the university's Calva Bar on Friday, March 17, with proceeds also going to the MND Association.

"The mud runs I absolutely love, but running I hate," Emily added. "But I thought, as they are the hardest things, I had to put more of them in, so I have to keep training all year.

"It's a real mixture. And it's quite suited to the family as well. Tony's obviously sporty and Sue's really into her sport - one of the reasons we're such good friends is we used to do a lot of the gym and sport together.

"Even when I look after their boys, we tend to go for walks.

"Me and Sue met just before we started the nursing course, and we've been training together. She's helped me with a lot of stuff in the past, and we've been on the journey together with all this, when Tony was first getting symptoms back in May, then the diagnosis.

"They're such a lovely family and I feel quite involved. I wanted to feel like I could do something to help."

The News & Star is also supporting the Hoppers' bid to help the MND Association with our Fighting Back For Tony campaign.

The former Carlisle United and Workington footballer's story has touched the hearts of many in Cumbria.

Emily says helping the charity in his name is a great way for people to show further support.

"Tony and Sue have had so many nice comments and you can see how much it means to them," she said. "They are very humbled by it.

"It's nice to know so many people out there are thinking about him.

"The money being raised for his Fightback Fund is going towards research and equipment in the local area, which will inevitably help Tony.

"Sue being Sue - someone who thinks of everybody else - she was feeling bad about going for any sort of grant or help from the MND Association.

"The idea behind their JustGiving fund was a way of paying that back, if you like.

"But hopefully the massive support they are getting, and the number of people who want to help, will make a massive difference for the MND Association in Cumbria."

You can sponsor Emily, and donate to the Hoppers' fightback fund, at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Tony-Hopper