Brothers run London Marathon for spinal injuries charity (From Harrow Times)

Brothers run London Marathon for Stanmore spinal injuries charity, Aspire

9:00am Wednesday 22nd February 2012 in News By Anna Slater

Two brothers will run the London Marathon in aid of a Stanmore charity after one was left paralysed in his teens by a sledging accident.

Stephen Lightbown, who lives in Greenwich, will run the marathon on April 22 with his younger brother, Jonny, in aid of Aspire, a charity based in Stanmore which helps rehabilitate people with spinal injuries.

Stephen suffered life-threatening injuries in the sledging accident when he was 16, leaving him paralysed from the waist down and in a wheelchair.

He said: “I was so young when the accident happened and it was a really a pivotal time of life, so I was devastated. I had to pull out of school and spend six months at Southport Spinal unit in Lancashire.

"When I got out of hospital I still went on to do my A-levels, and then went to Preston University to study public relations. I want to help Aspire because it does such fantastic work in helping people with spinal injuries and it’s a great cause, very close to my heart.”

The 32-year-old has since moved to Greenwich where he lives with his wife, Miriam, a fundraiser.

He added: “Miriam has been my rock – so supportive, I couldn’t have done this without her. I’m always off in Greenwich Park training and she never complains.”

Mr Lightbown tried to run the London Marathon last year, but had to pull out after his wheelbuckle malfunctioned during the race.

He said: “I was really upset when I had to pull out last year, where I raised just short of £2,000. I’ll be carrying on from that and hope to raise more. It’s going to be fantastic and I’m really excited.”

His brother, Jonny, who lives in Manchester with his girlfriend, Carly, said he was spurred to do the London Marathon after seeing his brother's “determination and courage.”

He said: “My brother is such an inspiration to me so I’m excited to run the race with him. He’s done lots of charity events to help people with a similar kind of injury to him and has such motivation.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/jonnylightbown