A MEMBER of a British GAA club will take on a sporting challenge of epic proportions this year in order to raise funds for a charity that is close to her heart.
Charlotte Nichols and her partner Stuart Bates aim to complete every Olympic sporting event when the postponed Tokyo Olympics 2020 finally takes place this summer.
The games are expected to get underway in Japan from July 23 to August 8 and over the course of those 17 days the duo will attempt each sporting discipline that features in the global competition.
That will see Charlotte, who is a member of the Éire Óg Oxford GAA club, and Stuart taking on everything from synchronised swimming and skateboarding to badminton, boxing and breakdancing.
In total they have 80 sports challenges to complete.
The plucky pair have set themselves the challenge in order to raise funds and awareness for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).
In 2011 Stuart’s brother Spencer, also known as Spenny, passed away from motor neurone disease.
He was in his 40's and left behind his wife Nicky and their two young sons Samuel and Isaac.
Charlotte Nichols and Stuart Bates will take on their challenge in JulyNow, 10 years on since his passing, Charlotte and Stuart’s Spennylympics will pay tribute to the man who they claim “left his mark on all of those he met”.
“He was many things to many people, a well-known and talented musician, a keen footballer and trusted friend,” they explain.
“From his initial diagnosis, Spenny, his family and friends devoted themselves to fundraise for the vital Motor Nurone Disease cause.
“To date they have raised in excess of £85,000 through live events, charity auctions and garden parties,” they added.
Stuart has always wanted to mark the 10th anniversary of his brother's death and celebrate his life in a “fitting and memorable way”.
“From this aim, the idea for the ‘Spennylympics’ grew,” they explain, with partner Charlotte described as “someone with equal determination and who is crazy enough to bring the idea to fruition.”
In line with the Tokyo games, the Spennylympics will start in Stuart and Spenny's hometown of Weymouth on July 23.
Their first event is the 20km race walk, which they will invite friends and family to join in on.
With Stuart and Charlotte now both based in Oxford, they have enrolled the help of local sports clubs to support them on the team sport challenges, as well as some well-known sporting ambassadors to help raise the profile of the initiative and fundraising for the MNDA.
These ambassadors include two-time world champion boxer Amir Khan, six-time British Olympian and gold medal winner Tessa Sanderson CBE and Archery Ambassador, British Olympian and three-time world champion Patrick Huston.
To ensure that they are looking after themselves Stuart and Charlotte have recruited well known Irish, Leinster and Dublin GAA Sports Nutritionist Daniel Davey to help with the sporting pair’s individual nutritional needs for the challenge.
For more information on the Spennylympics and to follow the endeavours of Stuart and Charlotte click here.
You can donate to the fundraising appeal, which has a £10,000 target, here.
