John Paul pulls on his running shoes in memory of his nephew Matthew

"He had the most remarkable smile and a wicked sense of fun" - the words of University of Sunderland academic John Paul Green who is running the Great North Run in memory of his stepson Matthew Ragsdale and to raise vital funds for Grace House.

- by Neil Fatkin

Matthew was just 14 when he passed away in 2009.

Born with an undiagnosed medical condition similar to cerebral palsy, Matthew was unable to communicate verbally and had severely limited mobility, leaving him unable to walk or control his movements.

John Paul, Faculty Academic Support Lead at the university, will take part in next weekend's Great North Run to raise money for Grace House, a charity he knows Matthew would have benefited from had he survived.