A wheelie good effort Liam

A man who pushed himself around in a wheelchair for 24 hours in aid of an activity-based community day centre has smashed his original fundraising target.

Liam Turner had hoped to raise £240 (£10 for every hour) but he massively exceeded that target, raising a fantastic £1,100 for the Caremark Redcar and Cleveland ‘Safe Place’ initiative.

Liam, who works as a therapy dog handler for Caremark, decided to take action after learning that the service was under threat due to rising costs related to running it.

Safe Place is a not-for-profit service and even though there is funding from the local authority, with factors like an increase in the national living wage, it is starting to cost Caremark money to keep going.

Safe Place is a weekly social event held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at Redcar Football Club for people who would benefit from activity-led, social interaction. The aim is to provide people with an opportunity to leave their home for a few hours to meet new people and hopefully make some new friends.

Liam borrowed a wheelchair and used his strength as a rugby player to push himself around Redcar for 24 hours over the bank holiday weekend.

He was joined for part of his marathon adventure by some of the therapy dogs he works with at Caremark Redcar and Cleveland.

Liam joined Caremark in 2024 after over 30 years working in IT and he regularly takes the dogs to see people who use Safe Place, as well as other community venues such as nursing homes, a school for children with autism in Redcar and four supported living schemes in Redcar which Caremark provide the care for.

The dogs are owned by Caremark Redcar and Cleveland Managing Director Michelle Jackson.

“After weeks of nice weather, I timed my fundraiser for just when it got colder but that actually helped me in the long run,” said Liam.

“It was hard going but I tried to stick to flat areas of Redcar as much as possible and I received lots of support along my way which was nice.

“It was great having Michelle and some of the dogs with me at one stage and I am thrilled at having raised so much money and would like to thank everyone who sponsored me.”

Michelle said: “Everyone at Caremark Redcar and Cleveland is so proud of Liam and what he has achieved.

“We are desperate to keep Safe Place going as it has become such a valuable asset to so many people in our community.

“It’s a place where people can come to build friendships and benefit from regular social interaction and stimulation to improve their physical and mental well-being.”

click here for more details or to contact Caremark Redcar & Cleveland