Former GP Clive Barker's London Marathon joy after raising more than £11,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association

A retired GP and two of his sons have successfully run the London Marathon – raising more than £11,000 for charity in memory of the lads’ late grandmother.
Former Chorley GP Clive Barker and sons Tom and Adam ran the London Marathon or the Motor Neurone Disease Association in memory of Clives mum who died from Motor Nuerone Disease in 2003Former Chorley GP Clive Barker and sons Tom and Adam ran the London Marathon or the Motor Neurone Disease Association in memory of Clives mum who died from Motor Nuerone Disease in 2003
Former Chorley GP Clive Barker and sons Tom and Adam ran the London Marathon or the Motor Neurone Disease Association in memory of Clives mum who died from Motor Nuerone Disease in 2003

Former Library House Surgery GP Clive Barker and sons Tom, 29, and Adam, 28, completed the epic 26.2 mile race on Sunday, April 28.

Clive, from Euxton, set a fund-raising target of £10,000 with proceeds going to the Motor Neurone Disease Association in memory of his mum Pauline Barker.

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Pauline died in 2003, aged 69, from Motor Nuerone Disease (MND), two years after being diagnosed with the condition.

Before the raceBefore the race
Before the race

In total the trio have raised a staggering £11,800 for the association, with all the money going to support people and families affected by MND.

Clive, 60, said: “The response has been overwhelming. It can be tough in this economic climate but people have been fantastically generous.

"The race itself was exciting and nervous.

"Over 400,000 applied through the ballot to run it and about 40,000 ran it, so I feel very privileged. And all with one million people watching it and cheering us all on. It gave me goosebumps."

2017: Doctor Clive Barker, centre, retired after 31 years as a GP. Pictured with colleagues at Library House Surgery2017: Doctor Clive Barker, centre, retired after 31 years as a GP. Pictured with colleagues at Library House Surgery
2017: Doctor Clive Barker, centre, retired after 31 years as a GP. Pictured with colleagues at Library House Surgery
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Adam ran the race in three hours and seven minutes; Tom in three hours and 39 minutes; and Clive in four hours and 24 minutes.

“Being retired I had more time to get train than ever before,” Clive, who is diabetic, explained.

“And it was great to find out that I actually finished the marathon 24 minutes faster than when I ran it 10 years ago.”

In the build up to the race Clive held three fund-raising evenings at Chorley Little Theatre where he held an informal take on the life and times of being a GP; as well as transferring to being a patient in retirement.

• Donations are still being accepted via The Barkers’ JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/barkerboys