By Kirsty Warren

It’s been a bizarre start to the football season so far with surprising wins from teams such as Brighton, who’ve defeated the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Great for local Brighton fans but not so much for those on the other side. The silver lining? At least they get to play the game.

Clubs like our own Lindfield FC Juniors have to press the pause button a while longer, but how, without schools open and active PE lessons, do they keep healthy? LFC Juniors’ very own Dylan Humphreys made an awe-inspiring decision back in January this year to run 2k every day until he goes back to school. He told me: “Initially, I wanted to run to help with my fitness as I can’t play football or run around with my friends at the moment. But then I had the idea of challenging myself to run every day and look to raise money for an important cause at the same time.”

So, on 17th January Dylan began to run around the Ardingly Showground every single day, and with the help of his mum Clare, he set up a Facebook donation page where his supporters could donate to NHS Charities Together – a group of more than 250 charitable organisations that supports all of the National Health Service.
The page is still active where you can donate and see all of Dylan’s run times, photos and messages. You can find it here: Dylan’s fundraiser for NHS Charities Together

Lindfield U10s head coach Dominic Roberjot said: “Dylan’s commitment to staying fit and healthy, as well as his incredible fundraising efforts, have truly captured the imagination of everyone involved at the club. At a time when many of us were struggling for motivation during lockdown, his efforts have inspired his coaches and teammates to use this time as an opportunity to stay fit and active.”

In response to all his support, Dylan wanted to inspire his teammates further, explaining: “I challenged my football friends to run every day for a week wearing something unusual. Running gear has included crazy wigs, masks, cricket gear, party hats, a beach theme and a dressing gown! It has been lots of fun!”

The original target amount Dylan wished to hit was a modest £200, which got smashed in just 24 hours! They immediately raised the goal, but the new targets were reached again and again. At the end of January it was raised to a whopping £1,000, but as of the 12th February, Dylan’s charity had received a total of £1,450.

Clare posted on the Facebook page: “Dylan has been overwhelmed by the level of support! Not only from the donors but also from the messages of support and the encouragement that he has received. He even gets recognition from people when they see him out running, now that word has got out about what he’s doing.” Clare also mentions, “His running has been really helping Dylan’s wellbeing and fitness. It’s having something to focus on doing every day whilst there’s not a lot else to do at the moment. Therefore, I hope those having a go at their own challenges get as much out of it as he is.”

Did you spot the Juniors’ unusual dress runs in February? Or have you seen Dylan dashing around the Ardingly Showground? If you’ve been inspired to start running, let Dylan and his family know by commenting on his support page, where you can also keep up with his progress. With all this exercising, the Juniors will be ready to play a great game of football when the club can finally reopen!

Find more fun photos inside the March issue of Lindfield Life.