A BROTHER will walk 320 miles back to his childhood home to raise money in the fight against the disease which claimed his sibling’s life.

David House is leaving his brother’s former home in The Chase, Ashingdon, today, Friday, October 5, to walk to Boduan in North West Wales.

David, who suffers from ME, will be raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in memory of his brother, Mike, who died aged 69 in August 2011 after being diagnosed with the disease just under a year earlier.

He has never attempted to walk this far and ME, which he has suffered with for 15 years, means it is difficult to even get out of bed some days.

David, who lives near Sudbury, said: “I have never done a walk of this length before and I anticipate it will take me some three weeks or so. To help keep me going I’ve asked friends and family to suggest songs for each day, which remind them of Mike and I hope to ask local radio stations to support me by playing the song.”

Starting at 8am, David will walk to their birthplace near Nefyn on the Llyn Peninsula.

The boys were born in a farmhouse outside the small village in North Wales and when Mike moved to Ashingdon about 40 years ago he named his house Glan Gorse, after the farmhouse, which was called Glan-y-Gors.

David, 67, said: “It was and still is a place of special importance to us both. My father was billeted there during the war, when he was stationed at Pwllheli airfield. None of the family that we were billeted with could speak English, only Welsh, so for a while it must have been an interesting household.

“Mike did not live long after the terrible diagnosis that he had Motor Neurone Disease, but his mind was still sound and active. I am proud to be his brother and have been able to help him in a small way through that time. For such an active man to die in this way was terrible for him. The gritty and gutsy way that he endured his illness was inspiring to me, as in so many ways my older brother was to me many times in our life together.”

David said by getting sponsorship for the organisation, he hopes to raise awareness of the devastating disease.

He added: “If by getting sponsorship for the association, it makes people aware of the debilitating illness and supports anyone or any family who are touched by MND, then I will feel that it would be a fitting tribute to Mike. To all those who knew him, Mike was a kind and loving man and would rather help anyone than do anything unkind. He is sadly missed by all my family and the happy times we had will always be with us.

“Motor Neurone Disease kills five people every day and leaves people unable to walk, talk or feed themselves and Mike was no exception. For those that knew my brother, this was the worst possible thing to happen to him.”

To donate, go to www.justgiving.com/gorse2gors.