Weeley firefighter to tackle testing challenge in aid of inspiring girl

Jonathan Turner, 32, of Weeley Heath, is a self-employed air conditioning and refrigeration engineer and runs his own company.

Since last September, however, he has also bravely worked as an on-call firefighter serving the Weeley area where he has helped kept residents safe.

Jonathan has now decided to tackle a 24-hour walk from London to Brighton in aid of six-year-old Alexia Sinclair, who has quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy.

He said: “I love a challenge and about six years ago I did a 43-mile walk for a young boy called Stanley Newman.

“I get great pleasure out of helping people so when I heard Alexia’s dad say about a walk I told him to sign me up.

“I will be honest, I did not think it would be as long a distance as my first walk, but when you are doing it for a great cause you just cannot stop.”

The walk, scheduled to take place on September 11, will see Jonathan and a group of fellow strollers take on a blister-inducing 52-miles.

In order to make the challenge even harder for himself, however, he has decided to complete the walk while wearing his firefighter breathing apparatus.

“I have started training by doing a couple of miles and already the equipment is uncomfortable,” added Jonathan.

“I will keep upping the distance because last time I went in to it so unprepared but this time I have invested in some good walking boots.”

Fighter Alexia was born at 28 weeks, weighing just 2lb 15oz, and after encountering numerous complications she was given her diagnosis at nine-months-old.

She has since started suffering from epilepsy due to her brain damage, endured numerous treatments, and undergone a nine hour operation to reconstruct her hip.

Her parents were initially told she would never walk or talk and struggle to do average tasks but after private therapy she can now walk using a stroller.

Through expensive sessions Alexia has “made amazing progress”, but funds need to be constantly raised in order to give her the best chance of leading a normal life.

Jonathan added: “The walk is going to be extremely hard near the end but I will think about how grateful I am that I can rest after and then still be able to use my legs.

“Alexia, on the other hand, has an uphill struggle every day for the rest of her life, yet she never gives up.”

To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Jon-Turner24.