Friends box clever to help Team Tyler

We are delighted to have supported a charity boxing night which has raised thousands in aid of a fantastic cause.

Our Halliwell Business Park in Bolton was one of the sponsors of the #TEAMTYLER ‘Grudges Settled Boxing Night’ which raised almost £10,000 for Duchenne Now.

Tyler Richardson is eight years old and suffers from the rare genetic condition Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The devastating illness affects 1 in 3,500 boys in the UK. Children who suffer from this terrible illness will see their muscles weaken and progressively waste away, becoming completely wheelchair bound by around the age of 10 – 12. They then go on to develop breathing problems and respiratory muscle failure and then eventually heart failure. In the past most people with this condition haven’t lived beyond their early twenties.

Duchenne Now is a zero-cost charity that funds research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the hope of finding a cure.

Rallying together

Tyler’s family and friends are constantly working to raise funds for the charity and this latest event was organised by his dad, Aaron, and his partner Victoria Allsop.

“The idea for the event came back in May when Aaron and some friends were on holiday,” Victoria says.

“They were having a bit of banter and decide to settle their differences properly in the boxing ring. At that point none of them had boxed before, so there were lots of training sessions involved to get them fighting fit. There was a lot of organisation to do, but the event itself was fantastic and the 250 people who attended all had a great night as well.”

The event was held at the 147 Club in Walkden, which is local to our Halliwell Business Park. The business centre sponsored two of the matches, took a page in the event programme and had banners around the room.

Business Centre Manager, Paul Ogle, comments: “When we heard about this event and the fantastic charity that it was supporting, we were delighted to offer our sponsorship. Halliwell Business Park is very much a part of the wider local community and we are always happy to support such worthwhile events that not only raise awareness and raise funds for charity, but brings the community together.”

Devastating diagnosis

Tyler was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy shortly after his fourth birthday. Dad Aaron remembers: “At first they thought Tyler had something called dyspraxia, which is a developmental co-ordination disorder that causes children to perform less well in their daily activities and appear to move clumsily, but it wasn’t. It was something far more awful than this.

“After many more tests and visits to specialists to Salford Royal Hospital and Manchester Children’s Hospital the paediatricians confirmed any parents’ worse nightmares. They told us that our beautiful son Tyler has an incurable illness called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and that he probably won’t live beyond his twenties. Our hearts had been broken.”

Tyler, whose birthday was earlier this month, now relies on a wheelchair most days as his body gets tired. Team Tyler has an online donation page if you would like to make a contribution.

Bolton workspace

Halliwell Business Park is a converted mill, offering a selection of workspaces including offices, workshops, industrial units and storage units.  The site has spacious, free of charge car parking facilities and 24-hour access is available. For more information contact Business Centre Manager Paul Ogle on 01204 849 494.