Former footballer Len Johnrose half way to Project 92 target

Celebrities including Charlotte Hawkins, Helen Skelton, Dion Dublin and Gaby Roslin help push Len, who’s living with motor neurone disease, closer to his £92,000 target to support others with the terminal illness and fund research into treatments.

A host of celebrities, television presenters and members of the public have braved dunking their feet into buckets of ice cold water to help former footballer Len Johnrose raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association to support others who, like him, are living with MND.

Thanks to a combined effort Len’s Project 92, which includes the #IceFoot92 challenge, has now hit the halfway point to the £92,000 target – £1,000 to represent each of the 92 football clubs in the Football League.

Now Len is urging people who haven’t yet taken the plunge to get involved and push the fundraising on from the current £46,064. Those who take on the #IceFoot92 challenge, reminiscent of the Ice Bucket Challenge which proved a money-spinning hit in the summer of 2014, are asked to donate £10 to the MND Association by texting MNDLEN to 70085 and to nominate three friends, relatives or colleagues.

Len and his family have received support from the MND Association since his diagnosis in March 2017. Len, who is now confined to a wheelchair, said:

“As a player, I’d ice foot injuries. I’m asking people to stand in a bucket of ice water for 92 seconds – one second for each club in the league – I can promise you it’s pure hell. If you manage it you get to nominate your mates so it’s a great chance to set them up! And if you don’t – you have to pay a penalty and donate anyway.”

The #IceFoot92 challenge has been featured on a number of television programmes including Channel 5 News, Good Morning Britain which saw presenter and Association ambassador Charlotte Hawkins taking the challenge, BBC Breakfast on which presenters Louise Minchin and Dan Walker braved the ice, and a number of regional news channels. Len has been interviewed and taken the challenge five times himself to encourage others to take part.

Len said:

“This is my way of doing something positive for people with MND, now and into the future. lt seemed like the perfect platform to not only raise funds but raise awareness of the disease.”

Len enjoyed a long playing career with Burnley, Swansea City, Blackburn Rovers, Bury, Preston North End and Hartlepool United. After retiring he retrained as a primary school teacher. But his career was cut short by his diagnosis. He lives in Preston with his wife Nadine and teenagers Elizabeth and Patrick.

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Donate via Len's JustGiving page